The Birman cat is a magnificence and charmer.
They’re loving, cuddly, affectionate cats who love nothing greater than to spend the day with you. They slot in in all places: in households with youngsters – as long as the kids have been taught to deal with cats respectfully – and canines, too.
They’re additionally completely gorgeous: residing artworks, with silky, semi-longhaired fur, dramatic shade factors, lovely mittens on each foot, and good sapphire eyes.
The one factor somewhat wonky concerning the Birman is that this cat breed’s backstory, most of which might be fable and nonsense.
However all of that falls away when you meet your first Birman. Whether or not the breed is really historical, because the tales declare, or a product of a mere hundred years of considerate breeding, the Birman is a superb cat.
There aren’t any information of the Birman’s origins.
It doesn’t matter what you learn, or what somebody tells you concerning the background of this cat breed, the historical past actually begins within the Twenties in France, which is de facto the primary time anyone put something down in writing concerning the Birman.[1]
The breed title really comes from the French phrase for Burma: Birmanie.
Birman cat fables
There may be some perception, which can be rooted in fact (or not), that the Birman got here from Burma, which is present-day Myanmar.
The breed was often called the Sacred Cat of Burma and likewise the Tibetan Temple Cat[2], and legend holds that Birman cats had been as soon as the companions of temple clergymen.
There are fantastical fables about how the Birman acquired its uncommon coloring that you would be able to learn on nearly any cat-breed web site. All of them contain a hero Birman named Sinh, who defended his high-priest grasp when the temple was underneath assault.
In line with this story, the colour of all Birman cats, as soon as all-white, modified endlessly when the soul of the dying excessive priest handed into the physique of his cat.[3]
The Birman arrives in France
For the Birman cat, we skip proper from historical historical past to the fashionable period. All we actually know is {that a} pregnant Birman cat made its solution to France – one way or the other.
Relying upon whom you ask, a pair might need been given to an officer within the English military, Main Russell Gordon, who was stationed in Burma throughout the Burmese Conflict of 1885, and an English explorer, August Pavie. The 2 males helped save the clergymen and their underground temple from an invasion.[4]
In line with one other story, the pair was bought or smuggled out by one of many Vanderbilts who was touring within the Far East. One more story suggests {that a} Vanderbilt servant, who had been on the temple of Lao-Tsun, the place the cats had been supposedly saved as sacred animals, gifted the cats to Vanderbilt.[5]
It doesn’t actually matter. The a part of the story that issues is that solely one of many two cats that had been gifted, purchased, or stolen, survived the journey to France, and he or she was pregnant.
The primary Birman on report was Poupee de Madalpour
The mom cat who made the journey from Burma (or someplace in Asia) gave delivery to just one kitten. Or, just one kitten survived from her litter.
Her French guardian named the kitten Poupee de Madalpour. “Poupee” means “Poppet,” a time period of endearment, and Madalpour refers back to the title of her father, the male cat who died on the journey to France.
One cat is clearly not sufficient cats to begin a breeding program. Poupee was bred with a Siamese or Siamese-type of cat, and there’s a report of 1 litter. Some say that Poupee is the inspiration of the Birman breed.
Had been French Birmans actually from Burma?
There’s actually some query about what occurs subsequent.
The information are somewhat murky (or intentionally unclear). We do know that early Birman breeding packages suffered from fertility issues on account of inbreeding.
Curiously, French cat breeders of the time had been additionally engaged on growing Persian–Siamese crosses – what People would name a Himalayan cat at present, however what the French then referred to as Khmer cats.
Was there some crossover between the 2 breeding packages? Had been Birmans had been really “manufactured” utilizing Siamese cats and bi-colored longhaired cats in an try and recreate the look of the “actual” Birman?
The Birman was almost misplaced in World Conflict II
No matter was created then was almost worn out because of World Conflict II. On the finish of the battle, there have been solely two Birman cats left, Orlaff de Kaabaa, and Xenia de Kaabaa, now thought of to be the breed’s basis cats.
No matter their provenance – whether or not Burma or France – the offspring of the Kaabaas had been most positively crossed with Persians and Siamese cats.
The Birman earns recognition from cat-fancy organizations
The Birman breed was first acknowledged in France by the Cat Membership de France in 1925, then in England by Governing Council of the Caty Fancy (GCCF) in 1966, in the US by Cat Fanciers’ Affiliation (CFA) in 1967, and The Worldwide Cat Affiliation (TICA) in 1979.
