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History

A beautiful cat deserves a beautiful legend of origin.

The legend is that the birman cats were raised by the Kittah priests in their temple in Burma. The story tells of a golden eyed, white cat that stood guard over his dying holy master who was transformed into a cat with a dark brown head, and dark brown legs & tail, but his coat became a cream colour. As the master died and his soul passed into the cat, the cat's paws and hocks, where he sat on his master's chest, stayed pure white as a sign of his master's purity. As the cat gazed up at the goddess, his gold eyes turned to a beautiful sapphire blue, the same as his master's.

The Birman was first recognized and shown in France in the 1920's. England then recognized the breed in 1966. The Birman was first imported into the United States in the 1960's and was recognized and shown in 1967. The Birman breed is now recognized and loved worldwide!

 

Appearance

The Birman is a medium, longhaired pointed cat with distinctive white gloves and gautlets. All four feet have white gloves and the back feet have gautlets extending about halfway up the back legs. The coat is semi long of such texture that is does not mat. The tail is bushy and in proportion to the body. The body is stocky, with solid legs and a medium length tail. Birmans have a medium-sized rectangular body with a broad face and distinct Roman nose. Their ears are ideally as wide on the base as they are tall and should be set as much on top of the head as on the side. The eyes are medium and  round with a slightly flatter upper lid and a more rounded lower lid, eye colour to be deep blue, depending on the coat colour

 

Temperament

The Birman is a generally well-mannered cat that is loving and affectionate with their humans. These gentle cats are very popular for their sweet disposition and calm, affectionate personalities. , They are docile and casual, and spend a lot of time lazing around the house. They form a bond with their owner and are good with other pets and children. They are not particularly vocal but will make their presence felt if they want attention.

 

Colours

•  Blue (dark bluish grey),

•  Seal (dark brown)

•  Lilac (is noticeably lighter shade of blue/grey with a slight pinkish tinge)

• Chocolate (chocolate brown)

•  Red ( like most red cats)

• Cream (is noticeable lighter shade of red)

• Tortie (blue, seal, chocolate & lilac)

• Tabby (blue, seal, chocolate & lilac)

 

Patterns

Colourpoint

All Birmans have white front and rear feet known as cloves and gautlets, all colours have gloves and gauntlets

 

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