Our Burmese community has been divided into two camps for so long that I believe we lost sight of our most important mission.
As caretakers of one of the world's most precious cat breeds, Burmese breeders have a great responsibility: to assure the health and preservation of this wonderful cat for many generations to come. And right now we have an opportunity that we haven't seen for decades. Whether you are a contemporary or traditional breeder, at last we seem to agree that without restoring our breed to genetic health, the Burmese cat's long-term survival is at great risk.
There have been several turning points that have brought us to this place. Dr. Leslie A. Lyons' 2008 study of the genetic diversity of cat breeds showed us that Burmese have the lowest of all breeds with the exception of Singapuras. That year Dr. Lyons also made recommendations on how to restore diversity. Then this past February, the CFA board approved three changes in our Burmese standard and show rules that many thought would never happen. This gave hope that the board in the future might also approve other and more significant changes for the betterment of our breed. Finally, Renee and J.D.'s trip to Thailand to bring back a Suphalak sparked a discussion of what other steps we can take in that direction.
Dr. Lyons has pointed out that modern cat breeds have been developed within a very short time, most in the last 100 years. Although we know that Suphalaks have existed for centuries, the modern Burmese was developed with only a few foundation cats. For contemporary lines, there is an additional bottleneck in that all current contemporary lines trace back to one cat, Good Fortune Fortunatas. Thus our breed started with low genetic diversity, and though cats have been brought in from Thailand over the years, this has not happened often enough to solve that problem.
Geneticists uniformly point out that breeds with less genetic diversity are at a greater risk. When there is little gene variation within a species, healthy reproduction becomes difficult and a population can become increasingly vulnerable to disease. Cheetahs are an example of an extremely inbred cat species. Approximately 10,000 years ago, all but one species of cheetahs died out. This in effect resulted in a population bottleneck, and close relatives bred together in order to to keep the species going. This low genetic diversity continues to create reproduction problems for cheetahs -- currently, only about 5% of cheetahs survive to adulthood. It also has made the breed susceptible to disease, and just a few years ago one colony of cheetahs was decimated by feline infectious peritonitis.
Some are concerned about the loss of Burmese type through outcrossing. One only has to look at photos of Mod Daeng to wonder how long it will take to shorten that nose. But when placed in the context of our greater, long-term purpose, how soon outcross offspring can achieve success in a show hall is insignificant.
There are American Burmese breeders who have already worked with more genetically diverse Burmese lines (crossing American with European lines in TICA), and they have reported greater vigor and size in the kittens born to these matings, as well as larger litters. Reducing the number of generations before cats with European lines from other registries can be registered in CFA would be another way to incorporate greater genetic diversity. There are two other breeds recognized in CFA that are genetically Burmese and would be other logical options for outcrosses: Solid Tonkinese and Sable Bombays.
It is interesting to note that the Korat population is smaller than Burmese, but Korat breeders deliberately undertook a careful breeding program, importing Korats from Thailand every few years, and this has made a significant difference in the health and genetic diversity of the breed. This is a program that Burmese breeders should examine and emulate.
Finally, opening the breed to outcrosses could potentially increase the number of Burmese breeders, as current breeders develop working relationships with breeders of outcross breeds. A greater number of kittens would also increase the client base and the pool of potential exhibitors.
As we continue to discuss this, it's important to remember that no Burmese breeder would be required to outcross, it would be up to each individual. But denying outcrosses to the breed as a whole likely will result in continued deterioration of genetic diversity, health, and fertility. I hope that all UBCF members, and other Burmese breeders and exhibitors as well, will support the current efforts underway to help the genetic diversity and health of our breed. Let us not remain in the past but seize this opportunity to create a healthier future, not only for ourselves but for our beloved Burmese cats.
Nancy L. Reeves
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