The Birman is a breed of domestic cat . This breed has a pale cream coloured body and coloured points of Seal, Blue, Chocolate, Lilac, Seal Tortie, Cream, Blue Cream, Chocolate/Lilac tortie, Seal Tabby, Blue Tabby, Chocolate Tabby, Lilac Tabby, Red/Cream Tabby, Tortie Tabby, Lynx or Red Factor colors on the legs, tail and face. The body type varies from Persian-type to Siamese-type . The Birman is a long (but heavy boned) cat which strikes a happy medium between the extremes of the cobby, heavy boned cats and long fine boned cats.  No single attribute is to be emphasized over the overall impression of a well balanced aesthetically beautiful cat.  Birmans differ from conventional colour-point cats by their white paws called gloves. The coat is medium-length, not as long and thick as a Persian's, and does not mat. Their most striking feature is their clear blue eyes, which remain blue throughout their life. Some have described their eyes as 'Twin Pools Of Serenity'. Birmans are a human loving cats, which require very little maintenance. A Birman should be aggressively friendly, seeking out attention (and a real pest about it too sometimes). The Birman personality is marvelous - gentle, active, playful, but quiet and unobtrusive if you are busy with other things. . They are great companions, and their silky hair does not require regular brushing (which they love) as their coat does not mat! The ideal Birman is a large, long stocky cat. 

Origin:

Legend: Many years ago, before the birth of Buddha, the Khmer people of Burma built wonderful temples to Tsun Kyan-Kse, the Goddess with the sapphire eyes, who presides over the journey of souls, and authorize the priests to live again in a holy animal for the term of its natural life, before taking again in a divine body of a great priest. The most beautiful of these temples, built on the sides of Mount Lugh , contained a dazzling solid gold statue of the Goddess. The priests of the temple also kept one hundred pure white cats to guard the temple, but also as companions. The elderly head priest, Mun-Ha, had a particularly loyal feline friend, Sinh, whose eyes were yellow in the reflection of the golden body of the Goddess with the serene eyes.

One tempestuous night, Phoums from Siam attacked the temple overwhelming the Kittahs, and killing the priest Mun-Ha. As he sat dying in his golden throne, Sinh leapt onto his head, and, as he sat rigid before the statue of the Goddess, a miracle transpired. His appearance was transformed to one of immense exquisiteness. His impeccable white coat became creamy and golden tinted, his ears, nose, tail and legs became dark, like the colour of the earth, but left his paws white, and his eyes glowed the same sapphire as the Goddess. He then stared at the south door. the priests, acting upon his direct look, rushed to close the heavy bronze doors.

Eventually, temple was devoid of invaders once more. Sinh, however, stayed upon Mun-Ha's head for the next seven days with neither food nor water, before, facing the Goddess, he died – carrying Mun-Ha's soul to Tsun Kyan-Kse… and when, Seven days later, the amassed priests consulted the statue on the succession of Mun-Ha, the remaining ninety-nine cats of the temple ran up, all of which had been transformed like Sinh, surrounded the youngest of the priests. Therefore, the reincarnated ancestors were chosen by the Goddess's heavenly spirit.

The legend also dictates that when a priest died, his soul was channelled into the body of a cat and upon the cat's death the priest's soul had entered heaven– although, according to Major Russell Gordon, ”But woe also to he who brings about the end of one of these marvellous beasts, even if he did not mean to. He will suffer the most cruel torments until the soul he has upset has been appeased.”

The legend fails to explain the genuine, scientific derivation of these cats, and the mystery surrounding their initial background will probably never be revealed. However, legends often have some truth in them, as the modern history of the Birman is almost as shrouded in mystery as its legendary origin.

Scientific: Around 1919th, a pair of Birman cats were clandestinely shipped from Burma to France . The male cat did not survive the arduous conditions of the long voyage, but the female, Sita, did survive, and happily, was pregnant and gave birth in the French town of Nice in 1920 to a litter of kittens. One of the offspring was splendid, and was then named Poupee. Poupee was believably bred to a Laotian Lynx. Baudoin-crevoisier, who was documented as a top Birman breeder . From this small foundation the Birman was established in the western world. The French cat registry recognized the Birman as a separate breed in 1925. By the end of WW II, only two Birmans were left alive in Europe, and a program of outcrossing was necessary to reestablish the breed. Most cat registries require at least five generations of pure breeding after outcrossings to fully accredit a breed for championship competition. Birmans were recognized by England in 1966 and by The Cat Fanciers' Association in 1967.

STANDARD:

Accepted colors

Other links: FBRL Birman.net ACF TICA WCF SFDH

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