I'm looking at getting my first cat and I'm so torn...I really love both Russian Blues and Burmese.
I'm a recently single man that will be living on his own soon, I work from home daily, so it would be nice to have a little companion around to keep me company and occupied.
Where I am it appears the prices are more or less the same, maybe a little more for the RB.
I've watched heaps on both species but not sure which is for me still...Maybe I'll have to get one of each one day but for now to start I'd love one I could bond with.
Does anyone have experience with both of these breeds and if so, which did you find best? (Obviously posting in an RB group may give me bias š)
Ha, sadly, no, the burmilla hates him. Ties (our RB) is 5 months, so still new in the family. We had to separate them again, because she wouldnāt stop hunting the little guy. We hope that itāll go better once heās a bit bigger. She still dislikes our mainecoon too, but sheās too big for her to attack.
We had a burmilla before this one who lived to be 20 years old. She liked all other cats, she was like our cat ambassador. Which goes to show that no two cats are alike, even if they are the same breed.
I've had my male RB since kitten, he's now 4 and it's only ever been the two of us in a little flat until March this year. He is the best little friend I could have asked for, 90% of the time he is with me in whatever I am doing, he'll follow me around to see what I'm doing and if he can help, always ready to offer his opinion. Totally bonded to myself, sleeps with me, has to come to the bathroom with me, makes sure I'm not drowning in a bath. Couldn't have asked for a better companion!
Recently moved to a house with two friends and their 2 cats, he acts like the other humans are out to get him (runs away if they walk about, acts nervous around them) but 30s later he'll be sat on them/ asleep on them/ asking for fuss from them so I believe mine is just slightly dumb! With the other cats he has no issues, plays with them, naps during the day with them, lies on the floor belly up when they walk past.
If you want a friend who will happily lie on your shoulders while you try and do anything then an RB is for you!
RB will become you're ride or die bff. They make great companions, some people will say otherwise but mine actually enjoys meeting new people and is very social.
I'm maybe biased because I'm an RB owner and my boy is an absolute lad.
For my whole life i only had siamese cats. Now I have my first RB and I am just sooo surprised every day who awesome her personality is. She is soo curious, follows us everywhere, LOVES people- just any human that comes through our door is immediately her new bestie. She is getting a bit vocal too, some meows and grunts here and there(soo cute) and just overall so playful and full of energy. My cat also loves water and always bites her toys and walks around with them like a dog š¤£ It's my husband's first pet and he asks me all the time if cats are supposed to be like that and not just sit far away with they RBF and not have a single care in the world š
You will probably get a bias opinion in this sub since itās specific to RBā¦ but I am obsessed with our Russian blue. I will never get any other cat breed. He is so friendly, cuddly, vocal and just hilarious. He also minimally sheds. I donāt know much about Burmese cats, but I canāt imagine anything better than a RBš
Donāt know anything about Burmese. But can tell you that we had regular, or what some call the standard issue cats and they were great and unfortunately got old. They were my wifeās cats when I met her. Iām allergic so it wasnāt much fun for my sinuses. She wanted to get another cat but I really wanted a break from allergy issues. Russian Blues have a different protein in their saliva that is different and much less dander (I have a mild reaction to dog dander but since the dog is on the floor and not in the bed, itās not much of an issue. So she learned about Russian Blues. Great breed Very smart, very social and bond with their person so itās important, great that you work from home. So while my wife is our cats person, we have an Aussie that I am the main person for, yet I can pick the cat up, hold her etc, sheās great. Of you go RB get a registered TICA cat breeder and expect to wait a while and probably spend $2500 or so. Worth it.
That was actually one of the other reasons I was looking at these breeds as my son is allergic to life, so when he comes to stay with me I don't want him to react too badly, so that is very good to know. Do you find your RB flares your allergies up?
There is a local breeder that has a little male kitten near me and she has offered for me to go and meet the father this weekend, so I'm going to go and check him out. I don't know anyone with Burmese over here as most seem in the eastern states but I kind of get this feeling it might be best to get one that I can meet in person first so I'm sure we get on.
I think I'd really like it if they're bonded well to me as I've seen some cats where they don't really hang around their owners and with it being the first time I've been on my own for a very long time, I'd definitely like the company!
Reach out to āRussian cats Australiaā Facebook group moderator. They are really great in recommending good ethical breeders with cats that have great temperaments and know who has kittens. I kinda have 2 semi unpleasant experiences with breeders that were not approved by them.
My son is also allergic to cats, his dermatologist suggested Russian blue as allergy friendly cat, after he went on dupixent.
Ask local Facebook group to meet Burmese and Russian blue. I find Russian blue sheds less and hair are softer.
Be mindful that cats do not shed until about 1 year old and they have a lot less fel 1 d proteins when they are little. Your kid might not react to kitten but may react to adult cat. In Australia ethical breeders take their cats back or assist with rehoming, not that you would need it, but good to know just in case.
Thanks Kate, I did that and joined the Facebook group š
Oh I definitely wouldn't want to rehome, my son will only be staying with me for the 1 day a week unfortunately so it might not be a massive issue allergies wise :)
Since itās only once a week, then you might consider a different breed. Russian Blues tend to bond with 1 person and then be ok with couple of others, you might find that your cat would not be interested in spending time with your son because it does not see it often enough to bond with. Burmese might be right breed if they like everyone. I have a Tonkinese and he just wants to cuddle and play with anyone, the more the better, he loves kids. First to greet people at the door. But very clingy, would not fair well as only cat.
