Burmese cat nutrition: diabetes risk, weight and potassium

Diabetes is the nutrition problem to plan for in a Burmese. Genetic researchers studying the breed report that in Australia and Europe diabetes mellitus is almost four times more common in Burmese cats than in other breeds. The disease resembles type 2 diabetes in people: the pancreas makes too little insulin and the body responds poorly to what it does make. Genes cannot be changed. Body weight can, and obesity is one of the main known risk factors; the type of food may also play a part.

How much the risk depends on where the cat comes from

The breed risk is not the same everywhere. In UK primary-care records of more than a million cats, Burmese had about twice the odds of diabetes of crossbred cats, and Burmillas, a Burmese cross, had roughly eight times the odds. The same study found an average age at diagnosis of almost 12 years, and cats aged 9 or older were at much higher risk than younger adults. The Cornell Feline Health Center notes that the Burmese excess seen in some countries may not hold in the United States, and a genetic study found that Australian-bred Burmese had four times the diabetes incidence of Burmese bred in the United States, most likely a founder effect in the Australian lines.

For an owner, the practical reading is simple. A Burmese from Australian or European lines should be treated as a cat with a real inherited tendency toward diabetes, and its weight and diet managed with that in mind from young adulthood.

Food choices for a cat at risk

Cats are carnivores that use protein and fat for most of their energy. Cornell's feline diabetes page states that a diet low in carbohydrates has been shown to improve blood sugar regulation in diabetic cats, and that a wet-food-only diet may be beneficial for many cats. It also notes that many diabetic cats go into remission, keeping normal blood sugar without insulin, when treatment and diet are started well.

Whether a low-carbohydrate diet prevents diabetes in healthy Burmese has not been tested directly, so the evidence here is indirect. Still, the choices that help diabetic cats are reasonable for a healthy cat from a high-risk breed:

• Favor wet food. Canned and pouch foods are usually lower in carbohydrate than dry food and add water to the diet.
• If feeding dry food, choose one with less starch and measure it. Dry food is calorie-dense, so small overfills add up.
• Feed complete and balanced food made for the cat's life stage, not a home-made diet without a nutritionist's recipe.
• Make changes over a week or two, mixing the new food in gradually, so the cat keeps eating.

Estimating carbohydrate from a label

Most labels do not list carbohydrate. It can be estimated by subtracting protein, fat, fiber, moisture and ash from 100. Because wet food is mostly water, compare foods on a dry matter basis: divide the carbohydrate figure by the dry matter (100 minus moisture) and multiply by 100. The two labels below are made-up examples to show the arithmetic, not real products.

If ash is missing from the label, the result overstates carbohydrate, so ask the manufacturer for its figures when choosing between close options.

Weight and body condition

Cornell's diabetes page puts the link plainly: obese cats are up to four times more likely to develop diabetes than cats at ideal weight. A Burmese is compact and heavier than it looks, so the scale alone says little. Condition is judged by hand and eye. The Cornell Feline Health Center's obesity guidance describes a rib check, a side view and a view from above. In a cat at a healthy weight:

• Ribs. Running a flat hand along the side, the ribs should be easy to feel under a thin layer of fat.
• From above. A slight waist should show behind the ribs.
• From the side. The belly should not hang or swing.

An overweight cat needs slow weight loss. Cornell advises aiming for one or two percent of body weight per week, with meals at set times rather than a bowl that is always full. Cutting food sharply is dangerous in cats: a cat put on a sudden starvation diet risks hepatic lipidosis, a serious liver disease that follows when a cat stops eating. Any weight-loss plan belongs with the vet, who can set a calorie target and recheck weight every few weeks.

Hypokalaemia, the potassium disorder

Burmese carry an inherited condition called periodic hypokalaemic polymyopathy, in which low blood potassium causes muscle weakness. A review of the disease in Burmese and closely related cats describes the typical picture. Signs usually begin in the first year of life, as muscle weakness and muscle pain that come and go. The most characteristic sign is the head and neck bent down toward the chest, though some cats never show it. Episodes can wax and wane, possibly with changes in diet and stress.

The cause is a single mutation in the WNK4 gene, which most likely makes the kidney lose potassium into the urine. Diet does not cause it, and affected cats are treated with potassium supplements prescribed by a vet. An inexpensive PCR test now identifies both affected cats and carriers, which should make it possible for breeders to remove the condition from Burmese lines and from related breeds such as the Bombay and Tonkinese. A young Burmese that is weak, reluctant to jump, or holds its head low needs a vet visit the same day, with a blood potassium test. Owners should not add potassium on their own, since too much is also harmful.

Mouth pain and teeth

We found no good evidence that Burmese get periodontal disease more often than other cats. They are, however, strongly overrepresented in feline orofacial pain syndrome, a painful nerve disorder of the mouth and face. In a UK case series of 113 affected cats, 100 were Burmese. The discomfort comes in episodes, usually on one side, is often set off by mouth movements, and can lead a cat to injure its own tongue. Oral disease and teething appear to be important triggers: 63% of the cats had a history of mouth lesions, and at least 16% first showed signs while their adult teeth were coming in. In 12% the condition ended in euthanasia.

That gives a Burmese owner extra reason to keep the mouth healthy:

• Daily or near-daily tooth brushing with a cat toothpaste is the most effective home care.
• Dental diets and treats with the Veterinary Oral Health Council (VOHC) seal have trial data behind their claims. Count their calories.
• Soft, sticky treats cling to teeth; small pieces of plain cooked or freeze-dried meat are a better choice.
• The mouth should be examined at every annual visit, and cleaning under anesthesia done when the vet finds tartar or gum disease.
• Pawing at the face, dropping food or a sudden change in chewing is a reason for a prompt check.

A daily feeding routine

• Two to four measured meals a day, weighed on a kitchen scale, suit most adult Burmese. Some of the daily ration can go into a puzzle feeder.
• Treats count. Keep them to about 10% of the day's calories and subtract them from meals.
• Weigh the cat monthly. A gain of 200 to 300 g is easy to miss by eye on a dense cat but shows on a scale.
• Watch for diabetes signs. Cornell lists weight loss despite a good appetite, and more drinking and urinating, as the signs owners most often notice. Either one warrants a vet visit and a blood and urine glucose test.
• Ask about screening. For a middle-aged or older Burmese, it is reasonable to ask for blood glucose, and fructosamine if glucose is borderline, in routine blood work.

Sources

1. Mapping the genetic basis of diabetes mellitus in the Australian Burmese cat (Felis catus). Scientific Reports, 2020.
2. Frequency, Risk Factors, and Mortality for Diabetes Mellitus in 1 225 130 Cats Under Primary Veterinary Care in the United Kingdom in 2019. Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine, 2025.
3. Mapping of Diabetes Susceptibility Loci in a Domestic Cat Breed with an Unusually High Incidence of Diabetes Mellitus. Genes, 2020.
4. Feline Diabetes. Cornell Feline Health Center, Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine.
5. Obesity. Cornell Feline Health Center, Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine.
6. Periodic hypokalaemic polymyopathy in Burmese and closely related cats: a review including the latest genetic data. Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery, 2015.
7. Feline orofacial pain syndrome (FOPS): a retrospective study of 113 cases. Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery, 2010.