Birman cat | Cat Breed Information & Facts – Pictures

The Birman, or the “Sacred Cat of Burma”, is a cat with darker, medium-length hairs on the distal marks, face, paws, ears and tail, and lighter on the rest of the body.

It is a large cat, with a fleshy body and short legs. The Birman cat has blue eyes and four pure white claws. The “socks” before only cover the knuckles but the backs are longer.

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The Birman is a medium-sized cat whose coloring resembles that of its Siamese counterparts. Its fur is soft and delicate. Ideally, an individual of this breed has long, silky fur, and the color is point-colored. A distinctive feature of the Burmese, one might say, their business card is bright blue eyes and white “socks” on their paws.

They are quite massive cats. The males are always larger than the females and weigh from 4 to 9 kg against 3 – 5 kg.

• Round head. In front of the lower part of the ear cups, there are even flat spots on them.
• The nose is small and flat. The nostrils should be lowered. The nose does not have a nose stop, but there is a barely noticeable indentation on it.
• A powerful chin is pointed at the tip. Sacred Birman has a natural bite.
• The ears are medium in size, set evenly at a decent distance from each other.
• The large eyes are round. Their color can only be blue. In kittens, the color of the eyes changes several times, but at 4 months it turns blue again.
• The body of animals is massive and large. The limbs are medium, but the legs are massive and round.
• The cat’s tail is proportional to the body and not long. Its base is not covered with thick hairs, but towards the tip it becomes much thicker. This type of pubescence is called sultan. This breed tends to hold its tail up while walking.

The Birman cats are calm and balanced cats, which will also be perfect playmates of both the family and other animals, since it is an extremely sociable and affectionate breed, which will always be looking for our love and attention. This is why these are cats that despite enjoying peace and tranquility, do not tolerate solitude well, something to consider if we spend a lot of time away from home and there are no other pets that provide company during those periods.

Balance is the key to define the Birman specimens, since despite being playful they are not destructive or restless, despite being very loving they are not demanding or heavy, which makes them perfect cats for families, as they will love to spend hours playing with children at home and enjoying their company.

The Birman cat’s temperament is docile. Likewise, he is usually curious and attentive to his owners, in addition to being remarkably intelligent. For all this, it is easy to teach him tricks and stunts, which he will enjoy and of course we can also delight ourselves with his fun tricks and skills.

Although the Birman cat is considered by many to be an indigenous breed, it is prone to genetic diseases. This applies not only to physical health, but also to neuralgic deviations. Specifically:

• Congenital hypotrichosis, which leads to the birth of hairless kittens;
• Aplasia of the thymus (this is extremely rare);
• Corneal dermoid, presence of skin and hair on the surface of the cornea. This can be corrected by surgery;
• Cancellous degeneration;
• Abnormally high concentrations of urea and/or creatinine in the blood, which may indicate kidney dysfunction;
• Trembling in kittens. This condition begins in some kittens when they are around 10 days old and lasts up to 12 weeks. The cause is unknown, unexplored and recovery occurs spontaneously.

As for the care of the Birman cat, as we have already seen, they are really simple. It does not require a maximum effort to have a good education and a good character, although it is important to pay the necessary attention. Like trying to socialize it correctly as a kitten.

Regarding its hygiene and feeding, the most important thing is to brush the cat frequently to avoid leaving a lot of dead hair on the animal’s body. That dead hair can end up in the cat’s digestive system as part of its own grooming, which is very dangerous because of the formation of fur balls.

Apart from that, a bath every two months will be more than enough to keep your coat and health in perfect condition. And of course, never forget to offer you a quality diet, both dry and wet, so that you receive all the energy and vitality you need.

There is a legend about the origin of the physical characteristics of Birman cats. A legend that begins in Khmer, where the Lao Tsun temple was raised to worship the goddess Tsun-Kyan-Kse, who was said to have sapphire eyes. In the temple the priest Mun-Ha resided with his cat Sinh, and together they worshiped the goddess and spent long moments lying in front of it.

Until cruel fate wanted thieves to storm the temple and murder Mun-Ha. Then Sinh settled on the body of the priest and looked at the goddess, turning the hair on her body a golden color, except for some details that took on the brown color of the earth. In that process of change, her eyes turned sapphire blue, but the legs were immaculate, drawn in pure white that symbolized the purity of her master. These characteristics were extended to the rest of the cats in the temple the following day. And Sinh died a few days later to take Mun-Ha’s soul to Paradise.

If you want to share your life with a specimen of this breed, it is time for you to start looking for specialized and professional breed hatcheries in Birman cats. Keep in mind that many cats that are sold in stores or between individuals come from indiscriminate breeding, which implies an animal without guarantees of breed or health, and terrible treatment for their parents. However, there are more and more responsible breeders who can offer you all the guarantees you need, so you only have to find the one closest to you.

Although there is no clear trace of the origin of the Birman cat, a legend says that this breed comes from Burma, where this breed was taken care of by the monks of the temples. A couple was brought to France around 1919, from which the breed was established in the western world.

However, the Birman was about to disappear as a cat breed during the Second World War and was crossed mostly with long-haired breeds (including the Persians) and also with some Siamese lineages to rebuild the breed.

In the early 1950s, litters of pure Birman cats began to increase. The recovered breed was recognized in the United Kingdom in 1965.