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83-487: According to TIMBA, the Suphalak is a natural breed and should not be confused with the sable Burmese cat , an established American and European created breed which expresses the colorpoint Burmese gene (cb) that results in a dark points on the extremities such as the ears, feet and tail as well as a dark mask on the face. Both a description and depiction of the Suphalak first appears in a collection of ancient manuscripts called

166-501: A allele, controls the coding for agouti signaling protein (ASIP; Q865F0 ). The wild-type dominant A causes the banding and thus an overall lightening effect on the hair, while the recessive non-agouti or "hypermelanistic" allele a does not initiate this shift in the pigmentation pathway. As a result, homozygous aa have pigment production throughout the entire growth cycle of the hair and therefore along its full length. These homozygotes are solidly dark throughout, which obscures

249-641: A breed by the CFA in the 1980s. The GCCF banned the registration of all Burmese imported from the United States in order to preserve the "traditional" bloodlines. Most modern cat registries do not formally recognise these dual standards as representing separate breeds, but those that do refer to the British type as the European Burmese. Recently, The International Cat Association (TICA) and CFA clubs have started using

332-646: A breeding program until recently. Prior to 2013 there was only one Suphalak in a breeding program, a male named Samsen who lives at the Thai Cat Preservation Center in Ampawa, Thailand. Samsen belongs to Kamnan Preecha Pukkabut, a breeder renowned for his life effort to preserve the Thai cats described in the Tamra Maew . Despite Kamnan Preecha's best efforts to resurrect this lost breed, he has been unable to reproduce

415-545: A cat has the wide band trait but no silver melanin inhibitor, the band will be golden instead of silver. These cats are known as golden tabbies, or in Siberian cats sunshine tabbies. The golden color is caused by the CORIN gene. Shaded golden and tipped golden are also possible, in the same hair length distribution as the silver-gene. However, there is no golden smoke, because the combination of wide band and nonagouti simply produces

498-667: A cat show at the Crystal Palace , London. A pair of Siamese cats were on display that closely resembled modern American Burmese cats in build, thus probably similar to the modern Tonkinese breed. The first attempt to deliberately develop the Burmese in the late 19th century in Britain resulted in what were known as Chocolate Siamese rather than a breed in their own right; this view persisted for many years, encouraging crossbreeding between Burmese and Siamese in an attempt to more closely conform to

581-524: A cinnamon breeding programme was started in the Netherlands; the first fawn kitten was born in 1998. Cinnamon, fawn, caramel, and apricot Burmese have also been developed in New Zealand, as have tortoiseshell variants of all these colours. A new colour mutation ("russet") appeared in New Zealand in 2007. This line has an initially dark pigment in the cats' coats, which fades as they grow, eventually becoming

664-465: A deep orange color, but it can also present as a yellow or light ginger color. Unidentified "rufousing polygenes " are theorized to be the reason for this variance. Orange is epistatic to nonagouti , so all red cats are tabbies. "Solid" red show cats are usually low contrast ticked tabbies. The precise identity of the gene at the Orange locus is unknown. It has been narrowed down to a 3.5 Mb stretch on

747-636: A larger amount are known in the United States as calicos . Calicos are also known as tricolor cats, mi-ke (meaning "triple fur") in Japanese, and lapjeskat (meaning "patches cat") in Dutch. The factor that distinguishes tortoiseshell from calico is the pattern of eumelanin and pheomelanin, which is partly dependent on the amount of white, due to an effect of the white spotting gene on the general distribution of melanin. A cat which has both an orange and non-orange gene, Oo, and little to no white spotting, will present with

830-490: A lighter coloration (blue/cream) and are sometimes called calimanco or clouded tiger . A true tricolor must consist of three colors: white, a red-based color like ginger or cream, and black-based color like black or blue. Tricolor should not be mistaken for the natural gradations in a tabby pattern. The shades which are present in the pale bands of a tabby are not considered to constitute a separate color. Tortoiseshell cats with small white patches are called tortico cats,

913-407: A more slender, long-bodied cat with a wedge-shaped head, large pointed ears, long tapering muzzle and moderately almond-shaped eyes. The legs should likewise be long, with neat oval paws. The tail tapers to medium length. The American (also called "contemporary") Burmese is a noticeably stockier cat, with a much broader head, round eyes and distinctively shorter, flattened muzzle; the ears are wider at

