phone 01189 733348
email sandra@honpuss.com
Welcome to Honpuss

Honpuss is a small cattery based just outside Reading in the small village of Farley Hill in Berkshire, specialising in Burmese and Asians cats. My kittens are all born in the house and grow up as part of the family.

burmese cat HONPUSS BURMESE

HONPUSS BURMESE "Why did I choose Burmese?" I get asked. I just introduce the enquirer to the cats and they understand. But the story goes back further than that, I had bred shown and judged Afghan Hounds for over twenty years always having a moggy or two around the dogs. When my last moggy died at the ripe old age of twenty one I swore no more cats but six months later I came home with a tiny black half Burmese kitten with huge honey coloured eyes. Honey was the most affectionate and loving cat I had ever met and she totally adopted my partner Julio. At the time he worked from home and would spend his days at the PC with a small furry bundle snuggled on his lap. Honey (or Honpuss as she became known) had so much character and used to play in the woods at the back of our house until she befriended and old black neutered boy. He used to wait outside for her in the morning and sadly one day she followed him across the road and was killed by a car. We were heartbroken she was only two and we swore we would never have another cat but you know what they say never say never! Six months later my next door neighbour invited us in for a Christmas drink and to see what he had bought his wife for Christmas – he put a beautiful lilac Burmese kitten in my arms and I was smitten and began my search for a lilac kitten. On a snowy New Years day I went to Linda Taylors (Elanay Burmese) to see a brown baby girl. (well you know what it’s like I just couldn’t wait and there were no lilac kittens around) There were 7 kittens, brown, blue, chocolate and lilac but only the brown girl was available. She hated me on sight but I fell in love and three weeks later I took Elanay Evelyn Rosebrown (Jasmine) home, with Linda’s pleas for me to show her ringing in my ears. I had given up showing the dogs as the whole scene had become very political and I really didn't want to go through a similar thing with Jasmine, after all I only wanted a pet

What is a Burmese Cat?

Where can I start – it’s love in a fur coat, it’s a brick wrapped in silk, it’s a Velcro cat. Burmese are all these things but they are also incredibly beautiful. They are gregarious, outgoing, intelligent ,friendly, fun loving and it is all these characteristics that make up a Burmese cat. They are not a cat to be left alone, they need the company of either other pets or people and like nothing more than snuggling down on an accommodating lap. They delight in "helping" manage the house. The females like to be at "center stage" and assume an active role ruling the household. The males prefer to supervise from the lap position; they are more laid back and less opinionated. Burmese cats are people-oriented and almost doglike in personality. They shadow their owners and desire to give and receive affection. Burmese are true lap-loving companions: quick to learn and extremely loyal. The Burmese is strong, athletic and elegant, of foreign but not extreme type which is distinctive and quite individual. A characteristic feature of the Burmese is it’s amazing coat which is close lying with a glossy, almost polished quality that requires little or no grooming other than a daily stroking. This together with a rounded head, expressive eyes and a sweet disposition, present a totally distinct cat which is comparable to no other breed.

Burmese cats have been known for centuries past living in Burma, Thailand and Malaya, and have been imported along with the Siamese, and could be found in the UK in the late 1800’s and were known as Chocolate Siamese, but were nothing to do with chocolate pointed Siamese which appeared later. At the time these yellow-eyed cats were never favoured and gradually the breed died out in England, but persisted in Europe for some time. In 1930, Dr Joseph C Thompson of San Francisco, California, a retired naval officer and practising psychiatrist, imported a little brown female called Wong Mau. This is the cat that is accepted as the original Burmese. Many breeders of that time regarded Wong Mau as a dark Siamese, but when she was mated to a seal point Siamese the resulting kittens were both pointed and brown kittens. One of the brown kittens was mated back to his mother and the kittens were all brown and the Burmese cat was born. The first US bred Burmese were imported into the UK in 1949 but the Governing Council of the Cat Fancy were not loathe to grant breed recognition to the Burmese based on the US pedigrees. Recognition was eventually granted in 1952 after three generations were bred here. The first blue Burmese was born in the UK in 1955 and sparked controversy among Burmese breeders as many would only accept Brown kittens in their breeding programmes. But as we can see, with the myriad of colours in Burmese today not everyone felt this way and we now have 10 different colours, Brown, blue, chocolate, lilac, red, cream, brown tortie, blue tortie, chocolate tortie and lilac tortie. Whatever colour the Burmese cat is it’s most outstanding feature is its affectionate nature. You can be guaranteed a loving welcome when you share your life with a Burmese.

