Asian cat facts for kids
The Asian cat, also known as the Asian group, is a beautiful cat breed. It looks a lot like the European Burmese cat. The main difference is that Asian cats come in many more coat colors and patterns. If an Asian cat has long hair, it's called a Tiffanie. The Governing Council of the Cat Fancy (GCCF) groups Asian cats in their Burmese section.
Contents
The Asian Cat's Story
How the Asian Cat Started
The Asian cat breed began by accident in the United Kingdom. In 1981, a special pairing happened between a chinchilla Persian male cat named Jamari Sanquist and a lilac European Burmese female cat named Bambino Lilac Faberge. This unexpected match resulted in a litter of four kittens. Baroness Miranda von Kirchberg was the breeder who owned these cats.
Becoming a Recognized Breed
After those first kittens were born in 1981, breeders saw something special in them. They believed these kittens had the potential to become a brand new cat breed. Early breeders decided that the new cats should look exactly like Burmese cats, but with many more colors and patterns. All the different types of Asian cats eventually earned "championship status" with the GCCF in 2003. This means they could compete in cat shows. The Tiffanie was the last type to get this recognition.
The Asian cat group is still quite rare among purebred cats. For example, in 2023, only 160 kittens from the entire Asian group were officially registered with the GCCF.
Different Types of Asian Cats
Asian cats generally look just like the Burmese breed. However, they have a wider range of colors and patterns. Also, Tiffanies have longer fur. The term "Smoke" is used for solid-colored silver cats. "Shaded" and "tipped" silvers are silver tabby cats with special wide bands of color on their fur.
The Asian cat group includes several types:
- Asian Self (solid colors and tortoiseshell patterns)
- The Bombay (which is a solid black Asian Self)
- Asian Shaded or Burmilla (cats with silver or golden shaded and tipped fur)
- Asian Smoke (cats with a smoky appearance)
- Asian Tabby (cats with tabby markings)
- Tiffanie or Asian (semi-)longhair (the long-haired version)
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Asian Smoke Cats
The Asian Smoke cat has a solid color coat with a white undercoat. This white undercoat is not always easy to see. When Asian cats were first being developed, Burmillas were bred with Burmese cats. These early cats were sometimes called 'Burmoire' because their coats had a wavy, shimmering effect. Today, this 'moire' look is not preferred for Asian Smoke cats.
Asian Shaded Cats
The Asian Shaded cat, also known as the Burmilla, has fur that shows two colors. One color is at the very tip of each hair, and another color is at the root.
Asian Tabby Cats
An Asian Tabby is an Asian cat with the classic tabby markings. However, unlike regular tabby cats, their coat has less dark pigment. This makes their tabby patterns appear lighter. Asian Tabbies can have all four traditional tabby patterns and come in most tabby colors.
Bombay Cats: The Black Panthers
The solid black Bombay cat is part of the Asian Self group. Its story is a little different, but it was also developed in the UK. In the early 1980s, some European Burmese cats were accidentally bred with black domestic short-haired cats. The kittens from these pairings were then developed into the British-type Bombay.
There is also another type of Bombay cat, which is more widely known in the United States. This American-type Bombay was created by breeding sable American Burmese cats with black American Shorthair cats. The goal was to create a cat that looked mostly like a Burmese, but with a sleek, shiny black coat, similar to a tiny panther. These American Bombays always have bright copper-golden eyes. For the British-type Bombay, golden eyes are preferred, but yellow to green eyes are also acceptable. The deeper the eye color, the better. The GCCF is the only organization that officially recognizes the British Bombay and operates in the UK.
Tiffanie Cats: The Long-Haired Asians
The Tiffanie cat is also known as the Asian Semi-longhair. It is an Asian cat that has medium to long length fur. It is not related to the Chantilly-Tiffany breed.
What Asian Cats Look Like
Body Shape and Size
Male Asian cats usually weigh between 5 to 7 kilograms (11 to 15 pounds). Female Asian cats are a bit lighter, typically weighing 3.5 to 5.5 kilograms (8 to 12 pounds). They should not look chunky or "cobby." Instead, they have a slender and muscular body, similar to a Burmese cat.
Head Features
An Asian cat's head should be a short, wide, and well-balanced wedge shape. It should fit well with the rest of its body. The top of the head is gently rounded between the ears, which are set apart. They have a clear "nose break," meaning the nose has a distinct stop before continuing straight. The chin should be strong and deep. Their neck is of medium length and width.
Ears and Eyes
Their ears are medium to large in size, with rounded tips and a slight forward tilt. For Tiffanie cats, tufts of fur inside the ears are a nice feature. Their eyes are large and set wide apart. Eye colors can range from green to yellow and amber.
Legs, Paws, and Tail
Asian cats have slender legs of medium length, which are in good proportion to their body. Their back legs are a little longer than their front legs. Their paws are neat and have an oval shape. The tail can be medium or long, ending with a rounded tip.
Coat Types and Colors
The short fur of an Asian cat lies close to its body. It is fine, feels like satin, and looks glossy. These cats can come in many different colors and patterns. Asian Shorthairs are divided into four main types: the Asian Self/Tortie (which includes the Bombay, a black Asian Self), the Asian Tabby, the Asian Smoke, and the Burmilla (which is a shaded Asian).
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Keeping Asian Cats Healthy
Some of the older breeds that Asian cats came from were known to have certain health problems. These included Polycystic Kidney Disease (a kidney issue) and Progressive retinal atrophy (an eye condition). However, in Asian cats themselves, only a condition called Burmese Hypokalaemia has been found. This condition affects potassium levels in the body.
Many Asian cat breeders and their cats helped with research into hypokalaemia. Since 2018, all breeders registered with the Asian Cat Association must test their Asian group cats for hypokalaemia if they plan to use them for breeding. This helps ensure healthy kittens.
See also