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996-517: A mottled blend of black/red and blue/cream, reminiscent of tortoiseshell material, and is called a tortoiseshell cat. An Oo cat with a large amount of white will have bigger, clearly defined patches of black/red and blue/cream, and is called a calico in the US. With intermediate amounts of white, a cat may exhibit a calico pattern, a tortie pattern, or something in between, depending on other epigenetic factors. Blue tortoiseshell, or diluted calico , cats have

1079-402: A paler orange colour. Burmese are a notably people-oriented breed, maintaining their kitten-like energy and playfulness into adulthood. They are also said to have a number of overtly puppy-like characteristics , forming strong bonds with their owners and gravitating toward human activity. The cats often learn to play games such as 'fetch' and 'tag'. Veterinarian Joan O. Joshua has written that

1162-449: A portmanteau of calico and tortoiseshell . The KIT gene determines whether or not there will be any white in the coat, except when a solid white coat is caused by albinism. White spotting and epistatic white (also known as dominant white) were long thought to be two separate genes (called S and W respectively), but in fact they are both on the KIT gene. The two have been combined into

1245-458: A proper Suphalak and suitable for breeding. In 2013, Thonga was shown and exhibited as a rare Suphalak at two different cat shows in Thailand, one being a large CFA, Royal Canin sponsored international show with judges from around the world. This was the first time a rare copper chocolate Suphalak had ever been entered in competition and presented to the public at any cat show. Later that year, Thonga

1328-474: A result of temperature change. More specifically, the albino locus contains the gene TYR ( P55033 ). Two distinct alleles causing blue-eyed and pink-eyed albinism respectively have been previously theorized. Although the Siamese colorpoint pattern is the most famous coloration produced by TYR , there are color mutations at the locus. The tyrosine pathway also produces neurotransmitters , thus mutations in

1411-409: A sable-colored Burmese cat. Using one proper Suphalak male, he tried to resurrect this lost breed of cat with the ideal features, but without success. This has been attributed to two major problems, the first being that the Suphalak is so rare that breeders have had great difficulty finding them. Genetically, the Suphalak is a chocolate self, expressing two recessive alleles for the brown color 'b' and

1494-450: A satin-like finish. Colour is solid and must be uniform over the body, only gradually shading to lighter underparts. Faint colourpoint markings may be visible, but any barring or spotting is considered a serious fault. The eyes are green or gold depending on coat colour. The breed's original standard colour is a distinctively rich dark brown (genetically black), variously known as sable (USA), brown (UK, Australia) or seal (New Zealand). It

1577-571: A separate breed, the Malayan, in 1979. This distinction was abolished in 1984, but until 2010, the CFA continued to place the brown ("sable") Burmese into a separate division, bundling all other recognised colours into a "dilute division" and judging them separately. Currently, the CFA standard still recognises the Burmese only in sable, blue, chocolate ("champagne"), and lilac ("platinum"). Other colours have been developed from this initial base set, with varying degrees of popularity and recognition. In 1989

1660-521: A single white spotting locus ( W ). White spotting can take many forms, from a small spot of white to the mostly-white pattern of the Turkish Van, while epistatic white produces a fully white cat (solid or self white). The KIT gene W locus has the following alleles: The colorpoint pattern is most commonly associated with Siamese cats, but due to crossbreeding may also appear in any (non-pedigree) domesticated cat. A colorpoint cat has dark colors on

1743-448: A solid cat. The genetics involved in producing the ideal tabby, tipped  [ fr ] , shaded, or smoke cat is complex. Not only are there many interacting genes, but genes sometimes do not express themselves fully, or conflict with one another. For example, the silver melanin inhibitor gene in some instances does not block pigment, resulting in a grayer undercoat, or in tarnishing (yellowish or rusty fur). The grayer undercoat

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1826-488: A whole body copper color and patches of white are not allowed for the breed. However, the second female born September 15, 2015, was solid copper chocolate and bright yellow eyes. She was the first Suphalak ever born outside of Thailand. Both Thonga and her older daughter have entered a breeding program where they are not only set to reproduce more Suphalaks, but also Tibetans and Traditional Orientals. Suphalaks have made appearances at several cat shows in Thailand, including