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I can see why the primary French breeders needed to protect (or emulate) the look of the Birman cat. They’re really gorgeous.
A Birman is a stocky cat with a medium-to-large rectangular physique. Each women and men common round 12 kilos.[6]
A Birman has a broad cranium which makes the face look spherical. He has a Roman nostril, which refers to its distinguished bridge, spherical eyes which are at all times blue, and smallish ears.[7]
However the fur! It’s medium lengthy, comfortable, and silky, with an extended ruff across the neck and a fluffy tail. There’s no undercoat, so it tends to not mat and is straightforward to look after. You’ll solely must run a easy stainless-steel comb, like this one by Andis by means of the coat weekly to take care of it.
A Birman is at all times colorpointed. The physique is white to cream-colored and the darker factors could be seal (darkish brown), blue (grey), chocolate (mild brown), and lilac (purple-y brown).
Some cat fancy organizations will settle for different level colours as properly, together with pink (orange), cinnamon (reddish-brown), fawn (pinkish-beige), tabby, and tortoiseshell.
All Birmans have white gloves on every paw. The white ought to cowl all the toes, however cease on the wrist on the entrance facet of the ft. On the again legs, the white will prolong up the leg, ending in an upside-down “V.” This particular marking is usually known as “laces.”
Curiously, Birman kittens are born all-white and don’t start exhibiting their actual shade till they’re every week or two previous. Their coats aren’t absolutely developed till they’re two years previous! [8]
I like this quote by Birman breeder, Paula Boroff, about what it is wish to stay with a Birman cat:
“Birmans are very useful; they love serving to you make beds, load the dishwasher, fold laundry, learn the newspaper, and work on the pc…You’ll by no means be alone with a Birman in your house.”[9]
The Birman is good, sociable cat who likes to be along with his individuals. They’re generally referred to as “Velcro cats,” as a result of they get pleasure from our firm a lot.[10]
Birman cats are actually the best pet: they’re playful, love consideration, and are straightforward to deal with. They’re additionally affected person, even-tempered, and tolerant of respectful youngsters, and sociable with different animals within the residence.[11]
They’re not noisy cats. They’re “soft-spoken,” utilizing comfortable chirps to speak.
This glorious breed was used within the improvement of the Ragdoll cat, which is one other candy, fluffy, blue-eyed feline magnificence with a delicate temperament.
If there’s a downside with Birmans, it’s the identical downside that has plagued the breed since Poupee was born: genetic range.
A 2008 examine on the genetics of cat breeds discovered that the Birman has one of many lowest ranges of genetic range of all of the breeds studied.[12]
Why is genetic range necessary?
When there isn’t sufficient distinction between the DNA of particular person cats, and cats are successfully mating with their family, their offspring can find yourself with two similar variations of sure gene mutations. If these mutations are dangerous, the ensuing kittens might be unhealthy.
In numerous populations, these dangerous mutations are normally “weeded out,” or a minimum of, they fail to be expressed by cats who carry them. However when quite a few members of a bunch have the mutation, and they’re pressured to mate with one another, the dangerous mutations get “weeded in” as a substitute.
Birmans can stay for 15 or extra years. However they do undergo from some genetic well being points.
Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy. In Birmans, HCM, the most typical type of coronary heart illness in cats, is inherited as an autosomal dominant trait. This simply implies that the gene isn’t sex-linked, and that it solely takes a single copy of the gene for the cat to inherit this horrible illness. Learn extra about HCM on this put up.
Continual Kidney Illness. Birmans are inclined to have a excessive blood focus of creatinine, a waste product that’s associated to the digestion of protein[13], and symmetric dimethylarginine, a marker for kidney operate, which places them at the next danger for continual kidney illness.
Learn extra about continual kidney illness on this put up.
Feline Infectious Peritonitis. FIP is a poorly understood illness that’s the results of a mutated coronavirus. Birmans are on the checklist of cat breeds that appear to be inordinately in danger for contracting this nearly invariably deadly illness. Learn extra about FIP on this put up.
Feline audiogenic reflex seizures. FARS is a not too long ago found kind of epilepsy in cats, is believed to be widespread in Birmans.[14]
Eye issues. Birmans are in danger for eyelid agenesis, during which a malformed higher eyelid leaves the eyes uncovered and dry, and requires reconstructive surgical procedure. Birmans are additionally susceptible to cataracts, during which a cat’s lenses turn into cloudy as they age.[15] And at last, Birmans are prone to corneal dermoids, during which pores and skin or hair (or each) develop over their corneas. This downside is correctable with surgical procedure.[16]
Congential Hypotrichosis. A not too long ago recognized gene mutation that causes Birman kittens to be born with out hair and to have a brief life (underneath eight months), has been recognized on this breed. An estimated 3% of Birman cats in France could also be carriers.[17]
When you get a Birman from a breeder she is prone to include a reputation. (You may change your kitten’s title. Learn all about it right here.)
