ARTICLE 1

The Mystery and History of the Birman Cat

 Of Historical interest

It has been said that the Birman cat did evolve in the Far East, supposedly from the union of a Siamese cat together with a small wild cat species. There were many types of wild cat in that part of the world. However in the National Library in Thailand there are illustrated manuscripts that are between 100 and 200 years old and represent a tradition that could have developed as early as the seventeenth Century. These ancient manuscripts are called Tamara Maew or Cat treatises a collection of poems and descriptions of the seventeen varieties of cat that originate in Thailand, together with illustrations for each one, these may well be the world’s oldest breed standard for cats. There are two cats that could be linked to the origin Birman cat. The first is called the Maew Ek or Wilaat, from the ancient paintings one can see that this was a black cat with a white stripe down the centre of its back and under-parts and it had four white feet. The white appears quite a long way up both the front and rear legs. The other interesting cat is the Maew Kaew or Wichien-Maas  this cat has a pale colour body with dark colour ears face legs and tail. A pointed cat not unlike a Siamese. The Siamese cat of the 1800 was very different to the modern Siamese the head was far more rounded and the cat was far more heavily built than now. There were known to be Siamese cats with longer coats and some produced kittens with white feet.

 It is well known from modern breeding experiences, that a self coloured cat with white feet mated to a cat with Siamese coat pattern will produce pointed cats with white feet in the second generation. Could this be how the original Birman came into existence.

 The Birman Mystery begins

The first we hear of the sacred cat of Burma is in 1898. A Major Russell Gordon was put in charge of protecting the Khmers and had the chance to observe the Sacred cat in the temples of the Kittahs. Many of the Kittahs had been killed mercilessly by the Brahmans but those who managed to escape founded the underground temple of Lao-Tsun. It was situated on Lake Indougji between Mogaung and Sembo. The region was barren and surrounded by impassable cliffs. After saving the Kittahs from yet another invasion Major Gordon was granted permission to see the Sacred cats, at the same time he was presented with a plaque, on it was a picture of the Sacred Cat of Burma, with eyes made out of two elongated sapphires. The cat was sitting at the feet of a strange divinity. The plaque is now in the Mildenhall Collection. What is very strange is that there is no military record for a Major Russell Gordon exists.  

In 1925 Doctor Philippe Jumaud submitted a veterinary thesis on breeds of cats to the faculty of medicine. He mentions the Sacred Cat of Burma as a cat from the Far East. Bred in the temples where they were guarded and their removal was forbidden. It is believed that a priest was bribed to steal two cats in return for a fabulous prize. Jumaud wrote an article for Country Life in 1926 where he stated that Mme Thadde-Hadish imported two to France. It is believed that a cross between gloved Siamese and a Persian produced the famous Poupee de Madalpour. According to Marcel Baudoin-Crevoisier Poupee de Madalpour was born in Nice, she was the foundation queen of the original Madalpour lines bred by Marcel Adam.

Poupee was mated to a Siamese stud with very blue eyes named the cat of Laos, he belonged to a doctor in Nice. There followed a prudent and controlled outcross program, regular blood relations were mated with Siamese cats that had gloves and the gloves were inherited in each new generation. Poupee was able to pass on her gloves to many kittens, those with the best gloves were kept to enable the characteristics to be passed down to future generations. By successive matings (unfortunately we do not know to what breed) they were finally able to produce a cat as beautiful as Poupee, the famous Manou de Madalpour born in 1926. Poupee was the star of the Paris cat show in 1926. According to a review of the show only three Birmans were shown but Poupee was the most remarked-upon. “particularly attractive Poupee de Madalpour owned by Mme Leotardi presents all the characteristics of the breed.”

At the International Show in 1927 her son, Manou de Madalpour won first prize. He was in a pen decorated with a Chinese temple, incense sticks and a little Buddha. The breeding of Birman cats was no easy task, one was lucky to have one good one in ten kittens. By 1928 there were only seven or eight Birman cats and all from the de Madalpour line. There were other kittens born with fairly good gloves. Two males Sinh and Lon Golden and two females Nafaghi and Sitah II named after Poupee’s mother.

In 1927 Marcel Baudoin-Crevoisier became the owner of Ijadi Tsun a female and Lon Saito. Baudoin continued to renew the blood of his breeding cats frequently, however he did not say how he did it. He did give some advice though he said “ the a male should be perfect even if the female was not and you would do well to cross a male Birman with a Siamese with white gloves.” In 1929 Marcel Boudoin-Crevoisier was working very hard with the breed. He avoided making too many “insestuous matings.” He used Siamese and some stud cats from the de Madalpour line but he never admitted to using Persians, although he was able to produce cats with heads far more broad than other breeders. When asked how he did it he was always evasive in his answers.

