Birman

According to the centuries-old legend, pure white cats resided in the Buddhist temples of the country of Burma (now Myanmar), and were revered as the feline carriers of the souls of priests who had departed the mortal plain. (The term for this process is transmutation, which means to change from one form to another.) The Goddess of transmutation, Tsim-Kyan-Kse, was worshiped in these temples, represented by a golden statue with glowing sapphire eyes.

Mun-Ha, a priest and worshiper of Tsim-Kyan-Kse, served at the temple of Lao-Tsun. Every evening Mun-Ha's faithful companion Sinh, one of the 100 sacred white cats that lived at the temple, joined Mun-Ha for his evening prayers in front of the golden statue.

One day, marauders from Siam raided the temple for its riches and struck down Mun-Ha. As Mun-Ha lay dying, Sinh put his paws on Mun-ha's head and faced the statue of Tsim-Kyan-Kse.

Suddenly, Sinh's white fur changed to a beautiful golden hue, his face, tail, and legs darkened to the color of the earth, and his eyes changed from yellow to a deep, sapphire blue. Sinh's paws, however, remained white as a symbol of Mun-Ha's pure spirit. The next morning, all the temple cats had undergone the same transformation. For the next seven days Sinh refused all food and finally died, carrying Mun-Ha's spirit into paradise.

The modern, and more scientific, story of this breed, also called the Sacred Cat of Burma, begins in 1919, when a pair of Birman cats arrived in France. Two different accounts are associated with this pair of cats and, like the legend, neither account is documented. The first one alleges that around the beginning of the twentieth century, the temple of Tsim-Kyan-Kse was again raided. Two Westerners, Auguste Pavie and Major Gordon Russell, helped some of the priests and their sacred cats escape to Tibet. When the two returned to France in 1919, they were sent a pair of Birman cats by the grateful priests.

In the second and less romantic account, an individual named Mr. Vanderbilt bought the pair of Birmans from a disgruntled servant of the temple of Lao-Tsun.

In both accounts, the male cat, Maldapour, died on the ocean voyage to France, but the female, Sita, arrived in France pregnant with Maldapour's offspring, and became the European foundation of the Birman breed.

The breed flourished and in 1925 the Birman was formally recognized in France and the first breed standard was written. The breed was further developed and refined in that country until the chaos of World War II, when the breed almost became extinct. At one point, the Birman breed dwindled to a single pair of cats.

With careful outcrossing, the Birman was reestablished and by 1955 Birmans began to be exported to England. They were officially recognized as a purebred breed in Britain in 1966.

In 1959 the first Birman pair arrived in the United States, and in 1967 the breed was officially recognized in America. Since then, the Birman has flourished in the United States and is on its way to becoming a popular and well-known breed.

The modern history of the Birman is almost as shrouded in mystery as its legendary origin. What is known for certain is that, probably around 1919, 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.
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.

According to some sources, the Birman Cat originated from pure white cats with amber eyes that lived in Burma. Priests' souls entered these cats changing their coat and eye color. The image of the Goddess of transmutation, Tsim-Kyan-Kse, is linked to the Birman Cat. The Goddess was worshiped greatly, which showed in the statues of golden color with sapphires as eyes.

Personality

Birmans are affectionate, gentle, and faithful companions with an air of dignity that seems to invite adoration by their human companions. As former temple cats, Birmans seem to have become accustomed to adoration. They are very intelligent and affectionate, according to fanciers, and very people-oriented. They will generally greet visitors with curiosity rather than fear.

Because of their gentle temperaments, Birmans are easy to handle, care for, and show, and they make ideal pets for anyone who wants quiet companions that will offer love and affection in return for just a little well-deserved worship.
Birmans are easy-going, devoted, well-mannered cats with tolerant and gentle personalities, perfect for people with families or companion animals. They are playful and people-oriented and enjoy curling up in an available lap. Although they aren't as vocal as the Siamese, they do enjoy communicating their thoughts in melodious, soothing meows. Their soft, unobtrusive voices are easier on the ears than the Siamese's rasp.

