Picture a siamese, ok now make the fur longer and slightly whiter and the face less angular, add in a waving bushy tail and the deepest most beautiful blue eyes you have ever seen and there you have it, a beautiful Birman! Look on www.birmancatclub.co.uk for pictures but be prepared to fall instantly in love!

These cats originated in Burma where they were sacred temple cats for the god Tsun-Kyan-Kse. Legend has it that they were originally pure white but that, when the temple was attacked one night the temple cat leapt to assist his master. As the priest died his soul entered the cat through the grace of the temple god transforming him from a white cat to a beautiful gold tinged cat with sealpoints and sapphire eyes.
The cat lived another seven days without food or water before dying and taking both sets of souls to heaven. At this time the transformation was found to have occured in all the other temple cats.
Whilst this can be dismissed as legend many Birmans can still be found living wild in the temple ruins, they are fed by the local people, who believe it is bad luck to kill one.

They first appeared in europe in 1919 in France. Originally one pair was brought over but the male died whilst the female was in kitten. Out of neccesity they were bred with another species leading to the beautiful cats we see today.

As they are pedigree cats they do not come cheap with pets coming £175 upwards and breeders or showcats even more. Despite this they are sooo worth the money. Being fairly robust cats they are rarely at the vets although they like any other pet should be wormed, innoculated and microchipped

There are two Birmans in our household, Dubrova Touchstone or Joey, our resident little man and the light of my mum's life and Panjandrum Perdita or Purdy my gorgeous little baby girl, albeit with a slightly mad eyed stare when she feels the need to play! They bring fun, laughter and love into the life of anyone who
is around them. Despite not being renowned as vocal cats they both are extremely gobby and leave you in doubt about what they want.

They also exhibit many behaviour traits peculiar to Birmans such as the Birman flop! This is similar to the frosby flop but at ground level. They tend to walk up to your feet and just suddenly keel over sideways exposing their bellies. It basically means 'love me love me I'm gorgeous' and who can resist! They also tend to exhibit that other delightful trait : the lovebite. Unfortunately when a Birman loves you they feel a need to show it physically by chewing you wrist, chin, eyebrow or what ever is nearest. The back of your leg when you are washing the dishes is a spot they find particularly juicy but i personally think they get a kick out of watching you scrape yourself off the ceiling. Don't get me wrong though, they dont break the skin, it is purely an expression of love.

Generally they are highly intelligent cats although they have a daft streak wider than the English channel and we have had all the fun and games of cats throwing themsleves full speed into a full bath or hiding in the washbasket to attack you on the way downstairs. We have recently taken to watching our little girl more closely when she is out as she has decided the next door neighbours soft topped black car is the PURRFECT basking spot.

If you end up with a dominant cat get used to it deciding that every chair and bed in the house belongs to it and the indignant stare or huffy sigh you will recieve if you try to move it. And a lie in when you Birman has decided its breakfast time? NOT A CHANCE

I think I will have to end this op here as I could discuss Birmans til the cows come home but if you decide to let one of these cats into your house and heart you will have a cat who will love you totally, provide you with a faithful companion and make you laugh til your sides hurt.
Happy Hunting