Birman Cats available for sale. Birman kittens. Information, photos & breeder listings. CFA. Needs comb grooming about once a week. Loyal & attention loving cat with great longevity.

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The Birman is a charming breed of domestic cat.  Also called the "Sacred Cat of Burma", it should not be confused with the Burmese, which is a separate and quite different breed.  The Birman takes your breath away, with its stunning pointed semi-longhaired coat, and bewitching, deep sapphire blue eyes.  Although the breed is pointed, the paws have distinctive white gloves.  These gentle cats have a stocky build and a powerful musculature—and you can keep them in top condition by indulging them in their love for play!

According to the Cat Fanciers Association, the Birman has a lovely legend about being raised by Kittah priests in their temple in Burma.  The story tells of a golden-eyed pure white cat who stood guard over his dying holy master, and was suddenly transformed into a cat with a dark brown head, and dark brown legs and tail--but his coat became a cream color with a golden glow from his master's golden goddess.  As the master died and his soul passed on to the cat, the cat's paws and hocks, where he sat on his master's chest, stayed pure white to commemorate his master's purity.  As the cat gazed up at the golden goddess, his gold eyes turned to a beautiful sapphire blue, the same as the goddess’s.  There are many versions of this legend.

The modern history of the Birman is shrouded in mystery almost as much as its legendary origins. What is known for certain though is that around 1919, a pair of Birman cats was clandestinely shipped from Burma to France.  The male cat did not survive the difficult conditions of the long sea voyage, but the female, Sita, did survive, and was happily pregnant.  From this small base, 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 cat for championship competition.  The Birman was first imported into the United States in the 1960s.  The breed was recognized by England in 1966, and by The Cat Fanciers’ Association in the U.S. in 1967.  The Birman is now recognized and loved worldwide.  This breed has consistently remained among the top ten most popular cats for many years.

The ideal Birman is a medium to large, long, stocky cat.  It has long silky hair, not as thick as that of the Persian, and of a texture that doesn’t tend to mat, partly because it has no undercoat.  The color of the coat is light, preferably with a golden cast, as if “misted with gold.”  The points--face, legs and tail--are darker, and similar to the Siamese and color-pointed Persian color patterns.  The rounded eyes are a deep blue, set in a strong face with heavy jaws, a full chin, and a “Roman” nose with nostrils set low.  The ears are almost as wide at the base as they are tall.  The very distinctive white feet are ideally symmetrical.  The gloves on the front feet, if perfect, go across in an even line, and on the back feet, end in a point up the back of the leg, called laces.  It is very difficult to breed a Birman with four perfect white gloves.

Birman kittens may be born in a wide variety of colors:

• Chocolate Point
• Seal Point
• Lilac Point
• Blue Point
• Other Solid Point (Red, Cream)
• Parti-Color Point (Seal-Tortie, Blue-Cream, Chocolate-Tortie, Lilac-Cream)
• Seal Lynx Point
• Chocolate Lynx Point
• Blue Lynx Point
• Other Lynx Points

With a good grooming routine on the part of the owner, stray hairs can be combed out weekly. The combing action can be good together time for cat and owner, as Birmans love the attention!

The Birman personality is marvelous--gentle, active, and playful.  The Birman is a wonderful family cat.  It dwells peacefully within a single-cat home, or a home with other feline friends.  With a constant response from the owner, a Birman will become quite talkative.  If you prefer just quiet purring, a lack of response will discourage the cat from talking.  And you don’t have to worry about your valuables displayed on high shelves, as this breed prefers to stay around at ground level rather than climbing curtains or hanging out on high perches.  (So unlike my own two Bengal cats!)

All Birmans are born white (as other colorpoint kittens are) and they start developing their colors at the age of one week if they have a dark color such as seal-point, and at the age of fourteen days or more if they have a clear color, such as lilac-point.  The first parts to develop the deeper color are the points of the ears, nose, and tail.  The true color emerges completely by two years of age.

With lots of love, good food, mutually pleasurable grooming, and proper health care, the Birman makes the greatest buddy, friend, confidant, and all around perfect pet.  Since Birmans come in all pointed colors, there is a color to match anyone's heart’s desire.  They are all beautiful...they are all Birman!

Jane Cartwright, the owner of Bojacat Birmans, was kind enough to talk with me on the phone about her marvelous breed.  The first thing she said is that Birmans have a dog-like personality, and tend to follow you around the house and try to help out with all of your chores.  They love to get engaged in paperwork, for example, and are, like my own Bengals, accomplished keyboard artists.  They can be a bit stubborn, but you can persuade them to leave you alone so that you can attend to matters without their intervention.

Like most cats, Jane said, Birmans tend to sleep twenty hours a day, and then romp around, careening from one end of the house to the other, during their play time.  She emphasized that each Birman kitten develops its own distinctive personality and routines as it matures.  Some of these cats just loved to be held and cuddled, and some turn out to be indifferent, or even unwilling, to being held.  But they all love attention and affection.

Jane commented that Birmans as are known as “the Golden Retrievers” of the cat world.  Anyone who knows Goldens knows what an agreeable, loyal, easygoing, and fun-loving personality they tend to have.  Birmans can be quirky, nonetheless—one of Jane’s cats insists on being carried to the bathroom so that she can help Jane brush her teeth.  And if Jane does not pick her up, she will bite Jane’s ankles until she gets her way!  I asked Jane if these are “in your face” kind of cats, and she replied that most of them are not, but that they will occasionally pester you for attention. Please visit Jane's site Bojacat Birmans for more on her Birman cats.

These are easy cats to care for.  They are not prone to any particular diseases as a breed, and grooming is usually quite simple.  Jane confirmed that they do love to be combed, and that a once a week grooming session is usually sufficient to keep their elegant coats looking lovely.  The breed has good longevity, some living well into their early twenties with good care.  The Birman sounds like a delightful and entertaining breed—and a good choice for almost any cat-lover!

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