Because of their gentle, loving temperaments, Birmans are easy to handle, care for and show. Don't think that they are pushover pussycats, however. As former temple cats, Birmans are accustomed to being adored; their aura of dignity seems to invite reverence from their preferred people. With a meaningful meow, a tilt of those dark ears, and a direct blue-eyed stare, they clearly communicate their wishes to their human "owners." But given a bit of well-deserved worship, the Birman returns a wealth of love and devotion.

The Birman's body strikes a happy medium between the slender Siamese and the portly Persian. Strong jaws, firm chin, medium length Roman nose and medium-sized wide set ears characterize the head. Widely spaced almost round blue eyes give the face a sweet expression.

A perfect Birman has matching white gloves on the front and back paws. White "laces" extend up the back of the rear legs. Ideally, the laces and the gloves on both front and back paws should match, but achieving this look is hard. The gene governing the gloves is very difficult to control.

The soft, silky coat is medium to long, but lacks the fine, downy undercoat that causes fur to mat easily. A lush ruff frames the face, and the tail fur is long and luxuriously soft to the touch.

The Cat Fanciers Association (CFA) accepts the Birman in seal, blue, chocolate, and lilac in the pointed pattern, in which color is concentrated in the facemask, ears, legs, and tail, while the body remains lighter in color. However, other associations also accept cinnamon, fawn, red and cream point, and the patterns tortie and lynx point. Fanciers are working to get CFA acceptance for the new colors.

Birman Cats, also called Birmans for short, are large and stocky. They have relatively long silky hair that resembles that of the Persian Cat. However, Birman's hair is not so dense and does not mat. Birman Cats are usually light in color. The most popular color is that with a golden shade. The face, tail, and legs are usually darker in color. The breed has almost round eyes of bright blue. The breed was recognized in the United States in 1967. Nowadays, Birman Cats are the third most popular in the group of longhaired breeds.

The ideal Birman is a large, long stocky cat. It has long silky hair, not as thick as that of the Persian, and is of a texture that doesn't mat. The color of the coat is light, preferably with a golden cast, as if misted with gold. The "points" - face, legs and tail - are darker, similar to the Siamese and colorpointed Persian color patterns of seal point, blue point, chocolate point and lilac point. The almost round eyes are blue, set in a strong face with heavy jaws, full chin and Roman nose with nostrils set low. The very distinctive white feet are ideally symmetrical. The gloves on the front feet, if perfect, go across in an even line, and on the back feet end in a point up the back of the leg, called laces. It is very difficult to breed a cat with four perfect white gloves.

Sacred Cat of Burma. Medium-sized cat with a massive oriental body, medium legs and tail, broad round head with short muzzle and rounded ears. Colorpointed with white mitts and boots. Semi-long silky coat, thick on the neck and tail. Developed in France in the early 1900's the Birman superficially resembles the Himalayan (Colorpoint Persian) but has white boots; oriental rather than cobby body, and coat texture like the Turkish Angora rather than the Persian. Birman variants which do not exhibit the standard pattern (e.g. non-colorpointed variants) are sometimes referred to as Tibetan. In "Sa Majeste, Le Chat" (1932) there is a picture of a Birman-type cat described as "half-Persian, Half Siamese" (at that time, Siamese occasionally had white toes) suggesting that the Birman may be entirely a French development.

From their origins as "Temple Cats" in Burma, these fabulous felines have purred and cuddled their way into the hearts, homes (and laps) of cat lovers world-wide. These large, stocky, beautiful cats have striking round eyes that are deep blue in color. The soft, medium to long coat has evenly colored points that come in a variety of shades including seal, chocolate, blue and lilac, as well as symmetrical white mitts on all four feet.

The Birman cat has a moderate, affectionate, almost dog-like temperament and thrives on human attention. They are very calm and get along well with other family pets and well-behaved children. Birmans do not require regular brushing to keep their soft, fluffy coats in good shape, though many enjoy the grooming experience as a chance to bond with their owners. Birman cats are the perfect choice for the cat lover who is looking for a pet that is as nice to cuddle as they are to look at.

