Your guide to finding and caring for a Burmese in SLC
Burmese cats fit well in Salt Lake City apartments, as long as someone is around to play with them. A Central City or 9th and 9th apartment with a sunny window perch suits a compact, people-loving cat that follows you from room to room. They don't need a yard, but they do want climbing space and a daily game with a wand toy. Cold January evenings make that routine easy, since a Burmese is happy to spend them in your lap.
Find your Burmese
While we don't have enough cats near Salt Lake City, keep in mind that many rescues may offer transport.
Nearly every Burmese in America descends from Wong Mau, a small walnut-brown cat brought from Southeast Asia to San Francisco in 1930. The breed is compact and muscular, and heavier than it looks, usually 8 to 13 pounds. The short coat feels like satin, and the large gold eyes are hard to miss. Sable brown is the classic color, though champagne, blue and platinum are common too.
Burmese are people-focused and playful well into adulthood, and many greet visitors and follow their family from room to room. In a Salt Lake City home, a mostly indoor cat that sheds little is easy to keep tidy, but it wants company and play. Adult cats vary, so get to know a cat's own personality rather than assuming the breed's.
Having a Burmese in SLC
A Burmese needs companionship, daily play and a few health checks more than it needs space or grooming. Those priorities shape how well one fits a Salt Lake City schedule, whether you live in an apartment near downtown or a house on the East Bench.
Burmese are affectionate, curious and sociable, and many are called dog-like for following people around and learning games. They often get along with respectful children and cat-friendly dogs. They're softer-voiced than Siamese but will ask for attention. Cats differ, so an adult's own personality matters more than the breed's reputation.
Plan on daily interactive play. Wand toys, fetch and puzzle feeders keep a Burmese fit and busy, and sturdy cat trees or wall shelves give a muscular cat room to leap. Salt Lake City's snowy winters and smoggy inversion days keep most cats inside anyway, so a steady indoor play routine matters.
Burmese can be prone to diabetes, low potassium, feline orofacial pain syndrome and, in some lines, a severe head defect in kittens. Keeping a Burmese lean, watching for extra thirst or weakness, and scheduling regular vet checkups with blood work as the cat ages all help catch problems early.
A Burmese does well in a Salt Lake City apartment or house if it has company, play and vertical space. Window perches suit a mostly indoor cat, and a secure catio can add fresh air. Many dislike long hours alone, so a second compatible pet can help in a busy household.
| 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* | $475 to $1,175 per year | $475 to $1,175 |
| Estimated yearly total (after year one) | $1,285 to $2,845 | |
Other costs are estimates and vary with size, age and health.
* The $25 yearly Salt Lake County license for a spayed or neutered cat, litter, flea prevention, a dental cleaning allowance, toys, scratchers and climbing furniture, and minimal grooming for the short 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 Salt Lake City.
Salt Lake City has a mix of county and nonprofit shelters and rescues working to place cats in loving homes. Here are the rescues & shelters in the SLC area with cats available for adoption, worth asking whether a Burmese is coming in.
Salt Lake City
511 West 3900 South, Salt Lake City
Salt Lake City
Salt Lake City
Salt Lake City
Salt Lake City
Yes, a Burmese does well in Salt Lake City apartments, since it needs play and perches more than floor space. Check your lease for pet fees and deposit terms first. Add a tall cat tree, a window perch and daily wand-toy sessions, and keep screens secure on upper floors, because a curious Burmese will investigate open windows.
Yes, you can adopt a Burmese in Salt Lake City. Cats must be licensed within 30 days of getting one, or by 5 months of age, with proof of rabies vaccination and sterilization. The license renews yearly and costs less for spayed or neutered cats, and a free microchip comes with it. Burmese listings change, so save a search to hear about new cats.
Burmese can ride UTA buses, TRAX and FrontRunner only inside a cage, kennel, carrier or container. UTA staff won't carry or assist with the carrier, so choose one you can manage alone. A Burmese's 8 to 13 pound frame fits a standard carrier, so a trip to the vet by train is doable.
A Burmese handles Salt Lake City summers well indoors, but not in a hot, closed space. Highs reach 90°F or more on about 62 days a year, mostly in July and August, and 100°F stretches happen. Keep the home shaded and cool, leave fresh water out, and never leave a cat in a parked car.
A Burmese needs very little grooming in Salt Lake City. The short satin coat sheds lightly and needs only a weekly rubber-brush pass. Occasional nail trims and ear checks are enough, and professional grooming is rarely necessary. That keeps yearly Other costs, which run about $475 to $1,175, mostly to litter, parasite prevention and dental care.
A Burmese fits Salt Lake City life well if you're home often or have another pet. It's happy in a downtown apartment or an East Bench house, needs daily play, and rides out the cold winters from a warm indoor perch. Long workdays away are the main challenge, so consider your schedule honestly before adopting.
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.
Expect roughly $1,300 to $2,850 a year for a Burmese in Salt Lake City. That covers food at $25 to $50 a month, insurance at $30 to $60 a month, routine vet care of $150 to $350 a year, and other costs of $475 to $1,175 a year, including litter and the county license.
Looking for a different breed? Browse other cats available for adoption in Salt Lake City.