© Sandra Woodley


asian cat HONPUSS ASIANS

After 6 years breeding Burmese I bred my first Asian litter. The Asian breed (originally an accidental mating between aBurmese and a Chinchilla) looks just like a Burmese but in a wonderful array of coat colours and patterns. They are affectionate loving cats with the charming Burmese personality. I mated Willow to Deborah Laughers Ch Kennbury Lohr Deaconblue and on March 18th 2003 Willow gave birth to 7 beautiful kittens. Linda Taylor had the only girl in the litter and my good friend Dee Cowell one of the boys. Tuki (I Gr Ch Honpuss Elanay Tukana) gained her Grand title at the Wiltshire Cat Club show on the 5th July 2003 on the same day as her brother Ziggy (UK Gr Pr Honpuss Ziggy Stardust) gained his. In 2003 Ziggy won his first UK Gr certificate and was Best of Variety at the Supreme cat show gaining his UK status in 2004. These two beautiful cats also thrilled me by winning Best of Variety adult and Best of Variety Neuter at the London show the same year. Today Tuki has two Imperial Grand certificates won at consecutive shows – so watch this space! Willow had her second litter of Asians to Alison Beattie and Bruce McClachlans beautiful UK Gr Ch Beannocht Pendragon. My own Honpuss Ziath won Top Ticked Tabby Kitten in the Asian Cat Associations show cat competition and Honpuss Galioth won Best in Show Foreign kitten at the Bucks Oxon and Berks Cat Club show in 2004. Zia gained her Championship title at Southern Counties Cat Club show in January 2007 also winning Best Asian Adult in show.

asian cat What is an Asian Cat

In 1981 an accidental mating between a lilac Burmese was accidentally mated by a Chinchilla stud. Miranda von Kirchberg, had hoped that her Burmese Asthazy Faberge would be mated to a Champion Burmese, and she was confined to Miranda's study until she could be taken to stud. Her friend and companion Sanquist, shut away from his best friend, made such a fuss that Miranda's housekeeper let him into the room with Faberge where the inevitable happened…….. In September four female kittens were born, all black shaded silver shorthairs much closer in type to their Burmese mother than their Chinchilla father and the rest as they say is history The kittens were beautiful with dramatic silver tipped coats, eye-liner and delicate tabby markings on heads, legs and tail. They nicknamed the kittens "Burmillas", taking inspiration from the parents' breed names and we still have Burmillas today in the Asian group of cats. The breed is now well established and an Asian cat looks like a Burmese but comes in a myriad of colours and coat patterns as well as the semi-longhaired Tiffanie.. So the Asian cat is a cat of Burmese type and temperament, but not of Burmese colour or pattern. Today Asians can be seen as Selfs (which includes the Bombay), Burmillas (which is a shaded pattern) Smoke, Tabby (ticked, mackerel, spotted and classic) and Tiffanies which come in all colours and patterns

asian cat

honpuss cat OUR CATS

OUR FIRST SHOW To cut a long story short I entered Jasmine at the Surrey & Sussex show and with Linda in tow arrived with great trepidation - what if the judges hurt her, what if she escapes and just what does happen at a cat show as they are so different to dog shows. We got through vetting in and settled Jasmine in her pen and luckily we could watch the judging from a convenient balcony. Jacqueline Hitchen was the open class judge and I watched with bated breath as she judged my precious baby. There were five brown girls and each one was examined and returned to its pen and then Jasmine was brought out again, then another cat then Jasmine Oh God what was wrong!!! The results eventually came out and she had won a second and went on to get second in all her side classes and I was hooked. (novice owners with Afghans did not win at their first show!!)