1909-415: Is a rich dark brown color, and is referred to as chestnut in some breeds. Cinnamon is a light brown which may be reddish. The sex-linked red "Orange" locus, O/o , determines whether a cat will produce eumelanin. In cats with orange fur, phaeomelanin (red pigment) completely replaces eumelanin (black or brown pigment). This gene is located on the X chromosome . The orange allele is O, and non-orange

1992-403: Is a single-base deletion that truncates the protein. If the cat has d/d genes, the coat is diluted. If the genes are D/D or D/d, the coat will be unaffected. Tabby cats have a range of variegated and blotched coats, consisting of a dark pattern on a lighter background. This variety is derived from the interplay of multiple genes and resulting phenotypes. Most tabbies feature thin dark markings on

2075-479: Is also present in some other cat breeds, particularly the established rex breeds, where it can be fully expressed in its homozygous form (c c ) (referred to as Burmese Colour Restriction or Sepia). The same gene can also be combined with the Siamese gene (c c ) to produce either darker points or a light-on-dark-brown coat, similar to the Burmese chocolate (champagne in the USA), known as "mink". The Asian Group cat breed

2158-846: Is an effect known in domestic cats, where a pregnant female cat has a fever or is stressed, causing her unborn kittens' fur to develop a silver-type color (silver-grey, cream, or reddish) rather than what the kitten's genetics would normally cause. After birth, over some weeks the silver fur is replaced naturally by fur colors according to the kitten's genetics. Cat fur can be short, long, curly, or hairless. Most cats are short-haired, like their ancestor. The fur can naturally come in three types of hairs; guard , awn , and down hair . The length, density and proportions of these three hairs varies greatly between breeds, and in some cats only one or two types are found. Most oriental breeds only express one single layer of silky coat. However, cats can also have double-layered coats out of two hair types in which

2241-549: Is associated with . Both variants are present in the Abyssinian breed, and the A18V variant is found in the Burmese breed. Stripes often remain to some extent on the face, tail, legs, and sometimes the chest ("bleeding through"). Traditionally, this has been thought to happen in heterozygotes ( Ti Ti ) but be nearly or completely nonexistent in homozygotes ( Ti Ti ). The ticked tabby allele

2324-450: Is considered less desirable to fanciers. Likewise, poorly-expressed non-agouti or over-expression of melanin inhibitor will cause a pale, washed out black smoke. Various polygenes (sets of related genes), epigenetic factors, or modifier genes, as yet unidentified, are believed to result in different phenotypes of coloration, some deemed more desirable than others by fanciers. The genetic influences on tipped or shaded cats are: Fever coat

2407-505: Is displayed regardless of the genotype at the agouti locus. However, some red and most cream tabbies do have a fainter pattern when lacking an agouti allele, indicating that the aa genotype does still have a faint effect even if it does not induce complete masking. The mechanism of this process is unknown. The Tabby locus on chromosome A1 accounts for most tabby patterns seen in domestic cats, including those patterns seen in most breeds. The dominant allele Ta produces mackerel tabbies, and

2490-488: Is epistatic to and therefore completely (or mostly) masks all the other tabby alleles, "hiding" the patterns they would otherwise express. It was once thought that Ti was an allele of the Tabby gene, called T , dominant to all other alleles at the locus. Tortoiseshells have patches of orange fur (pheomelanin based) and black or brown (eumelanin based) fur, caused by X-inactivation . Because this requires two X chromosomes,

2573-421: Is o. Males can typically only be orange or non-orange due to only having one X chromosome. Since females have two X chromosomes, they have two alleles of this gene. OO results in orange fur, oo results in fur without any orange (black, brown, etc.), and Oo results in a tortoiseshell cat , in which some parts of the fur are orange and others areas non-orange. One in three thousand tortoiseshell cats are male, making

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2656-505: Is related to the Burmese; the Asian is physically similar but comes in different patterns and colours. The Singapura is always homozygous for the Burmese gene, combining it with a ticked tabby pattern. Snow Bengals with eye colours other than blue also have the gene. The lineage of Burmese cats known as "Contemporary Burmese" often hosts a 4-aminoacid deletion on the ALX1 gene. Heterozygosity of

