Many centuries ago by a sparkling lake, in a valley surrounded by majestic mountains, the temple of Lao-Tsun was guarded by 100 yellow-eyed white cats with long silken hair.

The temple housed a beautiful golden goddess with sapphire blue eyes who watched over the transmutation of souls. The head monk, Mun-ha, whose beard had been braided with gold by the enlighten one, often knelt in meditation before the golden goddess, Tsun-Kyan-Kse. At his side was his faithful and beloved companion, a beautiful temple cat named Sinh. Sinh would always shared in his master´s meditation. As the monk meditaded, Sinh would gaze steadily at the golden goddess beautiful sapphire blue eyes.

One night as the moon rose, Mun-ha was in communion with the sacred goddess, Tsun-Kyan-Kse. He was deep in a transcendental state. So deep was his devotion, that he suffered no pain when the temple was attacked by marauders and Mun-ha was killed. At the moment of his masters death, Sinh placed his paws upon the monks flowing robes and faced the golden goddess. Instantly an amazing transformation took place. The hairs of Sinh' s white fur were as though misted with a golden glow which radiated from the beautiful golden goddess. Her deep sapphire blue eyes became Sinh very own. His face, ears, legs and tail became the velvety brown colour of rich earth, but his four paws resting gently on his master, remained perfect white, a symbol of purity. The next morning the temple radiated with the transformation of the remaining ninety-nine white cats which with Sinh reflect the golden hue of a hundred brilliant sunrises.

Sinh did not move from his place. He stayed on the spot of his masters death, and gazed fervently into the sapphire eyes of the goddess. Exactly seven days later Sinh died carrying with him into Nirvana the soul of his beloved master, the monk Mun-ha.

The legend fails to explain the actual scientific origins of the Birman cat and needless to say, the veil of mystery surrounding its initial background will probably never be removed. Only the Birman holds the key to this mystery, and if you question them the only reply you will receive will be a discerning look from their inscrutable sapphire blue eyes, and the secret will be eternally theirs. This is where the legends ends and the actual history begins, but remember - legends usually carry certain elements of truth.

Permission to reprint Val Kotas

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.

COAT
Structure
Long to semi-long, according to the actual parts of the body; short on the face, gradually growing longer on the cheeks to a full frill, long on the back and the flanks. Silky texture. Little undercoat.
Colour
Shows all characteristics known from the colourpointed cats, but all four (4) feets are white (gloves). The points include the face, ears, legs, tail and genitals.
The points shall be even and in good contrast to the body colour.
The body colour and colour of the tummy is a very pale egg shell; the back is golden beige in all varieties. Only in adult cats the colour of the points and the body colour are fully developed.

REMARKS
The birman shows a special morphology which is unique for the breed.

FAULTS
Coat
Pure white or coloured patches on the chest or the stomach.

FAULTS (Procluding the certifikat)
Nose
Incompletely pigmented nose leather.
Legs
Creeping up of the white on the sides or the reverse sides of the gloves of front and/ or hind feet (known as "runners"). Absence of "gauntlets" on the hind feet.
Coat
White patching in the coloured areas or the reverse. A white patch on the genitals.

STANDARD

General
Size: Medium in size.

Head
Shape: Strong bone.
Forehead: Slightly rounded.
Cheeks: Full, somewhat rounded.
Nose: Of medium length without stop, but with a slight indentation.
Chin: Firm.

Ears
Shape: Rather small with rounded tips.
Placement: Set slightly tipped, not too upright on the skull with good width between.

Eyes
Shape: Not quite round, slightly oval.
Colour: Deep blue.

Body
Structure: Slightly long body. Males must be more massive than females.
Legs Paws: Rounded.
Gloves: The special feature of the Birman is the white feet, called "gloves" on both the front and hind feet. These gloves must be absolutely pure white. They should stop at the articulation or at the transition of toes to metacarpals, over witch they should not extend. Slightly longer white gloves on the hind feet can be tolerated.
On the back of the hind feet the white gloves end in points. The ideal "gauntlets" end in inverte "V"s and extend 1/2 to 3/4 of the way up the hock. Lower or higher gauntlets are acceptable but should not go beyond the hock. It is important that the gloves are equally long and show symmetry of white, on either the two front or two hind feet, or even better, on all four feet.

Tail
Of medium length, forming a plume.

SCALE OF POINTS

Total - 100 points -

 

Head
General shape, cheeks, nose, jaws and teeth, forhead, chin placement and shape of the ears, shape and colour of the eyes - 20 points.

Body
Shape, size, bone structure, legs and shape of paws - 20 points.

Tail
Length and shape - 10 points.

Coat
Body colour and points - 15 points.
Quality and texture, length - 10 points.

Gloves
On the front feet - 5 points.
On the hind feet - 5 points.
Gauntlets - 5 points.
Uniformity and symmetry of gauntlets and gloves - 5 points.

Condition - 5 points.