The Birman

Posted by: john on 14 Dec 2009

Snapshot
The Birman, also known as the ‘Sacred Cat of Burma’ is a beautiful, gracious cat with a fascinating history. Its name is similar to the Burmese but it is a separate breed.

History

The Birman likely originates from Burma where it was held sacred and kept as a companion for priests. In the beginning, the cats who were the guardians of the Temple of LaoTsun had golden eyes and long hair. 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 paws on his master. The cat’s white fur took on a golden cast; his eyes turned blue and his face, legs and tail became the colour of earth. However, his paws, where they touched the priest, remained white as a symbol of purity. All the other temple cats became similarly coloured.
The modern history of Birmans is also quite mysterious. They certainly appeared in France around the 1920s, but how they got there and why is uncertain. Some claim that in 1919 a pair of Birman cats were clandestinely brought to France from Burma.

Personality

Birmans are very calm and relaxed cats who love to lie in your arms and be around people. Most of them are very loving and you may find them following you around like a puppy. Birmans are very playful as kittens and this behaviour continues well into old age. As they like company, it may be a good idea to get two Birmans to keep each other company if you are away from home a lot. The Birmans’ non-aggressive, people-loving and relaxed attitude makes them perfect companion-cats!

Health

Like all cats, Birmans can be affected by health problems including infectious diseases, parasites, injuries and chronic diseases. Various forms of cancer are also a source of concern, but all in all, Birmans are healthy cats and should give you few health-worries.

Breeders

Sources

Feature Image by Gauis Caecilius, other image by fabiogis50

5 Responses to “The Birman”

Bruce Honeyman says:

I enjoyed reading about the birman cat, but i was under the impression it was spelt Burmah.
i have one exactly as it is described in your article, she is now 9 and a half years old, can you tell me what is their normal life span please?

cornelia roccisano says:

love my birman, she is the sweetest baby ever but naughty too and likes teasing my little jack russell

Jeannie says:

I have a ‘home’ cat and a ‘office’ cat. The office cat is a Birman who lives nearby my workplace. He does the rounds of the area, visiting various shops and our office. He always visits in the morning, loudly announcing his arrival outside our door until we open it and let him in. He then smooches everyone and everything, talks to us, checks out every room, and then goes off to finish his rounds. We have taken to calling him ‘Director of Pussycat Affairs’ because I have lots of photos of him in the office. He’s a beautiful boy and he brings us a lot of joy with his visits.

Cat Diaries says:

Hi Bruce,
Thank you for your post.
Burma is occasionally spelled ‘Burmah’. Both are accurate, but the former spelling (the one we used) is more common.
The average lifespan for the Birman is around 13 years.
Kind Regards,
Cornelius and the team at Cat Diaries

Steph says:

I have a 7 year old male Birman (Duncan) and he is the most easy going animal i have ever met, everybody falls in love with him including non cat lovers, he does follow me around like a puppy and seems to even know when i’m upset and gives me extra cuddles, I’m worried about him though as he has recently gotten ulcers on his lips that seem to eat away at his lips when flared up then will go away, has anybody ever heard of this before or how to treat it