Asian cat

Take the Burmese build and personality, then spread it across a far wider range of coat colours and patterns, and you have the Asian: a medium-sized shorthaired cat. The breed came out of the United Kingdom, and it is often described as a group of related varieties rather than a single coat type. What ties the group together is a shared compact, muscular frame and a shared need to be near people.

Weights generally land between 4 and 6.5 kilograms, with males the heavier of the two. Being short, fine, and close-lying, the coat keeps grooming to a minimum. Eyes tend to fall between yellow and gold, and the precise shade tracks the coat colour.

The Asian wants to be involved. It will follow its owner about the house and stay in the middle of whatever is going on. Clever and sociable, it has plenty to say, though the voice is gentler than a Siamese even as it gets regular use. For a household after a quiet, self-reliant cat, the Asian is likely to want more attention than that suggests.

Who it suits

An owner or family at home for a good part of the day, wanting a cat that takes part, is the right match. The Asian gets on with children who are gentle in how they handle it, and it usually warms to other cats and to cat-friendly dogs. Where it struggles is a home that sits empty through long working days, because being left alone for extended periods does not sit well with it.

The story of the Asian group starts in the United Kingdom in the early 1980s. It began with a cross between a lilac Burmese and a chinchilla coated cat of Persian type. The kittens held onto Burmese conformation yet showed off new coat colours, and breeders saw good reason to fix those traits in place.

Credit for the breeding programme goes to British breeder Baroness Miranda von Kirchberg, who worked through this period to establish the variety and the coats that went with it. The shaded coats from that original cross became the Burmilla, while the broader work produced a whole family of Burmese-type cats carrying extra colours and patterns.

As the years passed, UK cat registries came to recognise the Asian as a group covering several coat varieties. Among them were self (solid), tortie, smoke, and tabby forms, sitting alongside the shaded Burmilla. Burmese conformation runs through all of them, and that shared body type keeps the group consistent no matter how varied the coats.

Beyond the United Kingdom the Asian stays uncommon. Only a small number of dedicated breeders keep it going, and that keeps availability outside its home country tight.

In body the Asian matches the Burmese: medium-sized, heavier in the hand than its length suggests, and muscular under a sleek coat. The chest rounds out, the back holds straight, and the legs stay slender against the body. A rounded wedge shapes the head, with good width between the ears, full cheeks, and a firm chin.

The eyes are large and spaced well apart, which gives the face an alert, open quality. Their colour spans yellow through to gold, tied in each cat to the coat. A medium-length tail tapers off to a rounded tip.

Coat and colours

Short and flat against the body, the coat takes its shine from fine texture rather than any length. The group spans a broad palette. Self varieties come in solid colours such as black, blue, chocolate, lilac, red, cream, and caramel. Tortie, smoke, and tabby patterns show up across those same base colours. The shaded coat that got the programme started has its own recognition as the Burmilla. Whatever the colour or pattern, the texture stays the same: close and easy to look after.

Outgoing and firmly people-focused, the Asian seeks out its household and drifts to wherever things are happening, whether that means a lap, a shoulder, or a spot right beside whoever is busy. It attaches closely to its family and leaves no doubt about it.

Strangers tend to meet a confident cat rather than a shy one; the Asian is more likely to come and greet a visitor than to disappear. It mixes well with other cats and often takes to cat-friendly dogs, which makes it a good candidate for a multi-pet home. Around children it keeps its patience as long as the handling stays gentle.

Sharp-minded and forever curious about what is going on, the breed learns routines in short order and comes up with games of its own. It is talkative, and it will run a commentary alongside its owner, though the voice stays softer and less piercing than a Siamese. What it cannot manage is long stretches by itself, and being left alone all day on a regular basis can leave it unhappy.

Grooming

• Brush the short coat once a week to clear loose hair and hold its shine
• Check the ears weekly and clean them gently when needed
• Trim the claws every few weeks
• Start regular tooth brushing to support dental health

Exercise

• Set up two or more active play sessions a day with wand or chase toys
• Put out puzzle feeders and rotate the toys to keep the mind working
• Build in vertical space such as a cat tree or shelving to climb
• Lean on interactive play to spend the breed's natural energy

Environment

A home with someone around for much of the day suits the Asian best. Given enough to occupy it and some height to climb, it settles into indoor life happily. Its sociable streak means a second cat can offer company while the household is out, but that is no full stand-in for time with people.

Being an obligate carnivore, the Asian needs a diet built around animal protein. A complete commercial cat food meeting recognised nutritional standards will cover its needs at every life stage. Both wet and dry foods work, and plenty of owners feed a mix so the cat takes in moisture from the wet food while keeping the convenience of dry. Fresh water should always be within reach.

Portion size comes down to age, weight, and activity. Treat the figures below as general starting points, and adjust to body condition and a vet's guidance.

Treats and supplements

Keep treats to no more than about 10 percent of daily calories so weight does not creep up. A cat on a complete, balanced food generally needs nothing added. Run any addition, such as joint support for an older cat, past a vet before you begin.

The Asian is a sturdy breed, and most cats go on to long, healthy lives. Expect a lifespan of 12 to 18 years with good care. Sharing ancestry with the Burmese, it can inherit some of the same tendencies, which is why a breeder who screens their cats is worth seeking out. Routine checkups, dental care, and steady weight control all work in favour of a long life.

Preventive care

• Book annual vet checkups, and more often once the cat is senior
• Keep core vaccinations and parasite control current
• Brush the teeth regularly and arrange dental cleanings as advised
• Weigh the cat from time to time and adjust food to hold good condition
• Ask the breeder about health screening of the parents

Between its intelligence and its focus on people, the Asian ranks among the more trainable cat breeds. It learns its name and the household routines quickly, and with patience it will take on tricks, recall, and even harness walking. Training gives its energy and curiosity somewhere useful to go, and that keeps the mischief down. Sessions should stay short, since cats run out of patience faster than dogs do.

Basics

1. Get litter training under way by placing the kitten in a clean tray after meals and naps
2. Supply a scratching post and reward its use so the furniture survives
3. Teach the cat to come to its name, treating it the instant it responds
4. Work up simple tricks such as sit or high-five in short daily sessions
5. Bring in a harness gradually indoors before any walking outside

Sexual maturity can arrive in female Asians from around five to nine months, but responsible breeders wait until the queen is physically mature, usually past a year, before letting her have a first litter. Mating follows her heat cycle, and gestation lasts about 63 to 67 days.

A litter usually runs to four to six kittens, give or take. Newborns come blind and entirely dependent on their mother for warmth and feeding. Eyes open at around one to two weeks; weaning starts near four weeks and finishes around seven to eight weeks. Given how social the Asian is, kittens do best with gentle handling and early exposure to household life, and that early groundwork produces the confident temperament the breed is known for. Kittens usually move on to new homes from about twelve to thirteen weeks, once their first vaccinations are behind them. Before mating, breeders should screen the parents for the inherited conditions seen in the Burmese line.

Registering an Asian cat and its chip in New Zealand

Keeping an indoor Asian cat safe is partly latches and partly paperwork. The paperwork half is a free profile carrying your contact details and her photo, ready for the day a door swings wider than it should. Cat registration with United Pet Club never costs anything.

Pop the fifteen digit number from the vet paperwork into your free United Pet Club account, check your phone number is current, and your Asian cat's chip finally points somewhere. Every brand is accepted, every update free, and the record answers scans at any hour. Microchip registration is the link in the middle.