The Birman

Posted by: miauwcatslovers on: Oktober 16, 2008

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Birman
A sealpoint Birman’s face
Alternative names
Sacred Birman, Sacred Cat Of Burma
Country of origin
Thought to be Burma
Breed standard
FIFe	: standard
CFA	: standard
TICA	: standard
ACFA	: standard
ACF	: standard
CCA	: standard

The Birman is a breed of domestic cat. This breed has a pale coloured body and darker points with deep blue eyes. The Birman breed is recognized by the Cat Fanciers’ Association.

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Origin

Burma

The Birman cat is said to have originated in Burma, where it was considered a sacred companion cat of the Kittah priests. There is a legend as to how the Birmans developed the colors they are today: “Originally, the guardians of the Temple of LaoTsun were yellow-eyed white cats with long hair. The golden goddess of the temple, Tsun-Kyan-Kse, had deep blue eyes. The head priest, Mun-Ha, had as his companion a beautiful cat named Sinh. One day the temple was attacked and Mun-Ha was killed. At the moment of his death, Sinh placed his feet on his master. The cat’s white fur took on a golden cast; his eyes turned as blue as the eyes of the goddess, and his face, legs and tail became the color of earth. However, his paws, where they touched the priest, remained white as a symbol of purity. All the other temple cats became similarly colored. Seven days later, Sinh died, taking the soul of Mun-Ha to paradise.”

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 was clandestinely shipped from Burma to France. The male cat did not survive the arduous journey but the female, Sita, survived and happily, was pregnant.

A more likely scenario (as quoted by professor Jumand in 1926 in ‘Le Chat’), is that two cats, a male and a female (whose name was Sita), were stolen and given to an American millionaire, Mr Vanderbilt, by a disloyal servant of the temple of Lao-Tsun, whilst Vanderbilt was sailing in the Far East. It is then alleged that the pair was given to a woman called Mme Thadde Hadisch. The male (once again) died on the boat, but the pregnant female gave birth in the French town of Nice in 1920 to a litter of kittens. One of the female offspring was splendid, and was then named Poupee. Poupee was bred with a Laotian Lynx. Baudoin-crevoisier, who has been documented as a top Birman breeder, confirmed this in an article written in 1933, “Poupee could not be bred by a male of that breed, but was bred to a Laotian Lynx cat belonging to a doctor in Nice. This type of cat resembles the Siamese, with very blue eyes, and this breeding produced young mongrels of Birmans and Laotians. Through successive breeding was born a perfect result – Manou de Madalpour, whose marks resemble her mother, Poupee.” Baudion then wrote in 1935, “This female was next bred to a male Siamese, which, at that time was baptised for the circumstances –Laotian Cat.” In 1933, Marcel Reney, who was attempting to unravel the truth of this mystery, wrote to the doctor in Nice, M. Prat. He wrote back, “We have had indeed several Siamese cats but know nothing of the origins. I know nothing of Mme Hadisch from Vienna.”

Marcel Reney also wrote to M. Guy Cheminaud, a hunter from the Far East who lived in Laos, and whose books on hunting of feral animals were illustrious, to determine what his view was on the “Lynx cat of Laos?” He replied, “There are no Laotian cats as a species distinct from the Siamese cat!”

Jumand and Baudoin’s entire timeline fell through, as the most significant witness, the owner of the legendary “Laotian Cat” knew nothing of either the lynx cat or Mme Thadde Hadisch. Mmme Marcelle Adams, who owned Manou de Madalpour, avowed to Marcel Reney that a certain Mme Leotardi, before strangely vanishing, had narrated the tale as Jumand and Baudoin wrote it down. In 1933, after an article by Marcel Reney was published in “Chasse, Peche, Elevage” trying to gain new information, Baudoin wrote in 1935 in “Son Altesse le Chat”, “Aside from the writings of Sir Russell Gordon and Auguste Pavie, no document gives the exact origin of these cats. After six years of research and ten years breeding offsprings in France, the Sacred Cat Of Burma still remains a mystry….”

