The breeding programme that culminated with the clear-coated Silver Tabby
Burmese, arose originally as an attempt to breed a spotted tabby with the type
and disposition of a Burmese cat.
The breeding programme started in the late
1970's with the mating of a Blue Burmese male to a Burmese/Siamese hybrid. The
generation seal tabby Burmese was mated to a High-grade domestic shorthair
silver tabby of medium foreign type out of a shorthair black smoke. The
resulting Silver tabby Burmese was born on 25 December 1982.
Full registration was obtained in November 1986.
There followed years of selective mating to Burmese, always retaining the silver
inhibitor. Finally, in 1986, the Silvers received recognition with the New Zealand
Cat Fancy, the first champion being a seal silver male, Ch Khivette Rebel.
The New Zealand Cat Fancy inc. Standard of Points states...."The degree of silvering
in these cats shows great variety. Some look the same as normal tabbies, while
others show extreme contrast between the colour and the 'ground". The ideal is the
silver with the extreme contrast". The most prominent tabby pattern is the 'ticked'
pattern and most litters with a silver parent include not only silvers but also
self-coloured kittens and ticked tabbies -four different coat patterns.
The smoke effect is produced by a silvery undercoat combined with overhair that is
tipped in colour with a silvery root. In repose the cats will appear as solid coloured
cats, in motion, the white/silvery undercoat will show.
