Asian

The Asian breed started with the illicit attraction of two cats “Sanquist” a Chinchilla Persian male, and “Faberge” a Lilac Burmese female, belonging to Baroness Miranda von Kirchberg. Both cats were due to be mated with their own breed, but this Romeo and Juliet had their own ideas, and although Faberge was sent away to be mated to another Burmese, she went on to produce a litter of four female kittens which were clearly quite different from Burmese, and their guilty secret was revealed! The kittens were called Galatea, Gemma, Gabriela and Gisella. They were so attractive that instead of neutering them, the Baroness chose to develop them as the foundation stock of a new breed, the Burmilla – a Burmese type cat with a silver tipped coat. They were back-crossed with the Burmese and the breed characteristics were retained. Soon thereafter, the Baroness formed the Burmilla Association to promote this distinct new type of pedigree cat. Another breeder, Therese Clarke, who adopted Gemma from the original litter, formed the Burmilla Cat Club in 1984. In 1990, the Burmilla was recognized for preliminary Championship Status with GCCF. This was the beginning of the Asian breed, developed from the original Burmilla to encompass diverse colours and patterns and two hair lengths – shorthair and semi-longhair – but with Burmese head and body type. By 2003 all five varieties had been granted GCCF Championship Status.

Exactly similar to the Burmese in type, all the cats in this group have a short, fine, glossy coat, except for the Tiffanie, which has a fine silky semi-longhaired coat. The Asian is a slender, athletic cat of medium size, but heavy for its size. They are muscular and lithe with a broad rounded chest, slender elegant legs and neat oval paws. The tail is of medium thickness and tapers evenly to the tip. The head forms a short wide blunt wedge with a slightly rounded top, and medium to medium large ears that are spaced well apart. The eyes are large and lustrous, the colour may range from pale green through shades of green and yellow chartreuse to golden yellow and amber.

The Asian comes in a wide range of colours, the varieties within the group are:

Asian Self and Tortie – including the beautiful Black, known as the Bombay. The coat colour may be Black, Blue, Chocolate, Lilac, Red, Cream, Caramel, Apricot, Cinnamon, Fawn, Black Tortie, Blue Tortie, Chocolate Tortie, Lilac Tortie, Caramel Tortie, Cinnamon Tortie, Fawn Tortie.

Asian Smoke – with an undercoat of silver-white or near-white. When in repose the cat should have the overall appearance of a Self or Burmese coloured cat, the silver undercoat showing through when the cat moves giving the “smoke” effect.

Burmilla – the Shaded variety of the Asian cat. The coat to be shaded in any colour accepted in the Asian Group. The undercoat may be silver or non-silver (standard).

Asian Tabbies – the tabby pattern, which may be Spotted, Classic, Mackerel or Ticked, is formed by markings of the solid pattern colour on a background of agouti hairs.

Tiffanie – the Semi-Longhaired variety of the Asian cat. The coat is medium to long, fine and silky in texture, without a woolly undercoat. The coat should appear dense, but lie flat along the spine and display a glossy shine; the coat should lengthen down the body to form fringes or “frills” along the lower edges of the body and underparts. The tail should be plume-like. The furnishings from inside the ears may form streamers and there may be tufts at the tips of the ears.

The Asian is a lively outgoing cat – lithe and energetic, they enjoy play, are very affectionate and want to be part of all aspects of their owner’s life.  Intelligent and inquisitive, they can be very curious and determined with a love of investigating new things.  Generally speaking they will live contentedly with other cats, but can be wilful and sometimes issues occur if they want to be top-cat in the pecking order.  They co-exist most successfully with breeds of a similar disposition, i.e. confident, lively and outgoing.  They are not particularly noisy, but are talkative and chatty and will readily answer their owner when spoken to.  The Asian is a “people cat”, loving, charming and entertaining they make a good family pet and associate well with dogs and children providing they are properly introduced.  At the same time their gentleness appeals to elderly people looking for a loyal and devoted companion. One thing to be aware of if you are purchasing an Asian as a family pet, is that they mature sexually at a young age, so consult your Vet about getting your new kitten neutered or spayed at the earliest opportunity.

The Asian is an extremely sociable cat and owners should note that these cats need an owner who will pay attention and who will interact with him or her. The Tiffanie with the silky medium length coat, will require a little more attention than its shorter haired ‘breed group’ mates!  Weekly grooming with a brush is recommended for the short-haired breeds.  Males usually weigh around 5 – 7 kg (11 – 15 lbs), females weigh less with a breed average weight of 3.5 – 5.5 kg (8 – 12 lbs).  Life expectancy average is about 16-18 years.

It is important that families looking for a companion animal understand that whilst we have identified a few health issues in certain breeds, we are fortunate that the combination of simple effective DNA tests and responsible breeders are helping to make sure that GCCF registered kittens are as healthy as possible. Whilst PKD and PRA have been identified in the Asian’s ancestral breeds, so far only evidence of Hypokalaemia has arisen in the Asian, a reliable DNA test exists for this inherited disease and responsible breeders will only breed from tested parents.

The Asian Cat Association has set up a register for breeders of Asians & Burmese cats that have been tested for hypokalaemia and with effect from 1st January 2018 mandatory testing was introduced for all Asians registered with active status and intended to be used for breeding.