Burmilla: cat characteristics, conditions of detention and breeding

The flexible and incredibly graceful cat of the Burmilla breed looks very impressive - you can fall in love with it at first sight and for the rest of your life. Usually cats of rare breeds get for a variety of purposes - someone wants to get a small lump of joy of happiness in the house, regalia and victories at exhibitions are important for others, and still others dream of a friend who will brighten up lonely evenings. Burmilla meets each of these requirements.

Each pedigreed cat has its own history of origin. Of all the representatives of the cat family, breeders undoubtedly deserve the special attention of the Burmilla cat, an animal with aristocratic roots and a rather amusing history that dates back to 1981. At that time in Great Britain, in the house of Baroness Bickford-Smith lived a beautiful kitten of the Burmese breed, which was waiting for mating with a male breed.

At the same time, a friend of hers, another cat lover, came to visit the Baroness, and he did not come alone, but with his pet, the Persian cat. It so happened that the maid forgot to lock the door and the cute kitty ran out into the corridor, where she met a handsome Persian. This meeting ended with a pet's pregnancy, which almost led to the dismissal of the housekeeper.

But after three months, kittens of amazing beauty were born, after some time the Baroness noticed that these babies have an unusually docile, mild temper, so unusual for Persians.

Burmilla is considered one of the most elegant cats with exquisite manners. Her torso and limbs are perfectly proportional, her muzzle is very neat, and her look is gentle, a little naive. According to the current breed standards, burmilla has the following physical characteristics:

• medium body;
• developed muscles;
• the mass of an adult cat is 4–7 kg, the weight of males and females is about the same;
• tail long, near the end, narrowed;
• the limbs are strong, the pads are rounded, black;
• small, round head, slightly protruding cheeks;
• the nose is small, pink;
• crescent-shaped eyes, black stroke;
• a dark M-shaped spot can be seen between the eyes in the area of ​​the forehead;
• eyes can be amber, blue, green or tortoise; rarely, but there are cats with reddish irises;
• Wool is soft, quite pleasant to the touch.

Depending on the breed, the wool can be long or short. It is worth considering in more detail.

• Shorthair cat it has a glossy, almost silk-to-touch coat, as well as a large undercoat that visually lifts up the base coat. It is usually silver, but a light golden shade is allowed. The wool itself is most often purple, blue, chocolate or cream - pigmented from the bottom, and from above it is distinguished by more pronounced coloring.
• In long-haired varieties The Burmillas have Australian roots.Outwardly, such an animal resembles the Persians, who are their first ancestors, but there are quite significant differences. So, Burmilla has a more fluffy tail, the muzzle tapers from the temporal region towards the jaw, and the ears are turned up with an imperceptible inclination forward.

Breeders claim that the character of a burmilla is truly angelic. Small kittens conquer children and adults are always complacent mood, cheerful disposition, endless vitality. They love active games, eagerly seek the caresses of their owners - in response to care, they are ready to give their big and small owners endless love and caress.

The Burmillas are extremely inquisitive, it is important for them to be constantly in the center of attention, while they devote very little time to sleep. These pets can not stand loneliness, love communication and quickly establish contact not only with all family members, but also with other pets. The main traits of a burmill can be called tact and friendliness.

These cats will never harm a person, if only defending themselves in response to aggression. For kids, she can become a playmate and at the same time a nurse - such animals can be left without fear even with the youngest children, without fear that they will pounce and scratch. Burmillas are very brave, at the same time energetic cats, fear is alien to them - they easily climb onto the highest fences and trees, and then jump down with excitement.

It is proved that cats of this breed able to understand the commands of their breeder. At the same time, they are delicate and unobtrusive, however, they have “bouts of lovingness”, during which they can tire their owner with excessive display of love and tenderness.

Burmillas tend to sleep in the master's bed. In general, these are good-natured cats with a gentle character. Like all other members of the cat family, burmillae is literally everything, so you can walk them exclusively on a leash and only in the presence of the owner. Otherwise, the thirst for discoveries can take your pet quite far from home. These cats are often called psychologists, because they, like no other pet, feel the mood of his master and in a moment of sadness can cheer, support him.

Burmill have quite a wide color palette, colors and colors of animals of this breed are more than enough, but therefore they are all similar to each other - there is a feeling that the usual gray kitty wore a cape of a slightly darker shade. The variety of capes includes the following:

• Bombay;
• chocolate;
• redhead;
• tortoiseshell;
• mottled blue;
• purple
• brindle;
• smoky;
• speckled black.

