History: The origin o the Birman is lost in legend, but it was once considered sacred, a companion cat of the Kittah priests in Burma.  They became established in the western world when two Birman cats were clandestinely shipped from Burma to France.  The male did not survive the long voyage but the female did and, happily was pregnant.  The French cat registry recognized the Birman as a separate breed in 1925, but Britain did not follow suit until 1966.  The breed won recognition in the US in 1967.

Description: Ideally, the Birman is long, large and stocky.  It has a strong, broad, rounded head with a Roman nose of medium length.  The face has a sweet expression, with full cheeks, a somewhat rounded muzzle and a strong chin.  The medium-sized ears are set far apart on the head and have rounded tips.  The blue eyes are quite round.

The Birman has heavy-boned legs of medium length.  Its paws are large and round, and all four are white; these are the Birman's distinguishing feature.  The white gloves on the front feet, preferably symmetrical, usually end in an even line across the paw at, or between, the second or third joints.  Those on the back paws should cover all the toes and should also extend up the back of the hock (the first joint).  These leg markings are called "laces".  Ideally, the front gloves match, the back gloves match, and the two laces match.  Faultlessly gloved cats are indeed rare and the Birman is judged in all of its parts as well as the gloves.

The longhaired, silky hair is not as thick as that of the Persian and doesn't mat if it is brushed regularly to remove dead hair.  The pale coat sometimes looks as if it has been dusted with gold.  The "points" - mask, ears, legs and tail-are darker, like those of the Siamese and the Himalyan.

Varieties: The Birman comes in seal point, chocolate point, blue point and lilac point.  Recently, some Birmans have appeared in the colors of red point, tortie point and lynx point, but these are not as yet recognized anywhere in the world for championship showing.

Temperament: The gentle Birman has a delightful personality and is active, playful and independent.  It makes a good pet for children.