Burmese or Bombay?

I have always been owned by Burmese cats and they have been free range cats as I have a very large garden. Sadly my last two, having lived to a ripe old age, have died.

In the next few months I will be moving into a penthouse apartment and at this stage I am keeping my options open as to whether or not I'll get another cat, especially since it would be my first totally indoors cat.

I would like another Burmese but have been told that the Bombays are especially bred for apartment living. As they are half-Burmese I can't see that this would be the case.

I would really like the opinions of the group as any new cat would be for life and I don't want to make a mistake. So ... Bombay or Burmese? Or are there other options which I should explore. I live in Western Australia.

I have a Bombay so I am bias. Bombays were bred from Burmese so they have that same intelligence. My cat Edgar has been trained to come when called, to stop and come when he starts to do something he shouldn't, and to go where I point. He usually hides when someone new comes into the house but I can call him and pat the seat next to me and he'll sit there quietly. Unlike my sister's cat he doesn't meow begging for treats and food. When he's hungry he'll come up to me and give me a "kiss" on the cheek. He is about 5-6 pounds so he is a small male most being around 7-8 pounds. He doesn't climb furniture or jump onto things. He knows what he can get on, a pillow an the couch, a blanket on the bed and a book on the chair. He plays with anything that rolls but is not a jumper. Though he shows interest in my food he does not like "people" food. However he will drink my ice tea and he loves rose petals. Like a Burmese Edgar has a huge personality and it surprises many people even those with cats. Last month when my father died Edgar didn't leave my side the whole day, not one of my sister's tabby cats did that. I have had lots of cats in the 53 years I've been alive everything from Siamese, tabbies, ragdolls, and even a Manx, but from now on I'm sticking with bombays. But like I said I'm bias.

Edgar sounds charming. He is a lot smaller than my last Burmese boy, who weighed in at 7 kilos. Thank you for your input: I have never met a Bombay so I am flying a bit blind here.

My thoughts - Adopt from a shelter!

But that's not why I'm writing. I'm not familiar with either breed, but I am familiar with intelligent cats in apartments. My cat Grendel is smart. She gets into things, opens doors, drives my other cat nuts when she gets bored. She also gets on top of things. Such as my dresser, knocking it over in the process. Luckily, she's mellowed out in the last few years, not quite as obnoxious.

I work a full time job, but get to come home over lunch. I also don't go out much, so I can work with her, keep her happy and out of trouble. I also have the biggest cat tree I can fit in my apartment, and I make sure she has interactive toys. I also have another cat that plays with her, so that helps too.

So, the moral of the story, do your research. Figure out if you can keep an intelligent cat happy in a small space - its possible, but does require some work. Talk to breeders, talk to people who keep your chosen breed in an apartment. You might find that you want to get an older cat, maybe a retired breeder that has calmed down, maybe adopt from a breed specific rescue that fosters cats in a home, or maybe find a different breed of cat altogether. Good Luck!

I suspect it depends on the individual personality of the cat. I wouldnt have thought Burmese were suited to apartment living - the ones I know are loopy and love to roam and play. One actually broke her leg because she wasnt allowed out and jumped up on a desk, skidded on some papers and fell.
Perhaps adopting an adult from a shelter - that way you get a feel for the cat's personality. Again, my first cat had to live in a flat because we were near a main road and he was just fine. However, one of my current cats throws himself at closed windows if we try to keep him in.
Good luck,
Grace x

Thanks, Grace. Having kept Burmese for most of my life I realise that they are probably not suited to apartment living although a female would be easier as they are not so prone to wander.

The Bombay cats from the particular cattery I have been looking at breeds Bombays especially for apartment living and I am pinning my hopes on one of those ... perhaps a female no longer needed for breeding.

I am not supposed to have more than one pet but would dearly love to sneak in two kittens as I think that a pair of litter mates makes life easier for everyone.

I need to test the waters when I move to my new apartment so I am not in a rush. A good thing since I understand that the Bombays are in rather short supply and i'll probably have to wait for one to become available.

