Burmilla: Breed Guide, Temperament, Care & Best Names
The Burmilla is the cat breed that exists because a cleaner left a door open. In 1981, in a British cattery, a silver Chinchilla Persian met a lilac Burmese who was supposed to be in a different room, and the four kittens that followed were so beautiful that breeders spent the next decade turning an accident into a breed. The result is a medium-sized cat with a sparkling silver coat, huge green eyes ringed in dark “make-up,” and a personality that splits the difference between its two parents: part mischievous Burmese, part laid-back Persian.
Burmillas are still rare, especially outside Europe, which is a pity. They are sociable without being frantic, playful well into adulthood, and famously good company. If you browse our cat breed profiles looking for an elegant cat with a sense of humor, this is one of the youngest and most charming entries on the list.
History: The Happy Accident of 1981
📖 Breed History
The Burmilla began in 1981 in the United Kingdom, in the cattery of Baroness Miranda von Kirchberg. Her Chinchilla Persian male, Jemari Sanquist, had been bought as a pet for her husband and was still unneutered; her lilac Burmese female, Bambino Lilac Fabergé, was waiting in a separate room for a planned mating. One night a cleaner left the door between them open. On 11 September 1981, Fabergé produced four female kittens, every one of them shorthaired, black shaded silver, and strikingly pretty.
The kittens were too good to treat as a mishap. Von Kirchberg and fellow breeders began a deliberate programme, repeatedly breeding back to Burmese to lock in the Burmese type, coat texture, and temperament while keeping the Persian’s silver shading. The name they chose simply smashes the two parent breeds together: Burmese + Chinchilla = Burmilla.
Breed standards were produced in 1984, the GCCF recognised the breed in 1989, and championship status in the UK followed in the 1990s. The breed has since spread through northern Europe and Scandinavia and into Australia and New Zealand, and TICA and the CFA both list Burmilla standards today, but numbers stay small, and in North America the Burmilla remains a genuinely rare sight.
One naming tangle is worth untangling, because it confuses everyone. Registries file this cat family differently. In the GCCF, the Burmilla belongs to the Asian group and is sometimes called the Asian Shaded, and its semi-longhair version is shown under a separate name: the Tiffanie. TICA keeps things simpler, recognising two breeds in one group, the shorthair Burmilla and the Burmilla Longhair. FIFe registers the breed as the Burmilla and added golden shaded and tipped cats in 2011. Same family of cats, three filing systems, and the GCCF’s Tiffanie is not the same breed as the unrelated American Chantilly-Tiffany.
Appearance: Silver, Shimmer and Eyeliner
The Burmilla’s coat is the headline. The ground colour is a sparkling silver white, or, in the golden variety, a warm gold, and each hair carries tipping or shading in black, brown, blue, chocolate, lilac, caramel, beige or apricot. The contrast between the pale base and the darker tips gives the coat a shimmering, almost frosted look that catches the light as the cat moves. Under all that glamour is a medium-sized, muscular but elegant body, clearly inherited from the Burmese side of the family.
The head is gently rounded on top and wedge-shaped, wide at the cheekbones, tapering to a blunt muzzle with a well-developed chin. Ears are medium to large with slightly rounded tips and a slight forward tilt. Legs are slender, paws are neat ovals, and the tail is medium-long: a plume on longhairs, plainer on shorthairs. Adults stand roughly 10 to 12 inches at the shoulder and typically weigh 8 to 13 pounds, with males a little heavier than females.
Then there are the eyes. Burmilla eyes are large, expressive, and any shade of green, kittens often start with greenish-gold eyes that deepen to green as they mature. What makes them unforgettable is the framing: the breed standard describes dark “make-up” lining the eyes, nose and lips, as if the cat has been carefully rimmed in kohl eyeliner. Combined with the sweeter, more open expression that breeders selected for, it gives the Burmilla a permanently wide-eyed, slightly surprised look that owners tend to find irresistible.
Coat length comes in two forms. The shorthair coat is short, silky and smooth-lying, with just enough undercoat to give it a slight lift. The semi-longhair version is fine and silky without a woolly undercoat, with ear tufts, furnishings and a full, flowing tail plume. Both carry the same silver (or golden) shaded and tipped patterns.
Temperament & Personality: The Best of Both Parents
Ask TICA’s breed description to sum up the Burmilla character and it lands on a neat formula: the demanding, mischievous nature of the Burmese, mixed with the easy-going, laid-back personality of the Chinchilla Persian. In practice that means a cat who wants to be involved in everything you do, but will not shout the house down about it.
Burmillas are people cats. They follow household activity with genuine interest, claim a spot near (or on) their favourite humans, and keep a kitten-like playfulness well into adulthood. They are intelligent and inquisitive, the sort of cat who figures out puzzle feeders, learns simple tricks, and treats an interactive wand toy session as serious business. They are also good climbers and jumpers, so a tall cat tree is less a luxury than a necessity.
The Persian half keeps the energy civilised. Burmillas are affectionate and attention-loving but, as Purina’s breed profile puts it, not overly or loudly demanding, they have a fairly independent, slightly irreverent streak and can entertain themselves when the house is busy. With strangers they may hold back at first and warm up on their own schedule. With children and other household pets, they are generally excellent: gentle, tolerant, and happy to join the family rather than supervise it from a distance.
