PROFILE
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Origin And History Of The Breed
Stories and myths entwine around the origin of the Sacred Birman breed. Allegedly, the medium-sized cat is said to have served as a temple cat in the ancient Orient. In today’s Myanmar, the Birman is said to have lived together with monks. Whether the story is true, is not proven, however, the Birman cat owes its name, “Holy” Birman.
Certainly, the roots of the breed can be traced back to the 20th century in France. A certain Mr. Vanderbilt brought two kittens from his Oriental trip from Burma in Myanmar. In breeding, Siamese and Persian cats were crossed, both of which can be found in the appearance of the Sacred Burmese. Allegedly, one of the kittens from the Orient had an accident in a car accident, but Mr. Vanderbilt wanted to continue the breeding anyway and therefore crossed the two cat breeds.
The cat breed Holy Burmese was recognized in 1925, and the new cat breed spread to Germany in the 1930s. During the war times the breeding of the Birman cat was interrupted. However, since 1955 it has stabilized again.
Breed Description
The ideal pet for young cat lovers is the Sacred Birman breed. After all, the fluffy kittens with their bright blue eyes do everything to please people. They are not only affectionate and cuddly, but also very well-behaved and easy to train.
Nevertheless, with a Birman cat it will never be boring. The dear, sweet ball of wool is crazy about playtime and joint activities with children, adults or even dogs. As a new member of the family, the Birman cat will fit in in a short time, is uncomplicated and captivates with its amiable streak as well as its cute appearance.
Appearance Of The Birman Cat
The Sacred Birman is a point cat. This means their body fur is lightened and has dark, contrasting colorations, the so-called points, on the cooler regions, such as ears, legs, tail or face. The reason for this light-dark contrast is a partial albinism. Siamese cats also have this genetic mutation.
The color spectrum of the Birman fur is broad, because the playful kittens exist in all permissible point colors. These include cream, red, seal or lilac, for example.
The Holy Burmese is classified as a semi-longhair or long-haired cat. In fact, their soft, fluffy coat can reach a considerable length. Significant is their “ruff”: a row of hair that sticks out slightly to the side, framing their head like a ruff.
If you look into the Burmese cat’s bright blue eyes, you will fall for its gentle but majestic beauty. The elegant velvet paw has a rather strong build, which is rounded off by a round head with small ears. In addition, the Holy Burmese wears so-called “gloves”. Of course, the kitten has no fabric on its paws. The name comes from the fact that the round paws of the Holy Burmese may only be colored white.
Character And Nature
People-oriented, gentle and kind: The Holy Birman has a very sweet and polite nature. Egoism and self-will are alien to her. Instead, she is oriented towards people and tries above all to please them.
Cuddling and snuggling are among the favorite pastimes of the Birman cat. She is always looking for closeness and is also known to be able and willing to develop a very close bond with people.
Nevertheless, the Sacred Birman is not a lazy cat. The playful creature can occupy herself for hours with special cat toys – gladly in the company of children or other conspecifics. Due to its uncomplicated and open nature, the Birman cat also plays with dogs and can live with them in one household.
Husbandry And Diet
Because of its calm nature, the Sacred Birman is excellent as an apartment and house cat. However, one should be aware that the Birman cat is a very social creature. Despite its strong human orientation, it longs for a companion to play with and spend time with. Especially if you are very busy or work full time, you should get a second cat besides the Birman.
The Birman cat also needs a lot of attention from yourself. However, she is not affectionate in an unpleasant or annoying way. Nevertheless, you should give her the time, closeness and love she needs.
From time to time, the Birman cat also likes to take a trip into nature. Their urge to move is, however, in contrast to animals of other cat breeds very low. If it goes into the wild, you should keep an eye on the Sacred Birman. After all, the Birman cat is very trusting, even towards strangers, and thus quickly puts itself in danger.
The Birman cat spends a lot of time during the day grooming and caring for its coat. Due to its long cat fur, it quickly happens that the kitten swallows its own hair. A hairball then quickly forms in the digestive tract, which can lead to vomiting and digestive problems. With the right food you can counteract the formation of hairballs. On the market there is special cat food for semi-long and longhaired cats. This supports the digestion and ensures that the daily swallowed amount of hair is quickly excreted.
Education
The education of a cat could not be more uncomplicated than with the Holy Birman. Climbing on cupboards, begging for scraps of food at the table or rummaging through the desk pads. On such ideas the dear Birman cat does not come at all. The well-behaved animal directly tries to implement everything that people teach her and happily adheres to rules.
Care
In the care of the Birman cat plays especially its long coat a role. The soft hair mat you should brush at least twice a week. Especially in need of care is the ruff of the Birman. After all, the cat fur is also the longest at this point.
The danger that the cat hair of the Sacred Birman gets matted is relatively low. The reason for this is the hardly existing undercoat. Nevertheless, brushing is necessary. It provides a pleasant coat feeling and at the same time strengthens the bond between man and animal. The feathery tail of the Sacred Burmese does not require any grooming.
Health And Typical Diseases
Overall, the Birman cats are very immune to diseases. Nevertheless, there are some typical breed diseases that can occur in the Holy Birman. First, the kittens can be affected by dermoid cysts. These occur on the testicles and ovaries, but also in the head area.
On the other hand, eye inflammations occur more frequently in Birman cats. Partly the fluffy kittens unfortunately also tend to squint.
In addition, the Birmans are affected in rare cases of hypomyelination. Here it comes to strong trembling or spastic seizures.
Life Expectancy Of The Sacred Birman
The Sacred Burmese has a life expectancy of 12 to 20 years. Fully grown are the female animals with 1.5 years. A male Birman reaches adulthood at a minimum of 2 years.
Buying A Sacred Birman
Either you decide to buy a Birman cat from a shelter or from a breeder. In the latter option, there are a few things to consider.
In any case, you should get to know the parents beforehand. So you can determine whether the Birman cat comes from a good social environment. Also make sure that the parents of the Birman kittens do not have any hereditary diseases. A serious and trustworthy breeder will inform you about this in advance. In addition, he worms and vaccinates the Birman kittens.
If you want to buy Birman kittens from a breeder, you should plan with a price range of 700 to 900 Euro. In the animal shelter you can offer a new home to an abandoned Birman cat from a price of 100 Euros.
Decision Support
The cat as a playful, loving family member. In fact, the Sacred Birman fulfills the idealistic image of many cat lovers. She is well-behaved, easy to train and quickly fits into the new home. After all, the sweet Birman cat is just looking forward to endearing and pleasing her new owners.
If you are looking for a gentle, playful family cat, the Sacred Birman is a good choice. However, if you are looking for a headstrong bundle of energy or a miniature predator, this cat breed is not for you.
If you want to buy a Holy Birman, you should be aware beforehand that it will take a lot of time and emotional closeness. If you cannot offer this to the kitten or only partially, buy her a conspecific for company or leave the socially affine Birman cat alone.
Sources
https://www.fressnapf.de/ratgeber/katze/rasseportraits/heilige-birma
https://www.mein-haustier.de/katzenrassen/heilige-birma/
https://www.royal-canin.de/stories/rassenportrait-die-birma-katze/
https://www.zooroyal.de/magazin/katzen/katzenrassen/heilige-birma/
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