Your guide to finding and caring for a Burmese in Birmingham
A Burmese suits Birmingham apartment life well, especially if someone is home a good part of the day. In a Highland Park apartment or a Southside place near UAB, a Burmese will follow you from room to room, claim the sunniest window and invite itself into whatever you're doing. It's a compact cat that wants company and play more than most. If you're thinking of adopting one in Birmingham, plan on a sturdy cat tree and a few minutes of wand-toy time every day.
Find your Burmese
While we don't have enough cats near Birmingham, keep in mind that many rescues may offer transport.
Nearly every Burmese in America traces back to Wong Mau, a walnut-brown cat brought to San Francisco in 1930 and paired with Siamese cats to build the line. The result is a compact, muscular cat that's heavier than it looks, usually 8 to 13 pounds, with a glossy, satin-like coat and big gold eyes. Sable brown is the classic color, though champagne, blue and platinum turn up too.
Burmese stay playful well into adulthood and like being part of the family routine. That fits Birmingham households with a steady schedule or someone working from home, and it pairs well with another friendly pet. The short coat needs only a weekly rubdown, which is welcome in a humid climate. Cats vary, so an adult's own personality matters more than any breed description.
Having a Burmese in Birmingham
Burmese are sturdy, short-coated cats whose biggest needs are attention and play. Grooming is minimal, but a few inherited health risks, including diabetes, are worth understanding before you adopt.
Burmese tend to be affectionate, curious and sociable, and many follow their people from room to room. In a Birmingham apartment that closeness is easy to enjoy, since there's always something to supervise. They often get along with respectful children and cat-friendly dogs, though personalities vary, especially in adult cats.
Plan on daily interactive play with wand toys, fetch games and puzzle feeders. Burmese love to leap, so a sturdy cat tree or wall shelves beside a window gives a Birmingham apartment cat plenty of room to climb. Indoor play also sidesteps summer heat and spring storms outside.
Burmese can be prone to diabetes, low potassium, orofacial pain syndrome and, in some lines, a severe head defect in kittens. The breed also has low genetic diversity. Keep a Burmese lean, watch for excess thirst or weakness, and schedule regular veterinary checkups, with blood work as the cat ages.
A Burmese adapts well to apartments and houses alike as long as it has climbing space, play and company. It does best as an indoor cat, with a secure window perch or catio for fresh air. Many cope poorly with long hours alone, so a second compatible pet can help.
| Expense | Typical cost | Per year |
|---|---|---|
| Food | $25 to $50 per month | $300 to $600 |
| Pet insurance | $30 to $60 per month | $360 to $720 |
| Routine vet care | $150 to $350 per year | $150 to $350 |
| Other* | $450 to $1,150 per year | $450 to $1,150 |
| Estimated yearly total (after year one) | $1,260 to $2,820 | |
Other costs are estimates and vary with size, age and health.
* Litter, flea prevention, a dental cleaning allowance, toys, scratchers and climbing furniture, and minimal grooming for the short, satin coat.
Now that you know more, let’s find you a new best friend. These rescues and shelters below have cats available in and near Birmingham.
Birmingham's rescue community includes a large humane society and smaller rescue groups that place cats and kittens in new homes. Here are the rescues & shelters in the Birmingham area with cats available for adoption, worth asking whether a Burmese is coming in.
Yes, a Burmese fits Birmingham well if someone is home often or another pet can keep it company. It's happy in an apartment or a house, stays comfortable in air conditioning through the humid summers, and needs little grooming. Plan on daily play and a quiet hiding spot for storm season, since spring thunderstorms can unsettle some cats.
Yes, you can own a Burmese in Birmingham, and no breed-specific cat rules are known. Cats four months and older need a city license, and state law requires a rabies vaccine by three months, with the tag on a collar or harness. Keeping the cat indoors also avoids roaming risks like the coyotes reported around the city.
Yes, Burmese are well suited to apartments. They're compact, usually 8 to 13 pounds, and care more about climbing space and attention than square footage. Alabama lets landlords charge a pet deposit on top of a one-month security deposit, so get the pet policy and any pet rent in writing before you sign a lease.
Yes, Burmese handle Birmingham summers well indoors with air conditioning. About 65 days a year reach 90°F, and the humidity stays high. Keep fresh water out, shade window perches and save play for cooler mornings or evenings. Heavy panting, drooling or lethargy means cooling the cat down and calling a veterinarian.
A Burmese needs very little grooming, usually a weekly rubdown with a rubber brush to lift loose hair from the short satin coat. Birmingham's humidity doesn't change that routine. Nail trims and dental care matter more, and grooming is only a small part of the yearly Other costs, since most owners do it at home.
Not on MAX fixed-route buses, which generally allow only service animals. MAX On-Demand shared rides do accept pets in an airline-approved carrier, so a Burmese can ride that way to a vet visit. Birmingham has no subway or rail, so a sturdy carrier is the main thing to plan around for any trip.
A Burmese is a medium-sized, muscular shorthaired cat known for a glossy, satin-like coat, gold eyes and a famously people-oriented personality. Most American Burmese trace back to a single brown cat, Wong Mau, brought to San Francisco in 1930. They are playful, social and affectionate, and they come in sable, champagne, blue, platinum and other colors.
The name Burmese simply means from Burma, the country now called Myanmar. It refers to where the breed's foundation cat, Wong Mau, was believed to come from, in the region near the border between Burma and Thailand. Brown cats resembling the Burmese are thought to appear in old Thai cat manuscripts, long before the modern breed was developed in America.
Burmese cats are moderately vocal. They usually speak up when they want attention, food or company, but they are generally quieter than their Siamese relatives, with softer, sweeter voices. Many hold chatty conversations with their people and greet them at the door. Individual cats vary, and some are quite talkative while others rarely meow.
Plan on roughly $1,260 to $2,820 a year for a Burmese in Birmingham. That adds up food at $25 to $50 a month, insurance at $30 to $60 a month, routine vet care at $150 to $350 a year, and other costs of $450 to $1,150 a year. The adoption fee is separate and shown on current listings.
Looking for a different breed? Browse other cats available for adoption in Birmingham.