2739-420: Is the result of a temperature sensitive mutation in one of the enzymes in the metabolic pathway from tyrosine to pigment, such as melanin ; thus, little or no pigment is produced except in the extremities or points where the skin is slightly cooler. For this reason, colorpoint cats tend to darken with age as bodily temperature drops; also, the fur over a significant injury may sometimes darken or lighten as

2822-451: Is the result of the Burmese gene (c ), part of the albino series. This gene causes a reduction in the amount of pigment produced, converting black into brown and rendering all other colours likewise paler than their usual expression. The action of the gene also produces the modified colourpoint effect, which is more noticeable in young kittens. The first blue Burmese was born in 1955 in Britain, followed by red, cream, and tortoiseshell over

2905-523: Is told as a humorous explanation as to why the Suphalak is so rare. The understanding of the name Suphalak, as well as other Thai cats, have continued to evolve in meaning. It has usually been regarded as an ancestor of the modern Burmese cat , and sometimes used as a Thai synonym for the breed, though there have been efforts, led by the Thailand-based TIMBA, to have Suphalak certified as a separate breed. Some breeders now regard all cats described in

2988-497: The Length gene in which the dominant form, L , codes for short hair, and the recessive l codes for long hair. In the longhaired cat, the transition from anagen (hair growth) to catagen (cessation of hair growth) is delayed due to this mutation. A rare recessive shorthair gene has been observed in some lines of Persian cat (silvers) where two longhaired parents have produced shorthaired offspring. The Length gene has been identified as

3071-620: The Persian , British Shorthair , Maine Coon and Norwegian Forest cat . Additionally, there even exist cats which express all three natural types of cat hair in different lengths and structures, which form three different layers. These cats are called triple-coated. Siberians and Neva Masquerades are known for their unique triple coats, which provides double insulation to withstand their natural cold climate. There have been many genes identified that result in unusual cat fur. These genes were discovered in random-bred cats and selected for. Some of

3154-631: The Tamra Maew (the Cat-Book Poems ) thought to originate from the Ayutthaya Kingdom (AD 1351 to 1767). Over a dozen are now kept in the National Library of Thailand , while others have resurfaced outside of Thailand and are now in the British Library . and National Library of Australia . In addition to the Suphalak, the Tamra Maew also describes other heritage cats of Thailand, including

3237-548: The Tamra Maew as phenotypic color varieties of the native Thai cat, now known as Maew Boran and registered as an experimental breed with The International Cat Association (TICA) by TIMBA. Throughout the past several decades, many breeders in Thailand have bred Thong Daeng (translated as 'copper') cats with dark points and considered them to be Suphalaks. They were entered into cat shows in Thailand and exhibited as Suphalaks. Noted authors such as Martin Clutterbuck assumed this

3320-495: The Thai-Burma border and developed in the United States and Britain. Most modern Burmese are descendants of one female cat called Wong Mau , which was brought from Burma to the United States in 1930 and bred with American Siamese . From there, American and British breeders developed distinctly different Burmese breed standards, which is unusual among pedigreed domestic cats . Most modern cat registries do not formally recognise

3403-604: The fibroblast growth factor 5 (FGF5; M3X9S6 ) gene. The dominant allele codes for the short coat is seen in most cats. Long coats are coded for by at least four different recessively inherited mutations, the alleles of which have been identified. The most ubiquitous is found in most or all long haired breeds while the remaining three are found only in Ragdolls, Norwegian Forest Cats, and Maine Coons. There are various genes producing curly-coated or "rex" cats. New types of rex arise spontaneously in random-bred cats now and then. Some of

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3486-529: The "dog-like attachment to the owners" of the Burmese, as with the similarly behaving Abyssinians , causes "greater dependence on human contacts". This stands in contrast to the mere "tolerant acceptance of human company" based around "comforts" that other breeds display. They are persistently vocal, in a manner reminiscent of their Siamese ancestry, yet they have softer, sweeter voices. Burmese are not as independent as other breeds and are not suited to being left alone for extended periods of time. The Burmese gene

3569-772: The American breed standard at select shows in Europe. During the early period of breed development, it became clear that Wong Mau herself was genetically a crossbreed between a Siamese and Burmese type. This early crossbreed type was later developed as a separate breed, known today as the Tonkinese . Burmese cats have also been instrumental in the development of the Bombay and the Burmilla , among others. The two standards differ mainly in head and body shape. The British or traditional ideal tends toward