Care & Grooming
For a cat that looks this high-maintenance, the Burmilla is refreshingly easy to keep. The shorthair coat needs a brush once a week to lift out loose hair and keep the silver shining. The semi-longhair needs slightly more frequent brushing, a couple of short sessions a week, mainly to stop the fine silk tangling, especially around the chest and tail. Neither coat is prone to heavy matting, and shedding is moderate rather than dramatic.
The standard routine applies beyond the brush: regular nail trims, ear checks, and attention to teeth, since dental disease is common in cats generally and a Burmilla’s mouth is no exception. Feed a quality diet measured for a medium, moderately active cat, and keep the weight honest, a Burmilla’s elegant frame shows extra pounds quickly.
The care item owners underestimate is company. Royal Canin’s breed summary is blunt: this cat needs to be part of the family and requires a lot of attention. A Burmilla left alone all day, every day, is a bored Burmilla, and bored Burmillas invent their own entertainment. Daily interactive play, a window perch, and ideally another pet in the home keep that clever brain occupied.
Health Notes
The Burmilla is generally considered a hardy breed, and it has no long list of breed-specific illnesses. Because it descends from Persians, though, there is one inherited condition that responsible breeders actively screen for: polycystic kidney disease (PKD), in which cysts form on the kidneys. The Burmilla appears on the UC Davis Veterinary Genetics Laboratory’s breed list for the PKD1 DNA test, and breed references such as Purina’s profile list PKD DNA testing as part of Burmilla health screening. If you are getting a kitten from a breeder, ask to see the parents’ PKD1 test results, a good breeder will expect the question.
From the Burmese side of the family, DNA tests also exist for Burmese-family conditions, including the Burmese head defect (a craniofacial defect) and hypokalemia, a potassium-related muscle weakness documented in the Burmese family; university genetics laboratories list the Burmilla among the breeds those tests cover. That does not mean these conditions are common in Burmillas, it means the tests exist, so it is fair to ask a breeder which screenings their lines have had.
Otherwise, Burmilla healthcare is ordinary good cat healthcare: annual vet checks, vaccinations, parasite control, weight monitoring, and prompt attention to appetite or litter-box changes. These are general, widely published breed notes, not medical advice; your vet is the authority on your cat.
Living With a Burmilla
A Burmilla fits more homes than most elegant-looking breeds. Apartments are fine, this is an indoor-sized, moderately active cat, as long as the vertical world is provided: a cat tree, shelves, or a tall scratching post for the climbing and jumping the breed enjoys. Families do well with them, seniors do well with them, and multi-pet homes usually work, because the Burmilla’s default setting with other animals is friendly curiosity rather than drama.
Expect a shadow. Burmillas like to know where their people are and what the project is, and they will supervise cooking, working from home, and television with equal dedication. Expect also a conversational but not noisy housemate, they communicate, but the Burmese foghorn gene seems to have been turned down several notches by the Persian cross. First-time owners often do well with the breed precisely because the care is simple and the temperament forgiving. If you are setting up for any new cat, our new cat starter kit guide covers the essentials to have ready before day one.
The one mismatch to be honest about is time. A household where everyone is out twelve hours a day will frustrate a Burmilla. A second cat, a cat-friendly dog, or a work pattern with people home for part of the day makes a real difference to this breed’s happiness.
Best Names for a Burmilla
Names that suit a silver, shimmering cat with kohl-rimmed eyes, plus two pieces of breed history. Breed histories record that two of the original 1981 kittens were named Galatea and Gemma, and both still work beautifully. Meanings below come from our name database where one is recorded; descriptive picks are inspiration-only, with no invented translations. For more silvery inspiration, browse our grey cat names and white cat names lists.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are Burmilla cats rare?
Yes. The breed is well established in the UK, northern Europe, Scandinavia, Australia and New Zealand, but TICA notes Burmillas are still quite rare in the USA, and waiting lists with the small number of breeders are normal.
How long do Burmillas live?
World Cat Congress figures put the average lifespan at 12 to 14 years, and some breed guides give up to 15. Indoor living, weight control and regular vet care give a Burmilla the best chance of reaching the top of that range.
Are Burmillas good with children and other pets?
Yes, it is one of the breed’s selling points. TICA and Royal Canin both describe Burmillas as gentle, affectionate family cats who get along well with children, other cats and cat-friendly dogs.
Do Burmillas shed a lot?
No. Shedding is moderate. A weekly brush keeps the shorthair coat in good order; the semi-longhair needs slightly more frequent brushing to prevent tangles in the fine, silky fur.
What is the difference between a Burmilla and a Burmese?
Think of the Burmilla as a Burmese in silver evening dress. It keeps the Burmese build and much of its character, but adds the Chinchilla Persian’s silver shaded or tipped coat, green eyes with dark “make-up” rims, and a somewhat calmer, sweeter expression, TICA describes the look as like a Burmese, but with a sweeter, more open expression.
Is a longhair Burmilla a different breed?
It depends on the registry. TICA registers it separately as the Burmilla Longhair. In the GCCF, the semi-longhair is shown as the Tiffanie within the Asian group. FIFe simply registers the breed as the Burmilla. The cats themselves are the same family, only the paperwork differs.
By Brianna Baxter