However, the breed known as “Sacre de Birmanie” was registered with the French Cat Registry in 1925. The Birman breed was almost wiped out during World War II. Only two cats were alive in Europe at the end of the war, a pair named Orloff and Xenia de Kaabaa, both belonging to Baudoin-crevoisier. The foundation of the breed in postwar France were offspring of this pair. Manou, Lon saito, Djaipour, Sita 1 and Sita 2, and they had to be heavily outcrossed with long-hair breeds to rebuild the birman breed. By the early 1950’s, pure birman litters were once again being produced. The restored breed was recognised in Britain in 1965 and by the American Cat Fanciers’ Association in 1966.

Birmans have been bred as companions for many generations. One of the basic characteristics of the Briman is that the color of the paws (usually white) and the color of the legs must not blend or intermingle.

[edit] Legend

Khmer temple in the Phimai historical park

Many years ago, before the birth of Buddha, the Khmer people of Burma built temples to Tsun Kyan-Kse. This Goddess is said to have had blue eyes and presided over the journey of the souls, and blessed the temple priests to re-live in the body of the Birman cat. One such temple is said to have contained a dazzling solid gold statue of the Goddess, has been constructed along a flank of Mount Lugh. The priests of the temple kept one hundred pure white cats to guard the temple. The elderly head priest, Mun-Ha, had a cat named Sinh.

Legend goes, one 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.

Appearance

7 month old birman kitten. The markings are clearly visible and pure white.

Birmans have semi-long, silky hair, a semi-cobby body and relatively small ears compared to other cat races. In order to comply with breed standards, the Birman’s body should be of an eggshell colour or golden, depending on the intensity of the markings colour. The markings can be pure seal, chocolate, blue, red, lilac or cream. Tabby variations are also allowed. Tortie cats can be seal, chocolate, blue or lilac. Birmans have sapphire coloured eyes.

Adult female with kittens

The Birman’s coat is unusual due to the white ‘gloves’ on each paw. They are the only cat breed in the colourpoint coat that has fingers and toes in pure white colour. The genetics of this feature is still unclear.

Birman cat sitting on a computer desk

All Birmans are born white (as other colourpoint kittens are) and they start developing their colours at the age of 1 week if they have a dark colour (as seal-point) and at the age of 14 days, or more, if they have a clear colour (as lilac-point). The first part which develops the colour are the points of ears, nose and tail. The real colour is complete at two years old and after a wintry season.

Blu-point, adult male

Accepted colours of the Sacred Birman are Seal-point, Blue-point, Chocolate-point, Lilac-point, Tortie-point, Cream-point, Blue Cream point, Chocolate Tortie point, and Lilac Tortie point. These colours are also acceptable in tabby versions.

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. A notable feature is their clear blue eyes, which remain blue throughout their life.

Gloves

The only white area on the Birman are the gloves on each paw. A spot of white in other area is considered a fault. Gloves are symmetrical in all four feet and must not extend past the transition of toes to metacarpals. On the back paws, these gloves finish with an inverted V.

Birman Naming Conventions

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Many Birman breeders follow the somewhat whimsical French tradition of assigning all kittens born in a particular year given names that begin with the same letter of the alphabet. Countries with breeders using this convention include France, UK, USA, Australia, and New Zealand. Certain letters are skipped in some countries (France skips “W”). If you know the cat’s country of origin, and whether the cat’s breeder adheres to a country-standard or cattery-personalized naming convention, you may determine the approximate age of a Birman.

In the USA, for example, the entire alphabet has been run through once, ending with the letter “Z” in 2002, and beginning again with “A” in 2003. Kittens born in 2007 thus fall into the “E” year. The typical naming convention for a registered Birman in the USA is
“BreederCatteryName GivenName of OwnersCatteryName” up to a maximum of 35 letters and spaces (for CFA registered cats).

Standard Faults

A Birman seal-point male with a white spot on the mask.

Some of the more common faults in Birmans are assymetrical gloves or gloves of the wrong length, wooly fur, white spots on the body, and an incomplete mask.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Birman