3652-456: The Burmese to have a higher prevalence of diabetes mellitus compared to other breeds with 2.27% of Burmese having the condition compared to the overall rate of 0.58%. An Australian study in 2009 found a prevalence of 22.1% compared to an overall rate of 7.4%. A study of veterinary records in the UK found an average life expectancy of 14.42 years for the Burmese with a sample size of 45, the highest in

3735-518: The CFA lifted the suspension permanently. In 1958, the United Burmese Cat Fanciers (UBCF) compiled an American judging standard that has remained essentially unchanged since its adoption. Meanwhile, in the UK, interest in the breed was reviving. The cats that composed the new British breeding program were of a variety of builds, including some imported from the United States. By 1952, three true generations had been produced in Britain and

3818-415: The Siamese build. The breed thus slowly died out in Britain. Joseph Cheesman Thompson imported Wong Mau, a dark female cat, into San Francisco in 1930. Thompson considered the cat's build to be sufficiently different from the Siamese to still have potential as a fully separate breed. Wong Mau was bred with Tai Mau, a seal point Siamese, and then bred with her son to produce dark brown kittens that became

3901-507: The Suphalak, as it is a newly developing breed. The Suphalak is, however, susceptible to common genetic diseases which are not breed-specific affecting all domestic cats . Burmese cat The Burmese cat ( Burmese : ဗမာကြောင် , Băma kyaung , Thai : ทองแดง or ศุภลักษณ์ , RTGS :  Thongdaeng or Supphalak , meaning copper colour) is a breed of domestic cat , originating in Burma , believed to have its roots near

3984-705: The Suphalak. In 2014 an association dedicated to the preservation of Thailand's heritage cats was established, The International Maew Boran Association (TIMBA) (Maew Boran translating to "Ancient Cat"). TIMBA focused its efforts on understanding the genetics responsible for the Suphalak and searching throughout Thailand for cats suitable for the Suphalak breeding program. Currently there are six foundation cats, one male and five females in active breeding programs, and all of them have all been genetically tested for their coat colors . To date, only one solid copper-chocolate Suphalak has been exported from Thailand. In May 2013, Kamnan Preecha declared one female (named 'Thonga') to be

4067-638: The Wichien Maat (a seal point Siamese with pale blue eyes) and the Korat , which are still bred for preservation in Thailand today and have become popular in other countries. When the capital city of Ayutthaya was sacked on 7 April 1767 at the end of the Burmese-Siamese War , the Burmese army burned everything in sight and returned to Burma taking Siamese noblemen and royal family members with them as captives. Buddha images were hacked apart for their gold, and all

4150-511: The X chromosome in 2009. The Dense pigment gene, D/d , codes for melanophilin ( MLPH ; A0SJ36 ), a protein involved in the transportation and deposition of pigment into a growing hair. When a cat has two of the recessive d alleles (Maltese dilution), black fur becomes "blue" (appearing gray), chocolate fur becomes "lilac" (appearing light, almost grayish brown-lavender), cinnamon fur becomes "fawn", and red fur becomes "cream". Similar to red cats, all cream cats are tabbies. The d allele

4233-492: The appearance of the characteristic dark tabby markings—sometimes a suggestion of the underlying pattern, called "ghost striping", can be seen, especially in bright slanted light on kittens and on the legs, tail and sometimes elsewhere on adults. A major exception to the solid masking of the tabby pattern exists, as the O allele of the O/o locus is epistatic over the aa genotype. That is, in red or cream colored cats, tabby marking

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4316-410: The background a sparkling silver color while leaving the stripe color intact, making a cold-toned silver tabby . On solid cats, it turns the base of the hair pale, making them silver smoke . The term cameo is commonly used for red silver and cream silver (inhibitor gene (I-O-)) colored coats in cats. Silver agouti cats can have a range of phenotypes, from silver tabby, to silver shaded (under half

4399-418: The base. Legs and tail should be proportionate to the body, medium-length, and the paws also rounded. In either case, Burmese are a small to medium size breed, tending to be about 4–6 kg (9–13 lb), but are nevertheless substantially-built, muscular cats and should feel heavy for their size when held – "a brick wrapped in silk". In either standard, the coat should be very short, fine and glossy, with

