Birman cat: Nutrition, character, training and much more about the Birman cat

By Roswitha Berger

They do not originate from Burma, today's Myanmar, and never lived in a temple there. Nevertheless, one believes immediately that these cats with the very friendly nature come from a Buddhist temple. In fact, they are breedings from Persian and Siamese cats, which were probably first bred in a French kennel.

The Sacred Burmese is a point cat, so only the ears, nose, face, legs and tail are dark colored. Deep blue eyes and white paws are the most important breed characteristics.

The book answers important questions about keeping and raising these furry dwarfs:
Why are Birman cats indoor-only cats?
What should be considered in the care of fur, claws and teeth?
How can you recognize good cat food?
What prevention is important for the health of cats?
What is important in the home furnishings?
What makes the Birman cat so unique?

Read important tips on the education and training of the cat. Sometimes the cute cats also educate the human. We will tell you how to prevent this.

You can find this content in the book:
- Myths of the breed
- Breed characteristics
- Character
- Keeping an indoor cat in a species-appropriate way
- Health and veterinary visits
- Selection of the animal
- Education and training
- Recognizing indications of diseases
- Appendix with detailed instructions and valuable tips
- With more than 10 illustrations!

This book is interesting for all cat owners, of course especially for those who own a Birman or want to acquire this cat breed. Ensure many happy cat years and get information about the Birman cat in this book.

• Language: English
• Publisher: XinXii
• Release date: Apr 16, 2022
• ISBN: 9783986469276

Book preview

History of the breed

Probably everyone who hears about the breed Holy Burmese for the first time wonders how it came to the name. Therefore, in the book you should first learn something about the origin of the cats. The root of the ancient myth may be found in Thai Theravada Buddhism. In the book of cat poems (Tamra Maew) which is kept in the original in the National Library in Bangkok, the breed is mentioned. For this reason, cats live in many of the temples to this day.

Legend and myth

In the temple Lau Tsun in Myanmar lived the abbot Mun Ha, who had a golden beard and came from the god Song Hoi himself. The monks of the monastery served the goddess of soul transformation Tsun Kyankze, who had sapphire blue eyes. The abbot kept the white tomcat Sinh, which had amber-yellow eyes, the animal's ears, nose, tail, paws and legs were dark. The dark coloring was considered a sign of dirt and impurity.

Of all things, when hostile tribes from Siam attacked the monastery, the monks lost leadership because the abbot died. The tomcat Sinh jumped in front of the altar of the goddess and a miracle happened. The abbot's soul went into the cat. The cat got dark blue eyes, golden yellow fur and white paws. A short time later, the cat died and the abbot's soul ascended. All the cats in the temple took on this special coloring and showed the monks who would be the abbot's successor. Thus was born the breed of the Holy Birman.

This is followed by another legend. Allegedly, the rich industrialist Vanderbilt stole a pair of these Burmese cats from the temple in 1919. However, the male cat met with a fatal accident on the way home. The female Sita gave birth to several kittens. Her daughter Doll of Maldapur was presented at the Expo in Paris in 1926 and is said to be the original mother of the Birman cats.

It is more probable that in France in a cattery named de Madalapour Siamese cats and Persian cats were crossed and so the breed was created. In Germany, the male Timour de Madalapour became the first Birman on record through a picture from 1933.

The breeding of the Birman then also flourished in Germany in the 1930s. Due to the Second World War, the breeding came to a standstill. Although the breed almost died out completely, targeted breeding began again afterwards. Since 1955 there was again a sufficient stock in France and about 1950 the first Birmans arrived in the USA.

Burma and Birman cats

Today's Republic of the Union of Myanmar formerly bore the name Burma. In Germany, the state was called Burma. Burmese cats are native to the temples there. They have green or amber eyes and short fur. The monks call them copper cats. The Burmese have a great resemblance to Siamese cats.

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Figure 1: Burmese kitten

The legends about the Birman cats are probably based on these temple cats. Birman cats belong to the semi-longhair breeds and were bred in France from bicolored Persian and Siamese cats. The origin of the breed from Myanmar or the temples is a myth.

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Figure 2: Portrait of the beautiful sacred cat of Burma

Problem with hereditary diseases

Regarding hereditary diseases, there is a certain problem in the breed, because the most important breed characteristics are inherited recessively. Good breeders know how important it is to pay attention not only to beauty, but also to health when selecting a breed.

Typical diseases in the Holy Burmese are deformities of the middle of the face, corneal squamous (cornea that has died off and obstructs vision), cataract, polyneuropathy (nerve disease that causes sensation, spasms and movement disorders), congenital hypotrichosis (hair loss) and hemophilia (blood clotting disorder).

As with all pedigreed cats, polycystic kidney disease (cysts on the kidneys), hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (thickening of the heart muscle), and mucopolysaccharidosis type VI (abnormal skeleton) may also occur.

The diseases occur very rarely in the robust cat breed. Nevertheless, you should talk to the breeder from whom you want to buy your Birman about what precautions he has taken to avoid hereditary diseases. In addition, you should have your Birman cat regularly examined by ultrasound to detect and treat diseases in time.

Breed characteristics

Gloves and spurs

Besides the dark blue eyes, white feet are one of the characteristics