Even American breeders have adopted the peculiar French custom of giving all kittens born in a sure 12 months names that start with a selected letter. This custom spans most, if not all, breeders, so any Birman kitten born in 2016 would have a reputation that begins with the letter “N.”
In 2017, it was “O,” in 2018 it was “P.” You get the thought.
It makes it straightforward to determine a cat’s age simply from his title.
Are you curious about studying about one other breed from Burma? Study all concerning the Burmese cat right here.
Love Pinterest? This is a Pinterest-friendly pin on your boards!
Daybreak LaFontaine is a lifelong animal lover who at all times appears to have somewhat pet hair in her keyboard. Her weblog, Kitty Contemplations, helps cat guardians higher perceive and look after the particular beings they share their lives and houses with. Her cat-products enterprise, Cat within the Field, sells lovely, well-made, and award-winning merchandise that she designed to fulfill the organic wants of cats.
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FOOTNOTES
[1] “Birman.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Basis, 26 July 2023, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Birman.
[2] Hartwell, Sarah. The Birman Cat – an Early Historical past, messybeast.com/birman-history.htm. Accessed 11 Sept. 2023.
[3] “THE LEGEND OF THE BIRMAN CAT.” Legend of the Birman Cat, www.birmanclubqld.com/legend.php. Accessed 8 Sept. 2023.
[4] “FAQ – The Conventional Birman©.” TRADITIONAL BIRMAN CAT – FAQs, breeds.tcainc.org/BreedInfo/FAQTBirman/FAQTBirman.htm. Accessed 11 Sept. 2023.
[5] Thayer, Nora & Ron. “Early Breed Historical past.” Early Breed Historical past – Taron Birmans, birman.web/archive/bhistory.html. Accessed 8 Sept. 2023.
[6] “What to Find out about a Birman.” WebMD, WebMD, www.webmd.com/pets/cats/what-to-know-birman. Accessed 11 Sept. 2023.
[7] “Birman: VCA Animal Hospitals.” Vca, vcahospitals.com/know-your-pet/cat-breeds/birman. Accessed 13 Sept. 2023.
[8] “In regards to the Birman.” The Cat Fanciers Affiliation Inc, cfa.org/birman/. Accessed 8 Sept. 2023.
[9] ibid.
[10] Patterson, Jonathan. “The Birman Breed.” Welcome to TICA – The Worldwide Cat Affiliation, TICA Cats, TICA Pedigreed Cats, Pedigreed Cats, Pedigreed Cats Registry, Family Pet Cat Registry, Home Cat Registry, Savannah Cat, Bengal Cat, Persian Cat, Maine Coon Cat, www.tica.org/breeds/breed-of-the-month. Accessed 8 Sept. 2023.
[11] “In regards to the Birman.” The Cat Fanciers Affiliation Inc.
[12] Monika J. Lipinski, Lutz Froenicke, Kathleen C. Baysac, Nicholas C. Billings, Christian M. Leutenegger, Alon M. Levy, Maria Longeri, Tirri Niini, Haydar Ozpinar, Margaret R. Slater, Niels C. Pedersen, Leslie A. Lyons, The ascent of cat breeds: Genetic evaluations of breeds and worldwide random-bred populations, Genomics, Quantity 91, Challenge 1, 2008, Pages 12-21, ISSN 0888-7543, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ygeno.2007.10.009.
[13] “Serum (Blood) Creatinine.” Nationwide Kidney Basis, 25 July 2023, www.kidney.org/atoz/content material/serum-blood-creatinine.
[14] “Birman.” Wikipedia.
[15] “What to Find out about a Birman.” WebMD, WebMD, www.webmd.com/pets/cats/what-to-know-birman. Accessed 11 Sept. 2023.
[16] “Birman Cat Breed: Profile, Persona, Info.” BWM, bowwowinsurance.com.au/cats/cat-breeds/birman/. Accessed 13 Sept. 2023.
[17] Care, Worldwide Cat. Worldwide Cat Care, 5 Oct. 2019, icatcare.org/recommendation/birman/.