4482-581: The breed was recognised by the United Kingdom 's Governing Council of the Cat Fancy (GCCF). Since the 1950s, countries in the Commonwealth and Europe started importing British Burmese; as a result, most countries have based their standard on the British model. Historically, the two versions of the breed were kept strictly distinct genetically. European Burmese (also known as "traditional") were declassed as

4565-464: The coat color to the pulp of the tamarind fruit pod, a common ingredient used in Thai cuisine. The overall body and head type should be consistent with the native population of domestic cats found in Thailand. The body is medium-sized, muscular and semi-foreign in type. The head type is described as a modified wedge, medium width and moderate length. Neither the body nor head type should be extreme in any way. The whiskers should be brown, complementing

4648-569: The coat color while the nose leather is a rosy-brown color. The paw pads should be light brown with a pink tone. The eye color is a bright yellow/gold color, described in the Tamra Maew as shining and sprinkling sun rays. Like other cat breeds originating from Thailand , the Suphalak is notably people-oriented. They are intelligent, affectionate and playful, often taking on more of a dog-like personality and characteristics. They are communicative, active, playful and do not like to be left alone or ignored. There are currently no known health issues with

4731-509: The coat of a certain breed without actually being that breed. For example, a Neva Masquerade ( Siberian colorpoint) could wear point coloration , the stereotypical coat of a Siamese . The browning gene B/b/b codes for TYRP1 ( Q4VNX8 ), an enzyme involved in the metabolic pathway for eumelanin pigment production. Its dominant form, B , will produce black eumelanin. It has two recessive variants, b (chocolate) and b (cinnamon), with b being recessive to both B and b . Chocolate

4814-498: The combination possible but rare- however, due to the nature of their genetics, male tortoiseshells often exhibit chromosomal abnormalities. In one study, less than a third of male calicos had a simple XXY Klinefelter's karyotype, slightly more than a third were complicated XXY mosaics, and about a third had no XXY component at all. The pelt color commonly referred to as "orange" is scientifically known as red. Other common names include yellow, ginger, and marmalade. Red show cats have

4897-592: The condition in the breed. The Burmese is the cat breed most often affected by hypokalaemia . An autosomal recessive mutation of the WNK4 gene is responsible for congenital forms of hypokalaemia in the breed. The Burmese is the most commonly affected breed for feline orofacial pain syndrome . Cat coat genetics Cat coat genetics determine the coloration, pattern, length, and texture of feline fur. The variations among cat coats are physical properties and should not be confused with cat breeds. A cat may display

4980-461: The dominant 'C' allele (full color) giving the Suphalak its solid brown color. For two recessive alleles to randomly combine without human intervention, i.e., in a Thai temple or on the street, is rare. Secondly, the solid copper chocolate Suphalak was so scarce that few people had ever seen one and even if they did, they would not know that there was anything special about it, so there was no concerted effort to preserve these cats and they never entered

5063-518: The down hairs form the soft, insulating undercoat, and the guard hairs form the protective outer coat. A typical cat coat exists of all three natural hair types, but due to the equal lengths of two of these hairs, the coat is still considered double-layered. Typically, the down hairs comprise the undercoat while the guard and awn hairs make up the basic top coat. Double-coated cats with thick undercoats require daily grooming as these coats are more prone to matting. Double coats are found in for example

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5146-531: The early parts of that pathway may affect not only pigment, but also neurological development. This results in a higher frequency of cross-eyes among colorpoint cats, as well as the high frequency of cross-eyes in white tigers . The silver series is caused by the Melanin inhibitor gene I/i . The dominant form causes melanin production to be suppressed, but it affects phaeomelanin (red pigment) much more than eumelanin (black or brown pigment). On tabbies, this turns

5229-436: The face, ears, feet, and tail, with a lighter version of the same color on the rest of the body, and possibly some white. The exact name of the colorpoint pattern depends on the actual color. A few examples are seal points (dark brown to black), chocolate points (warm, lighter brown), blue points (gray), lilac or frost points (silvery gray-pink), red or flame points (orange), and tortie (tortoiseshell mottling) points. This pattern