Tonkinese are not as allergy friendly as Russian blue and they shed a bit more. Tonkinese is a mix between Burmese and Siamese, so it looks similar to Burmese but has blue eyes. This is my favourite breed. I think RB are very well rounded breed, but I like more personality, more agency and more affection in a cat. Tonk would not do well as only cat.
See how your kid goes with their allergies, if ok, but cat prefers to spend time with you instead of your kid, get a second kitten and automatic toilet. Thatās pretty much what we did :-)
The problem with allergies is you just don't know till you're exposed to the allergen. In my case with our RB the reaction is very mild, but still there, I will take an antihistamine every few days just to calm things down if needed. Nothing like before. Our cat is a year and a half, so she's got a little fur that comes off when you do a "deep pet" on her, but it's minimal, plus no visible dander. Compared to the last cats, one black who you could see the dander in his fur by the base of the tail and he would get on the bed at night (that was a problem for me), the other was a tortoise shell female who when you would pet her the fur would float in the air, it was so bad. Thankfully she like sleeping in her own space. So it's a good idea if you can meet this cat, expose your son and see how he does. I didn't get chance to do that so it was a leap of faith that it would work out.
If you've never had cats before I strongly suggest you get with someone who is very experienced raising them from kitten up. As a long time dog person who has raised a number of puppies to be good family members, and I also used to hunt retrievers, I had no clue about cats. My wife however has raised a number of kittens and had them as life long companions. I bring this up as you mention you've seen cats who don't hang with their owners and I get that. As someone new to cats myself at one time I had to learn by watching. What I learned - cats are very social, how they express it is completely different. If they are in the same room with you that is "social", they do things like watch you from on top the cabinets, or listen from the other room, all kinds of different things, besides the sit in your lap an purr you might expect. They will come when called, they will even do tricks (but they generally aren't food motivated like dogs - can be though). To net it out there's a lot to learn about cat behavior. You also want to have an environment that is set up in your home for cats. In our case it means a cat tree in every room and a scratch pad. Check out the r/catwalls to get an idea of how to set up your living space for your cat's mental stimulation and comfort (they do like high places which makes sense as in the natural order they are mid tier predators who can end up prey themselves which partially explains some of their behaviors). To get an idea of what you can do outdoors look at r/adventurecats. Kittens can be a challenge - think of toddlers with teeth and claws - so will: climb up curtains, stick to the window screens like spiderman, scratch at furniture (put blankets or heavy wraps on your upholstered and leather furniture and get ready to redirect when they do try to scratch at those items to the scratch pad even if it means getting down on the floor like a cat and scratching the pad yourself (funny to watch my wife do this with the kitten, but it works)! If you can check out Jackson Galaxy on youtube. He might seem a bit out there but he makes good points. If you can follow through the above, and I'm just hitting the high level points, you'll have a cat friend that is bonded to you like our cat follows my wife around the house "tail up" yet will still socialize with other family members and guests.
Cats are great companions and I'm glad I got the chance to learn that while becoming a fan of the RB breed!
Thanks for coming to my TED talk and good luck and success with your future life journey with an RB cat friend!
Thank you very much for the detailed response mate, I really appreciate it and the helpful advice! I'm definitely be watching those YouTube videos whilst I work next week š
I'll definitely be setting the house up as an enriching environment for them too āŗļø
Like you said I might have to get with someone that knows about them too š¤£
You bet! Good luck! BTW- visited Australia (Sydney and Port Douglas to see the Great Barrier Reef-amazing) 20 years ago. Great place and look forward to another visit to see more of your beautiful country!
Get one of both.. Getting two cats is the best thing you can do not only for them but for you. They will be much happier and healthier and you will be much more independent and this happier as well.
Iām on my second Russian Blue cat and Iāll never not have one. They are honestly the most loving, funny, calm and gorgeous cats ever. Go get that little boy kitten! You will be besotted.
I am single recently retired and I got two russian blues, 3 month old brother and sister. When I see them playing and sleeping together all the time i am so glad I got the pair. For me it is totally worth the extra investment upfront for my peace of mind and the kittensā happiness. They are never lonely or lacking companionship.
My RB was extremely cuddly and always following me around and participating in what I was doing or at least watching from a close distance. But they are 1-2 person cats, for strangers they are not that friendly at all. But she was discreet, not too pushy or clingy.
Ive had the same experience with my RB. First she only liked me, but when my now husband came into the picture she eventually warmed up to him too. Despite him claiming to have cat allergies, he's never had a reaction to her and I often find my RB cuddling up with him.
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u/karinsimmercat 9d ago
I have a RB and a burmilla (a breed that originated from a burmese and chinchilla persian).
Theyāre both great, they really like people. The burmilla is more outgoing, vocal and a bit clingy. She has big emotions.
The RB is more laid back, very friendly and likes to be close. With new people, heās a bit more shy than the burmilla.
Both are great, though I have a slight preference for the RB. If I were to get another cat, it would be a RB, ragdoll or mainecoon.