Conformation

In the ideal Birman, the matching white gloves on the front paws should end at or between the second and third joints of the paw. On the back paws, the gloves should cover all the toes and may extend up higher than the gloves on the front paws. The gloves must extend up the back of the hock and in this area are called laces. Ideally, the laces end in a point or inverted "V" and extend one-half to three-quarters of the way up the hock. Symmetry of the laces is desirable. Ideally, the front gloves should match, the back gloves should match, and the laces should match. However, getting well-gloved Birmans is the thorn in the paw of every Birman breeder.

The Birman is a breeder's nightmare; it's very hard to achieve the traits required in a show quality Birman. Therefore, show quality cats are usually kept or placed with seasoned fanciers. Pet Birmans are also in demand, so most breeders maintain waiting lists. The wait ranges from a month or two to a year or more. If you are flexible about color and gender, the wait may be shorter. Although the Birman is generally a healthy breed, be sure to buy from a breeder who offers registration papers and a written health guarantee.

Birmans are born pure white, and then develop color on the points. The shading of the legs comes later, so the period of waiting for the glove markings to appear is an anxious one for Birman breeders, since the glove markings are the most difficult to perfect. The gene governing the trait is the dominant white spotting factor gene, which is very difficult to control.

General	A cat of mystery and legend, the Birman is a color pointed cat with long silky hair and four pure white feet. It is strongly built, elongated and stocky, neither svelte nor cobby. The distinctive head has strong jaws, firm chin and medium length Roman nose. There should be good width between the ears, which are medium in size. The blue, almost round eyes are set well apart, giving a sweet expression to the face.
Body	Long and stocky, neither svelte nor cobby. Females may be proportionately smaller than males.
Profile	The forehead slopes back and is slightly convex. The medium length nose starts just below the eyes and is Roman in shape (which is slightly convex). The chin is strong, with the lower jaw forming a perpendicular line with the upper lip.
Head	Skull strong, broad, and rounded; slight flat spot just in front of ears; cheeks full with somewhat rounded muzzle; strong chin; heavy jaws; nose medium in length and width, Roman shape in profile.
Ears	Medium in length, almost as wide at base as tall; set as much to the side as the top of the head; rounded point at tip.
Eyes	Almost round with sweet expression; set well apart with outer corner tilted very slightly upward. Color blue, the deeper and more violet the better.
Nose	Medium in length and width, in proportion to size of head. Roman shape in profile. Nostrils set low on the nose leather.
Cheeks	Full with somewhat rounded muzzle. The fur is short in appearance about the face, but to the extreme outer area of the cheek the fur is longer.
Legs	Medium in length and heavy.
Paws	Large, round, and firm. Five toes in front, four behind.
Tail	Medium in length in pleasing proportion to the body.
Coat	Medium long to long, silken in texture with heavy ruff around the neck; does not mat. This fur is of such a texture that it does not mat.
Color *	The acceptable colors depend on the association; for example, in the CFA only the four original Birman colors are recognized: seal point, blue point, chocolate point, and lilac point, since these are the naturally occurring colors. TICA, in addition to the four traditional colors, accepts: cinnamon, fawn, red, and cream point; torti particolor points in seal, blue, chocolate, frost (lilac), and cinnamon; lynx particolor points in seal, blue, chocolate, cinnamon, frost, fawn, red, and cream; and torbie particolor points in seal, blue, chocolate, cinnamon, frost, and fawn.
Disqualify	Lack of white gloves on any paw; kinked or abnormal tail; crossed eyes; areas of pure white in the points, if not connected to the gloves and part of or an extension of the gloves. Incorrect number of toes. Paw pads are part of the gloves. Areas of white connected to other areas of white by paw pads (of any color) are not cause for disqualification. Discrete areas of point color in the gloves, if not connected to point color of legs (exception, paw pads). White on back legs beyond the hock.
Penalize	White that does not run across the front paws in an even line. Persian or Siamese type head. Delicate bone structure. White shading on stomach and chest. Lack of laces on one or both back gloves. White beyond the metacarpal (dew) pad. (The metacarpal pad is the highest up little paw pad, located in the middle of the back of the front paw, above the third joint and just below the wrist bones.)
Allowable Outcrossers	None