Wong Mau was the Burmese cat that became the foundation of the modern breed in the United States.
Wong Mau was a brown female cat brought from Burma, now Myanmar, to the United States in 1930 by Dr. Joseph Thompson. She was initially thought to be a dark-colored Siamese cat, but her appearance led to a breeding program intended to investigate and preserve her distinctive traits.
Thompson bred Wong Mau with Siamese cats. The resulting kittens included darker brown cats and pointed cats resembling Siamese. Further selective breeding established the Burmese type and helped demonstrate that Wong Mau carried genetic factors for both Burmese and Siamese-like coloration.
The Burmese breed later developed into distinct American and European lines, with differences in body shape and head form. Wong Mau’s role belongs specifically to the early American development of the breed, not to every modern Burmese breeding program worldwide.