Birman FAQ Maintained by
Ron & Nora Thayer Taron Birmans
LEGEND OF THE BIRMAN CAT
In a temple built on the sides of Mount Lugh, lived in prayer the very holy Kittah Mun-Ha, great Lama holy of holies, the one of which the God, Song Hio himself, has braided his golden beard. Not a minute, not a glance, not a thought of his life was not dedicated to the adoration, contemplation, and holy service of Tsun Kyan-Kse, the Goddess with the sapphire eyes, the one who presided over the transmigration of souls, the one who permits the Kittahs to live again in a holy animal for the duration of its animal existence, before taking again a haloed body with the full and holy perfection of the great priests. Near him was meditating Sinh, his dear oracle, an all-white cat whose eyes were yellow, yellow from the reflection of the golden whiskers of his master and from the golden body of the Goddess with the heavenly eyes... Sinh, the cat to advise, whose ears, nose, tail and extremities of his legs were dark like the color of the earth, mark of the stain and impurity of all that touches or can touch the ground.
Now, one night, as the malevolent moon had permitted the murdering Phoums who came from hated Siam, to draw near the sacred place, the Grand Priest Mun-Ha gently entered death, having at his side his divine cat, and under his eyes the despair of all his overwhelmed Kittahs... It was then that the miracle came about - the only miracle of immediate transmigration: in a bound, Sinh was on the golden throne and sat on the head of his sagged master. He leaned on that aged head which, for the first time, was no longer looking at its Goddess. And as he sat stiffened before the eternal statue, one saw the bristly hair of his white spine become sudden golden yellow. His golden eyes became blue, large and deep as the eyes of the Goddess. As he was gently turning his head to the south door, his four paws which were touching the old skull became a dazzling white, up to the place that the silk of the holy garments were covering. And as his eyes were turning from the south door, the Kittahs obeying this commanding look, which was full of serenity and light, hurried in the first breeze to close the heavy bronze doors saving the temple. The next morning all of the cats were thus transformed.
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MODERN HISTORY
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 were clandestinely shipped from Burma to France. The male cat did not survive the arduous conditions of the long voyage, but the female, Sita, did survive, and happily, was pregnant. From this small foundation the Birman was established in the western world. The French cat registry recognized the Birman as a separate breed in 1925. By the end of WW II, only two Birmans were left alive in Europe, and a program of outcrossing was necessary to reestablish the breed. Most cat registries require at least five generations of pure breeding after outcrossings to fully accredit a breed for championship competition. Birmans were recognized by England in 1966 and by The Cat Fanciers' Association in 1967.
RECOGNITION
| Birmans are accepted, registered by and have championship showing status in all associations. The new colors (see below) are accepted, registered by and have champion showing status in all associations except for the Cat Fanciers Association (CFA). |
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WHAT ARE THE NEW BIRMAN COLORS?
Birmans Have four traditional colors and two new color patterns all are now accepted by CFA.
- SEAL POINT - Points, dark brown; body, clear pale beige with a slightly golden hue; nose leather, dark seal brown.
- BLUE POINT - Points, blue-gray; body, bluish white, cold in tone; nose leather, slate-gray.
- CHOCOLATE POINT - Points, milk chocolate; body, ivory; nose leather, chocolate.
- LILAC POINT - Points, pinkish gray; body, off-white magnolia; nose leather, pinkish / faded lilac.
- Lynx patterns are the are tabby markings introduced into the point colors, and are found in variations of the four traditional colors Lynx is dominant and will appear in any cat carrying it. These colors show distinct tabby markings, although they are more diffuse in the dilute colors.
- SEAL LYNX POINT - Points, seal brown markings on a pale brown agouti background; body, clear pale beige with a slight golden hue.
- BLUE LYNX POINT - Points, blue markings on a light beige agouti background; body, bluish white.
- CHOCOLATE LYNX POINT - Points, milk chocolate markings on a light bronze agouti background; body, ivory.
- LILAC LYNX POINT - Points, lilac markings on a pale beige agouti background; body, off-white (magnolia).
- SOLID POINT BIRMANS:
- RED POINT - Points, orange / red; body, pale cream with slight golden hue or halo; nose leather, pink.
- CREAM POINT - Points, cream; body, off-white with faint golden hue or halo; nose leather, pink.
- TORTIE POINT BIRMANS:
- The color on the points should be seal brown or chocolate
intermingled with shades of light and dark red, or blue or lilac
intermingled with shades of light and dark cream.
The points need not be evenly broken but each point must show some intermingling of the colors.
- SEAL TORTIE POINT - Points, seal brown intermingled with shades of light and dark red; body, fawn, shading unevenly to warm brown and / or pale red on back and sides; nose leather, seal brown and / or pink.
- BLUE TORTIE POINT - Points, blue intermingled with shades of light and dark cream; body, off-white, shading unevenly to pale blue and / or cream on back and sides; nose leather, blue and / or pink.
- CHOCOLATE TORTIE POINT - Points, milk chocolate intermingled with shades of light and dark red; body, ivory, shading unevenly to pale chocolate and / or pale red on back and sides; nose leather, chocolate and / or pink.
- LILAC TORTIE POINT - Points, lilac intermingled with shades of light
and dark cream; body, off-white (magnolia), shading unevenly to pale
lilac and / or pale cream on back and sides; nose leather, pinkish /
faded lilac and / or pink.
- RED LYNX POINT - Points, rich red markings on a light apricot agouti background; body, pale cream with a slight golden hue or halo. note: 'Freckles' may occur on nose, lips, eyelids and ears. Slight freckling in a mature cat should not be penalized.
- CREAM LYNX POINT - Points, cream markings on a paler cream agouti background; body, off-white with a slight golden hue or halo. note: as for Red Lynx Point above.
- TORTIE LYNX POINT BIRMANS:
- These colors show the normal tabby pattern which has been overlaid
with shades of light and dark red or cream.
The extent and distribution of the tortie areas are not important providing that both elements, tortie and lynx, are clearly visible. note: The nose leather should be mottled pink and pigmented or to tone with the points. - SEAL TORTIE LYNX POINT - Points, seal brown markings on a pale brown agouti background overlaid and intermingled with shades of light and dark red; body, fawn, shading unevenly to warm brown and / or pale red on back and sides.
- BLUE TORTIE LYNX POINT - Points, blue markings on a light beige agouti background overlaid and intermingled with shades of light and dark cream; body, off-white, shading unevenly to pale blue and / or cream on back and sides.
- CHOCOLATE TORTIE LYNX POINT - Points, milk chocolate markings on a light bronze agouti background overlaid and intermingled with shades of light and dark red; body, ivory, shading unevenly to pale chocolate and / or pale red on back and sides.
- LILAC TORTIE LYNX POINT - Points, lilac markings on a pale beige agouti background overlaid and intermingled with shades of light and dark cream; body, off-white (magnolia), shading unevenly to pale lilac and / or cream on back and sides.
Lynx point Birmans:
Red Factor Birmans:
Combinations of both new color patterns:
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FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THE BREED
- Taron Birmans - The Sacred Cat Of Burma
- CFA Birman Breed Profile - An informal description of the Birman
- CFA Birman Breed Standard - A formal description of the Birman.
- GCCF Birman Standard - A formal description of the Birman used in Europe.
- Birmans Online - An E-mail list of breeders and Birman homepages.
- Birman Archive Project
Visit the Rest of Taron Birmans:
 © Copyright 1996, 2009 Ronald & Nora Thayer, All Rights Reserved |
Photography © Korporate Kats , and Chanan