2 cats always better than 1 ! (wink)

Just reviving this thread to say that I picked up my Bombay pair on 2nd January and they are the most friendly, funny, playful and quiet cats; altogether delightful. The little girl can get quite vocal when she thinks that she is being neglected but mostly they converse in little chirrups.

My new apartment is very big and I have a lot of cat toys for them but anything can be converted to a toy. There are a couple of wooden clothes pegs which they love and the receipts from ATMs which I screw up and put in the waste paper basket in my study are favourites. I have to be careful what I put into the waste basket as it is regularly upturned and its contents spread around.

Hi Pinkozcat,

On other threads I have seen photos of your 2 err. "bundles of joy". Now they are about 6 months old(?)
I wonder what your thoughts are on "Bombays vs. Burmese"? Well that's what you named this thread.

But do remember that I (and Lizzy, but not Max) might be a bit biased :-)

Guido.

Bombays are basically black Burmese so I haven't really noticed much difference ... except that I have always had indoor/outdoor cats before and my two babies are strictly indoor cats since I live in a penthouse with no garden, only a small balcony. Luckily it is a large penthouse. :)

Parsifal is now much bigger than Poppy and, blessedly, has a very soft little voice but Poppy is becoming quite strident when she doesn't get her own way.

They are both incredibly friendly and very playful; different from my last pair of Burmese at the beginning. They were terrified when I first brought them home. It was very un-Burmeselike behavior and I still wonder how they were handled before I got them. Considering that my current pair came from a largish cattery I take my hat off to their breeder.

I wouldn't swap them - but if I had opted for Burmese I would have felt exactly the same. Cats are all loveable; I don't think that it really matters whether you get a special breed or a moggy from the Cat Haven, once you bond with them they are the best cats.

But I think that one important thing is how they are handled as small kittens. I got Bertie and Bast because they were from a bloodline which I wanted and there was only one breeding queen left from that bloodline. But, as I said, they were terrified and I was unable to approach or handle them for the first week or so. My first pair arrived with cat flu but were fearless, as are all brown Burmese and gorgeous once they had recovered.

My new babies? More like seven months old - they were born on 12th October and have lost their baby teeth and kitten fluff. They are nearly grown up.

Post more pictures! :)

FWIW, I've had indoor cats since 1988, due to the dangers where I lived (road with speeding cars, roaming dogs and wildlife like foxes), of all different breeds, and never had problems except for the one kitten I'd adopted that had been outside before I got her.

The ones I have now have always been inside, and have no interest in going outside.

#11 fuzzi I have put four more pictues of the kittens into my gallery and changed my profile pic to one of Poppy. She is he easy one; Parsifal is far more interested in playing with my camera.

I love the pictures, thanks for letting me know.

Are Bombay cats pure black or are there darker 'points' that don't show well?

Bombay's have to be pure black. That includes whiskers, pads on their feet, their nose and their undercoat.

Reading this thread, and then doing some research, was a revelation to me. My shelter cat, Boo, is a Bombay! Black everywhere from whiskers to toenails, the physical proportions, eyes, and the personality descriptions match exactly. How utterly nifty!

#15 Helcura, the original Bombay was a cross between a Burmese and an English shorthair as oriental crosses are usually either black or blue-cream. The cross was done to introduce a black gene to the Burmese strain.

Have they got orange eyes? That seems to be something exclusive to Bombays.

I have bought a kitty carriage and take them over to the local park where they can explore and feel the sun - firmly tethered, or course.

We had a bad experience with a rather very large dog (it looked like a pig dog) a couple of days ago and Parsifal tried to run. Fortunately he didn't slip his harness so he decided to be a Horatio and protect his mum and sister. He puffed up and actually growled. I scooped him up and put him in the kitty carriage but they won't venture out again yet - just lie in the sun with the flaps open; I won't hurry them.

We have met two people in the park who have recognised their breed. Interesting that they are not seen as just black cats and it is, of course, the orange eyes.

Yes, he has the eyes and everything. I guess even purebred cats get abandoned sometimes, and Boo was seven years old when I adopted him.