Another undoubted advantage of Burmill - they do not require too painstaking care. The owner is only required to regularly carry out such standard procedures as:

• combing wool - usually it is done not more than once a day, cats of these breeds have rather high-quality wool, therefore there is no need for daily combing;
• ear cleaning - it is desirable to teach your pet to such a procedure from early childhood;
• claws cut - probably there is no such cat that loves this procedure and the burmilla will not be an exception; it is easiest to carry out such manipulations with a special claw;
• eye cleaning - usually in the mornings in the eyes of a burmilla you can notice accumulations of pollution, it is easy to get rid of them, you just need to hold a cotton pad dipped in tea brewing;
• walking - A pet must walk, at least every two days, but preferably daily.

Compliance with these simple rules for the care of a burmilla will allow animals to fully grow and develop. However, you should know that Burmills are susceptible to such a serious disease as polycystic disease, with untimely started treatment, it often leads to renal failure.

Symptoms such as loss of appetite, lethargy, rapid weight loss can tell about the onset of the disease. In addition, the pet begins quite often to go to the tray. If you notice any of these symptoms, you should immediately contact your veterinarian. In the clinic, a cat will take blood for analysis and make an x-ray, after which it will make a final diagnosis and prescribe therapy.

Feed Burmilla can be as natural food, and industrial compounds. The main thing is that the food should be balanced and provide the pet with essential vitamins, micro and macro elements. Their shortage can lead to serious malfunctions of the internal organs, but at the same time one should not allow an excess of nutrients, especially minerals and carbohydrates, which often causes cardiovascular pathologies in the pet. When using ready-made feeds, it is best to pay attention to the compositions. low fat. If you feed your pet naturalka, then in the diet should certainly be entered vitamin and mineral supplements.

It is better to start feeding small kittens with ready-made formulations, but you need to choose only the highest quality ones, otherwise an unformed digestive system of the animal will suffer great damage. If you plan to continue to translate it into natural food, then the best way to start feeding is with milk porridges and low-fat cottage cheese, as well as boiled chicken yolk.

The final transfer of a kitten to adult food is possible only in two months - you can cause injury to an animal earlier, at this time such foods should be included in its diet:

• meat - it is better to give preference to low-fat products, such as chicken, beef, turkey or rabbit meat; these products should be at least 2⁄3 of the total diet of cats;
• offal - cats fit liver, heart or udder; such products give no more than two times a week;
• fish all cats love, but it cannot be abused, because there is a lot of phosphorus in it - its excess causes urolithiasis; the product is introduced into the menu once a week, while using sea fish of low-fat varieties;
• porridge - cats love oatmeal, wheat, semolina and corn grits, it is best to cook them in water without adding salt, sugar and oil; you can make a gruel with meat - this dish is likely to appeal to your pet;
• vegetables - Contrary to popular belief, burmillahs like juicy vegetables and young greens; It is best from time to time to add chopped carrots, cabbage, zucchini, cauliflower, and also germinated cereals to the main feed.

If you prefer professional feeds, the choice is better to make in favor of expensive products of the highest quality, as they include the necessary macronutrients, vitamins, and also contain additives that help prevent urolithiasis. In the expensive premium class feeds, only natural meat ingredients are used, and supplements are included in the feed that contribute to the removal of hairballs from the gastrointestinal tract.

Products are especially popular among breeders. Hill, Acana, and Pronature. The ideal composition is different feed Royal Canin, because they are fully digested, contain various herbs, berries, fruits, and all the necessary vitamins.

Let us dwell on products prohibited for burmill.

• Milk. Many believe that all members of the cat family love to feast on their milk. However, the body of this animal absorbs the product only at the very young age - when the kitten reaches two months, the production of the enzyme responsible for the digestion of milk stops, therefore its inclusion in the menu is undesirable. But ryazhenka, yogurt without sugar, cottage cheese and other dairy products will bring your pet a lot of benefits and improve the digestive process.
• It is strictly forbidden to feed the burmill exclusively with fish. Boiled product can be given no more than once a week.
• Any preservatives, sweets are toxic for them: stew, sprats, sprat in tomato, canned vegetables, as well as chocolate, biscuits and cakes should not be given to cats. Even a small number of them can cause serious health disorders in pets.

Breeding cats of this breed is not the easiest thing to do. The fact is that this is one of the rarest and most expensive breeds, the breeding of which in our country was started only a few years ago. Therefore, if you want to buy a fluffy pet, it makes sense to go to foreign nurseries. Burmill prices start at 30 thousand rubles. If the kitten is sold without pedigree and the buyer does not intend to participate in exhibitions and competitions, the cost may be lower.

The final price also depends on the characteristics of the animal itself, in particular, gender - females are always valued more than males. The final cost may also be affected by the type, color purity, class, availability of documents and potential difficulties with transportation. Since the breed is still little known, it is best to buy a kitten in reputable kennels with a solid reputation.

On the features of this breed of cats, see the following video.