 By 1932 his cats were winning all the prizes. His cats were splendid, International Champion Dieu d’Arakan, International Champion Lon Saito and Reine de Rangoon. Second prize went to Zaquelle de Mandalay bred by Marcel but owned by Mlle Rouselle, it was a glorious year for him. Other cats bred by him were Soliel dArakan, Bouli d’Arakan, Roult d’Arakan and Prince de Rangoon all beautiful males. The females were Rose de Magog, Poupee de Rangoon and Zaquelle de Mandalay. He did not have a suffix for his cattery, as the use of a suffix did not become common until later. 

 By 1933 Marcel Baudoin-Crevoisier suddenly stopped breeding and sold all his breeding stock. Two cats from Marcel Baudoin-Crevoisier, Lon Saito de Madalpour born 1927 and Zequelle de Mandalay born 1931 were sold to Mlle Rousselle and went to live in Belgium. Whilst Dieu d’Arakan and Reine de Rangoon went to live in Italy.

Meanwhile Abbott Chamonin purchased two other cats from Crevoisier, Rose de Magog, the daughter of Bijou de Madalpour and an unknown mother. The other Poupee de Rangoon, Rose de Magog’s daughter by Mouki an unknown Birman or Persian. Chamonin already owned Fakir de la Chesnaie a well gloved Birman stud, purchased from another breeder and Sinh de Saint-Hubert purchased from Mlle Rouselle. 

 In an article the same year Abbott Chimonin wrote “ and as for Birmans alas the breed cannot win. The great effort that we have personally made has not been continued and yet we live in hope…” He then sent out an alarm cry in the same way “The Birman cat is in danger! Because of inbreeding, the females are now fragile and the males are mediocre reproducers.” He proposed energetic intervention, the creation of the International Birman Cat Club. The setting up of a book of origins to be used for the verification of pedigrees and strict observation of the laws of heredity. By the end of 1933 the Central Feline Society of France, The Cat Club of Paris and The Cat Club of Champagne got together and formed the French Feline Federation FFF. There was one book of origins, which the Cat Club of Paris was responsible for.

It was not long afterwards that all the Abbotts cats came to a very sad end. Fatima de la Chesnaie pined to death after the sudden death of Fakir and his remaining Birmans all perished in a fire at his home.

In 1936 Abbott Chamonin went on a visit to the Francecavilla-Bisio Castle near Nori-Ligure, there he saw Reine de Rangoon surrounded by seventeen cats and their fourteen kittens. Since then nothing more was known about them. He told how Marcel Baudoin-Crevoisier sold the cats to Princess Ratibor Hohenlohe in 1933 for 30,000 francs. She had given them to the Duke of Aoste. They eventually found their way to Francecavilla-Bisio castle the home of Countess Elisabetta Giriodi-Panissero. When she died in 1985 she did not own a single cat. A Servant at the castle does not remember Dieu D’Arakan but does remember Regina de Rangoon. She also recalls seeing the medals that had been won by the other two Champions. Here the information about the very early Birman seems to end.

 Moving forward

We have to jump forward a number of years now to the introduction of Kiou a Seal point Siamese and Tai a birman with no gloves also Fly de Khabbaa a white longhair. And Youla de Madalpour she was another Birman with no Gloves.

 Mlle Boyer registered her suffix as Kaabaa in 1935 Mme Chaumont-Doisy rediscovered the suffix Madalpour around the same time. This was a long time after Manou de Madalpour and Marcelle Adam. The name was recovered in Holland too as Madalpoer.

The expansion of the Birman cat was going well and in Vie a La Campagne a special edition was published and the Birman achieved a place of honour. In this edition there was an article by Mme Chaumont-Doisy, originally a breeder of Siamese cats, She wrote of the Birman “ The advantage he has over the Siamese is that he does not cry and is not so boisterous. He is mischievous but in a subtle way. It is difficult to describe his charm but I have been under his charm for the last five years a pleasure that does not fade. 

Breeding was going well until war broke out in 1940 Most of the breed disappeared during those dark days. No Birmans survived the war in Switzerland, Belgium or Italy. However due to the sacrifices made by two or three breeders in France one or two remained. Mlle Boyer managed to keep her cats but it was not easy. Fly de Kaabaa died in 1941 and Miarka her girl died the same year. Orloff de Kaabaa was born in 1943 to Micky and Baker, a son of Fly.  

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