The Burmilla is a medium-sized shorthair cat with a striking contrast between the coloured tipping and the silver base.

The head is slightly rounded at the top with moderate width between the ears. The cheekbones are wide and taper to a short blunt wedge. The nose is short and straight, when viewed in profile it shows a gentle break.
The ears are medium to large in size and set with a slight forward tilt. The eyes are large and very expressive. The upper line is slightly rounded, the lower line is fully rounded. They have a striking green colour.
The Burmilla is medium-sized, its body is medium long, well muscled, and shows great elegance. A rounded chest and straight back complete the harmonious appearance of the breed. Legs are strong and slender and end in oval paws. The tail is medium long and only slightly tapered.

The coat is medium-short (not so short as usual in shorthair breeds), it is soft and dense, having enough undercoat so that it is not tight lying to the body.
The base colour is silver, where only the hair tips are coloured (shaded or shell). Remnants of the tabby-markings can be seen in the delicate ghost markings on the face.

History

The breed is the result of an accidental outcross between a Chinchilla and a Burmese. It happened at Miranda Bickford-Smith (born as von Kirchberg, Astahazy cattery) home in 1981, when the Chinchilla male Jemari Sanquist met the lilac Burmese female, Bambino Lilac Fabergé. Four black shaded females were born, which were of foreign type and had a short and dense coat.
Mrs. Bickford-Smith kept one female, called Galatea, while a second female, named Gemma, joined the home of Mrs. Thérèse Clarke (Kartush cattery).
In 1984 the Burmilla Cat Club was founded. During 1983 Mrs. Bickford-Smith became interested in the Burmilla and all related varieties and pursued her interests in the GCCF, thus she founded The Asian Group Cat Society in 1985. Mrs Clarke continued to develop the Burmilla in FIFe. Some enthusiastic breeders joined the breeding program, like Barbara Gazzaniga (Gazzella cattery founder member of the Cat Association of Britain CA) in 1984, Birgit Nehammer (Thamakan cattery, Denmark) in 1984, just to name a few early breeders.
The Burmilla was recognized by GCCF in 1995, where it can be found in the Asian group. In 1994 the Burmilla was recognized by FIFe in the shorthair category.

Temperament

The Burmilla has a bewitching character, it is very affectionate and intelligent. The Burmilla is a very gentle and relaxed cat, but still quite active. Everything lying around immediately becomes a plaything for the Burmilla, door handles cupboard doors present no problem. The Burmilla loves to cuddle in your arms, purring and displaying that contented grin, which makes the breed so irresistible.

Grooming

The Burmilla is an easy-going breed, thus excessive grooming is not necessary. Once a week brushing gently with a soft brush or soft rubber, will be sufficient enough. The Burmilla loves those special moments and often begs for more.