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Cat Breeds: The Birman

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The Birman is a breed of domestic cat that is also called the Sacred Cat of Burma.  It is a longhaired breed that has the colourpoint coat pattern of the Siamese with white ‘gloves’ on each paw and deep blue eyes.

The name of the breed comes from the French name for the country of Burma, Birmanie.  It was in France that the breed was first recognised by the Cat Club de France in 1925 then later in England by the GCCF in 1966 and finally in the US by the CFA in 1967.  It is also a recognised breed with the Canadian Cat Association (CCA) and The International Cat Association (TICA).

History

The early history of the breed is unknown, though some has said that the cats were originally companions for the temple priests in Northern Burma in the Mount of Lugh.  There are likewise many stories about how the cats ended up in France, including being given as rewards for defending a temple to being smuggled out of the country by a Vanderbilt.

One of the first definite traces of the Birman in France was traced to the city of Nice where a Mme Leotardi had a pair of the cats.  The breed was nearly lost during the Second World War and at the end of the conflict, there were only two known cats left, called Orloff and Xenia de Kaabaa, belonging to Mr Baudoin-Crevoisier.  This pair was used to re-found the breed and outcrossing with Persians and Siamese was needed to build up genetic diversity.  By the 1950s, purebred Birmans were once again being bred and this saw the breed begin to be recognised officially around the world.

The original Birman was a seal point colour with the blue coming into the breed from Persians in 1959.  Other later colours added, mostly by British breeders, included the chocolate, red and lynx or tabby points.  Birmans have themselves been used to make other breeds, the most notable of which is the Ragdoll.

Description

Birmans are of a medium size with a rectangular body, broad face and a Roman nose.  They have wise based ears set on the side of their heads and rounded eyes of a sapphire blue colour.  Their fur is a medium long length and is very silky.  They don’t have an undercoat so are less prone to fur matting than breeds such as the Persian.  The white gloves on the feet must be symmetrical and involve all of the toes, stopping at the point where the toes end.  On the rear legs, these gloves extend further up the back of the leg, ending in an extended V-shape.  The base body colour should be white or cream, with a wash colour based on the colour of their points.

As with any colourpoint breed, the kittens of the Birman breed are born white and start developing their colour after one to two weeks.  It takes around two years for them to get their complete adult colouring.

Other facts

Most Birman breeders follow the French naming tradition by naming all kittens born in a certain year with a name beginning with a certain letter.  For example, kittens born in 2013 would be given a name starting with the letter K while 2014 was a letter L.

 

Birmans inherit a gene that means they can be prone to hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), the most common heart disease seen in cats.  It can lead to heart failure, paralysis due to blood clots and even death.  Regular health checks are important to spot the condition and deal with it.