early honpuss cats EARLY HONPUSS KITTENS

Unfortunately Jasmine did not share my enthusiasm and began to hate shows actually becoming quite aggressive, so at the end of 1996 she was retired to attend to maternity duties. On the 26th January 1997 Jasmine gave birth to 8 kittens sired by Champion Kizwozzi Oliver, it was actually Oliver’s last litter. One sadly, was born dead but the others were lovely bouncing babies, five brown boys, one brown girl and a blue girl - who later became my first homebred show cat who to my absolute joy is now UK Gr Ch Honpuss Silver Willow. Jasmine went on to have two other litters, this time to Marilynn Sneesbys beautiful chocolate boy Gr Ch Katome Choccee Wallace before being neutered. These two litters gave me my own Ch & Pr Honpuss Wally Too and Gr Ch & Gr Pr Honpuss Tiger Wolf.

chardonnay STRENGTH TO STRENGTH

The year 2000 was an unbelievable one for me as Willow won her Grand title, gave birth to four stunning kittens, Tiger Wolf won his first Grand at the Supreme and I won Top Burmese Breeder. Two of Willows ‘kids’ attended their first show (the Burmese Cat Society Show) and at the tender age of 17 weeks Nicky Wades Honpuss Duc D'alba won first open only being beaten to BOB by his sister my own Honpuss Chardonnay who went on to BIS. Chardonnays sister went to live in Mallorca with my good friend Gwen D'Arcy Watts where Honpuss Bellabonny Bambi won 1st excellence and nominated BIS the first day and 1st excellence and BIS shorthaired kitten the second day at her first show. Today I am thrilled to say that Bambi is a Grand International Champion and consistently producing wonderful typey kittens with her ‘bombproof’ temperament.. In 2003 Chardonnay had her first litter of kittens by Gr Ch Rusella Seaspray. I kept a blue girl, Ch Honpuss Mashona, who has had a successful show career to date, and won her Champion title at the 2003 Supreme show

mashona


OUR GALLERY

STUDS

Gr Ch Kagura Prince Caspian icon
Ch Kagura Meriadoc x Imperial Gr Ch Kagura Katisha Brown Classic Tabby (72 41g)

Caspian is a quiet gentle lad who is a brown classic tabby Asian and carries the long hair gene and is at stud to suitably tested ladies of approved pedigrees


Bellabonny Rudolph 27a (Bur a) icon
Gr Int Ch Jemville Wizard of Oz x Bellabonny Quien Sabe DOB 23/12/13

Rudi comes brings to the UK some exciting Australian and European bloodlines. He is tested clear for GM2, Hypokaleamia and the Burmese head defect. He is an affection lad who is at stud to suitably tested ladies of approved pedigrees




ROLL OF HONOUR

LINKS
  • The Burmese Cat Club

    was formed in 1955 and is one of the largest cat clubs in the UK with a national and international membership. We exist to safeguard the wellbeing and the purity of the breed, and to encourage a wider appreciation of the unique qualities of Burmese cats.

  • The Burmese Cat Society Founded 1979

    Affiliated to the Governing Council of the Cat Fancy This is the home page of the Burmese Cat Society. It is one of only two clubs which are devoted to the Burmese breed in the UK

  • The Asian Group Cat Society

    We are a GCCF-affiliated club catering for all varieties of the Asian group, established in 1985 by the breed's founder, the late Miranda von Kirchberg.

  • The Bombay and Asian Cats Breed Club

    is a GCCF affiliated specialist breed club dedicated to the advancement and welfare of the UK Bombay and related self colour cats of Burmese type.

  • Bellabonny

    Bellabonny - Burmese, Burmillas & Bengals

  • international cat care | Formerly feline advisory bureau

    Welcome to the website of International Cat Care – a charity dedicated to improving the lives of all cats. On our website you will find advice for cat owners, cat care professionals and the veterinary profession, as well as information on the welfare work we do across the world, and the important campaigns we run.

  • KENNBURY ASIANS & BURMESE

    I acquired my first Burmese in 1977, she was a beautiful and extremely loving blue tortie Burmese called Prudence. I began breeding in 1984 and became was one of the founder breeders of the Asian group of cats working alongside Miranda and a close group of like minded people.In 1985 Miranda arranged for Vatan Kennbury Benjamin to come to Devon, by her original Chinchilla boy Jemari Sanquist and bred by Don Beech and Jim Chalmers, Ben was to be the cornerstone of our breeding project, many of the early Asians were sired by this big, affectionate boy

  • Kitty Mania

  • The Winn Feline Foundation

    is a non-profit organization established in 1968 that supports studies to improve cat health