5312-455: The face, including the 'M' on the forehead and an eyeliner effect, pigmented lips and paws, and a pink nose outlined in darker pigment. However, the following different coat patterns are all possible: The agouti factor determines the "background" of the tabby coat, which consists of hairs that are banded with dark eumelanin and lighter phaeomelanin along the length of the hair shaft. The Agouti gene , with its dominant A allele and recessive

5395-532: The first WCF Thailand National Show where the breed was exhibited and presented by the WCF Temporary General Secretary, Andreas Mobius. The Suphalak's coat color should be a rich and even shade of warm brown throughout the body. The coat color is ideally more of a red-brown rather than a black-brown and does not show tabby markings. The Tamra Maew refers to this color as "thong daeng", or the color of copper. Breeders in Thailand today often compare

5478-491: The foundation of a new, distinctive strain of Burmese. In 1936, the Cat Fanciers' Association (CFA) granted the breed formal recognition. However, due to continued extensive outcrossing with Siamese cats to increase the population, the original type was overwhelmed, and the CFA suspended breed recognition a decade later. Attempts by various American breeders to refine the unique Burmese standard persisted, however, and in 1954,

5561-600: The genes are in danger of going extinct because the cats are not sold beyond the region where the mutation originated or there is simply not enough demand for cats expressing the mutation. In many breeds, coat gene mutations are unwelcome. An example is the rex allele which appeared in Maine Coons in the early 1990s. Rexes appeared in America, Germany and the UK, where one breeder caused consternation by calling them "Maine Waves". Two UK breeders did test mating which indicated that this

5644-401: The hair is pigmented, approx. 1/3 of hair length), to tipped silver also called chinchilla or shell (only the very tip of the hair is pigmented, approx. 1/8 of hair length). This seems to be affected by hypothetical wide band factors, which make the silver band at the base of the hair wider. Breeders often notate wide band as a single gene Wb/wb , but it is most likely a polygenic trait. If

5727-496: The modification of mackerel stripes, and may cause varying phenotypes such as "broken mackerel" tabbies via multiple loci. If the genes are Sp/Sp or Sp/sp the tabby coat will be spotted or broken. If it is an sp/sp gene, the tabby pattern will remain either mackerel or blotched. This gene has no effect on cats with a ticked coat. The Ticked ( Ti ) locus on chromosome B1 controls the generation of "ticked coats", agouti coats with virtually no stripes or bars. Ticked tabbies are rare in

5810-1114: The mutation results in brachicephaly, while homozygosity results in a profound head malformation known as the Burmese head defect, usually incompatible with life. A 2008 study conducted at UC Davis by the team led by feline geneticist Dr Leslie Lyons found that the American Burmese has the second lowest level of genetic diversity (after the Singapura ) of all the breeds studied, and concludes that this situation should be addressed. The CFA observes that "breeders are reporting less hearty litters, smaller adults, smaller litters, and immune system problems, all of which point towards inbreeding depression becoming more common." The Burmese breed council currently allows outcrossing using Bombay , Tonkinese and Burmese type cats imported from Southeast Asia to improve genetic diversity. The Fédération Internationale Féline (FIFe) excludes novice show cats from breeding. A 2016 study in England of veterinary records found

5893-595: The next decades. Chocolate ("champagne" in the USA) first appeared in the United States. Lilac ("platinum" in the USA), the last major variant to appear, was likewise developed in the USA beginning in 1971. Currently, the British GCCF standard recognises solid brown, chocolate, blue, lilac, red and cream, as well as the tortoiseshell pattern on a base of brown, chocolate, blue or lilac. In the USA, chocolate ("champagne"), blue, and lilac ("platinum") cats were first formally considered

5976-446: The problem ceases. Pain relief intervention should be considered, to prevent overt self-trauma. Apart from scarring caused by the self-mutilation, the cat seems to recover completely. The Burmese is predisposed to congenital hypotrichosis . The Burmese is one of the more commonly affected breeds for gangliosidosis 2 . An autosomal recessive mutation of the HEXB gene is responsible for

