Welcome to Lowenheim Cattery

Breeders of Fine Burmese Kittens since 1991

Bernard

I am no longer Breeding Burmese.

My late wife and I began breeding Burmese in 1991.

On the 3/09/2007 we were the first Breeders in New Zealand and the World to breed Russet coloured Burmese. Molly Too was the first Russet we bred. On the 15/05/2012 we bred a second generation Russet from a Russet male (Bernard) and a Seal mother.

On the 7/10/2020 we breed a third generation Russet boy. From Jimmy Choux (Lilac) and Miley Belle (Red Russet) Red Rufus. (Red Russet)

On the 20/07/2023 we bred the very first Lilac Russet (Lowenheim Zeeko) from Jimmy Choux and Maddison Margaret (Chocolate)

Bernard is shown above and Molly Too is shown in our Cats Page.

Kittens

When you purchase a Lowenheim kitten you are getting a healthy, friendly, and confident Kitten.

Kittens are born in our house and spend the first three weeks in our Bedroom, being handled daily. Between three and four weeks they are moved to the kitten room to allow them more space to develop.

At ten weeks they are taken to our Vet for their first health check, first vaccination and de-sexing. Reaching twelve weeks they are then ready to go to their new homes.

Enquiry’s and Visiting.

Prospective buyers can visit the kittens from seven weeks of age. Once you have visited and wish to purchase a kitten then a $150.00 non-refundable deposit is required. At the completion of the sale and collecting the kitten, the deposit is deducted from the purchase price, paid prior to pick up. If you cannot pick up the kitten physically and need it to be transported elsewhere, we would suggest that you Contact Air New Zealand to find out about their policy and costs relating to transporting Cats.

Kittens available.

Upper Hutt Cattery.

No longer breeding due to sudden death of my lovely wife Nicki.

I wish to thank all the people who over the years have purchased kittens from us.

Cages, Toilet trays, scratch Barrels 20% off.

Cat blankets, new and used

Contact Bob re. pricing can be seen on kitten page

See kitten page for updates.

Colours

Burmese: Most of our kittens recently have been Chocolate with the odd Seal, Lilac (occasionally) and Russets. Russet is a new colour which we were the first to breed them in NZ and the world. See kittens below. Recently we bred a Red Russet Burmese and in July 2023 we bred the first Lilac Russet Burmese.

Burmese History

Seal Kitten

Burmese cats lived for centuries in Burma, Thailand and Malaya.

In the late 1800’s they were known in England as Chocolate Siamese, but because they were not favoured they gradually died out in England and Europe.

The ancestry of Burmese cats can be traced back to one cat named Wong Mau, who was a brown female from Burma and arrived in San Francisco during the early 1930’s to Dr. Joseph Thompson.

Through selective breeding to Siamese, the Burmese was established as a distinct breed.

Lighter coloured kittens were occasionally produced and eventually the American breeders requested recognition from CFA for these “dilute” colours; first, as another breed named Malayan, then later as a dilute division of Burmese.

The Burmese Appearance

The Burmese is a strong, athletic and elegant short haired cat that carry surprising weight for its size and has often been described as a “brick wrapped in silk.”

It has a fine, close, even, and glossy coat . Their coats are very short, satin-like in texture, and generally require little grooming other than daily petting.

At maturity males are larger, the females are more delicate and graceful, and the difference in weight between them may be two or three kgs.

The Burmese is a compactly built cat with a small round head and wide-set eyes which are yellow or golden.

Burmese Colour’s

Russet Kittens

The Burmese cat has ten main recognized colours in NZ, Australia, UK and Europe:

Seal – the original Burmese color, a rich warm seal brown (See Kitten above)
Blue – a soft blue-gray with a silver sheen
Chocolate – a warm milk chocolate
Lilac – a pale delicate dove gray with a pinkish cast
Red – tangerine
Cream – cream with a distinct bloom on the head and back, giving a powdered effect
Seal tortie – brown with shades of red
Blue tortie – Blue with shades of cream
Chocolate tortie – Chocolate with shades of red
Lilac tortie – lilac with shades of cream.
Russet – can be a chocolate, Seal, Lilac or Red. They have a coloured body with a reddish tint on their heads. see kittens above. The ears have thumb prints on them and the underbelly is a cream/Ivory colour, paw pads and nose’s are pink. The body tends to go redder as they get older.

Russets

The parentage of the Russets were confirmed by DNA testing for both Seal and Chocolate. The new pattern is not a reversion to a Tabby but something new. More DNA testing in the USA has shown that the russet is a mutation of the Extension/MCIR gene. As kittens, Russets have a whitish face, pink noses and pads, pale/ivory fur around their pads, stomach and tail. As they begin to mature they begin to turn Red similar to a Red Burmese. We recently mated two of our Russets to each other and produced the first all Russet litter. We kept one and her name is Miley Belle (A Red Russet). In July 2023 we bred a Lilac Russet From a Chocolate Mother (Maddie) and Lilac Dad (Jimmy Choux) the first Lilac Russet in the world.

As the Russet colours are confined to two catteries at present, we would like other breeders to get involved to keep the colour going forward.

Burmese Cat Personality

The Burmese is very friendly inquisitive cat with an outgoing, loving nature – this is why Burmese are one of the most popular breeds in NZ and Australia.

They will greet you at the door when you come home and comfort you when you are ill or unhappy – they give unconditional love.

The Burmese is an upfront cat, not left out of where it is all happening.

It’s a participator – alert, curious, intelligent, interfering and gregarious: you cannot ignore it!

When you sit down, the Burmese thinks you are offering him a warm bed.

When you kneel to weed the garden, the Burmese will use your back as a vantage point from which to observe the environment.

Seal Mother and Seal kittens