6059-644: The protein replaces the 16 C-terminal residues with 109 new ones (N977Kfs110), generating the king cheetah coat variant. The wild-type (in African wildcats ) is the mackerel tabby (stripes look like thin fishbones and may break up into bars or spots). The most common variant is the classic tabby pattern (broad bands, whorls, and spirals of dark color on pale background usually with bulls-eye or oyster pattern on flank). Spotted tabbies have their stripes broken up into spots, which may be arranged vertically or horizontally. A 2010 study suggests that spotted coats are caused by

6142-448: The random-bred population, but fixed in certain breeds such as the Abyssinian and Singapura . Ti is the dominant allele that produces ticked coats; Ti is the recessive one. The causative gene for ticked tabby markings is Dickkopf-related protein 4 ( DKK4 ). Both a cysteine to tyrosine substitution at residue 63 ( C63Y ) and an alanine to valine substitution at residue 18 ( A18V ) result in decreased DKK4 , which

6225-430: The recessive Ta produce classic (sometimes referred to as blotched) tabbies. The gene responsible for this differential patterning has been identified as transmembrane aminopeptidase Q ( Taqpep , M3XFH7 ). A threonine to asparagine substitution at residue 139 ( T139N ) in this protein is responsible for producing the tabby phenotype in domestic cats. In cheetahs , a base pair insertion into exon 20 of

6308-467: The royal treasures were stolen. Thai legend has it that the Burmese King Hsinbyushin found and read the poem for the Suphalak in the Tamra Maew . The poem describes the Suphalak as being as rare as gold, and anyone that owns this cat will become wealthy. He told his army to round up all the Suphalak cats and bring them back to Burma along with the other treasures. Today in Thailand this legend

6391-481: The study and higher than the overall of 11.74 years. Certain UK bloodlines suffer from an acute teething disorder in young kittens (FOPS: Feline Orofacial Pain Syndrome), where the eruption of the second teeth causes extreme discomfort and the young cat tears at its face to try to alleviate the pain. Eruption of the new teeth in the jaw that causes the problem; these cannot be removed until they have erupted, by which time

6474-422: The two as separate breeds, but those that do refer to the British type as the European Burmese. Originally, all Burmese cats were dark brown (genetically black), but are now available in a wide variety of colours; formal recognition of these also varies by standard. Both versions of the breed are known for their uniquely social and playful temperament and persistent vocalisation. In 1871, Harrison Weir organised

6557-438: The vast majority of tortoiseshells are female, with approximately 1 in 3,000 being male. Male tortoiseshells can occur as a result of chromosomal abnormalities such as Klinefelter syndrome , by mosaicism , or by a phenomenon known as chimerism , where two early stage embryos are merged into a single kitten. Tortoiseshells with a relatively small amount of white spotting are known as "tortoiseshell and white", while those with

6640-472: Was a milestone for the Suphalak, considering that so few are in existence. Due to the scarcity of Suphalaks in the world, ACA acceptable crosses are any cat of Thai origin including, but not limited to: Korats, Khao Manee, Konja or Siamese (shorthaired or longhaired). Thonga was mated with a traditional style Longhair Siamese, which resulted in two chocolate females. The first female had two white lockets, so could not be recorded as Suphalak as Suphalaks must have

6723-592: Was officially recorded as a Suphalak by the government export authorities of Thailand and imported by Lisa Young on September 29, 2013, to the United States where she remains in a breeding program at Thai Dee Maew Cattery in Waterford, Michigan. On September 6, 2015, Thonga became the first Suphalak ever registered as a Suphalak with an established cat registry, the American Cat Association (the oldest cat registry in America with their formal beginning in 1897). It

6806-402: Was probably a new rex mutation and that it was recessive. The density of the hair was similar to normally coated Maine Coons, but consisted only of down type hairs with a normal down type helical curl, which varied as in normal down hairs. Whiskers were more curved, but not curly. Maine Coons do not have awn hairs, and after moulting, the rexes had a very thin coat. Cat fur length is governed by

6889-455: Was the case. As a result, there was much confusion, especially among Burmese breeders who mistakenly insisted that Suphalaks were a solid sable-colored Burmese cat of Thai origin. Experienced Thai breeder Kamnan Preecha Pukkabu disagreed with these breeders because the ancient poems describe a cat with the 'whole body copper' appearance and that would mean even the skin (down to the paw pads) needed to be reddish in color and not dark or black like

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