ARTICLE 2

The Birman Cat or Sacred Cat

(translated from an article published in a French magazine,

Vie A La Campagne – Country Life – in April 1935)

The Birman Cat, sometimes called Sacred Cat of Burma has been known in France and in Europe since 1925.  The first example imported into a Western country would have been imported into France.  Currently the breeding seems to be in decline, the majority of handsome specimens produced in the last 10 years are gradually disappearing without always being replaced. This state of affairs justifies some efforts to rebuild the breed.

 ORIGINS:  The origins of the Birman Cat are debatable, in spite of its precise name.  Several authors have created a legendary animal, and one should apparently look for the origins of these magnificent animals in the Temple of Lao-Tsun, in Burma.

 Apart from the writings of Sir Russell Gordon and Auguste Pavie, there is no document that pinpoints the origins of these Cats.  After six years of personal research and 10 years of being bred in France, the Birman cat remains just as mysterious, as far as its origins go, and no new imported cat has been able to be seen, and consequently, studied.

 The first pair of Birman cats, brought to France around 1925 by Mme Thadde-Hadisch, came from the temple of Lao-Tsun, where these creatures are jealously guarded. The male died on the boat during the crossing, and the female, which fortunately had been mated, had a litter of Birman kittens in Nice . Among these Kittens, a female, Poupee, was noted as having the most perfect Birman type.

This female was subsequently mated by a Siamese Cat, who, at this time, was christened a Cat of Laos, for the occasion…..Lacking a Birman male, it was necessary to try something. This was partially successful. From litter to litter and from selection to selection, the descendants improved.  Preference was given to youngsters whose appearance most resembled the first breeding cats.  And so the Madalpour stock were created, named after the first male who perished before reaching France.

 Going by the principle that  Poupee had been mated by a Siamese, other breeders crossed their Birman cats of Madalpour stock with gloved Siamese Cats, that is, the ends of whose paws were white.  By frequently renewing the blood of their breeding  cats, they produced more vigorous individuals who conformed more closely to the type of the first Birmans.  This was another branch of Birmans, much superior to the old one. Currently the breeding seems to have stopped with these first attempts.

It is not impossible that the Birman Cat is the ancestor of the Siamese Cat., or at least a close relative. There are in fact many similarities between these two breeds – type, coat colour, eyes, ease of intermating, housing conditions, and similarity of voice.  The Birman Cat may have long ago crossed with the tailless cat of Indo-China and produced Siamese cats, whose broken, kinked, or shortened tail proves the contribution of the Indo-Chinese cat.  The white paws which are sought after in the Birman cat are frequent in Siamese Cats. Longhaired individuals appear sometimes in litters of Siamese.  These phenomena are simply reversions to the ancestral type and indicate a common origin between the two races.  Finally, it should be reported that a cross of Birman with gloved Siamese gives, at the end of the second generation, a good proportion of Birman types and that these, crossed among themselves, give at least 90 per cent Birman type kittens.

 PROTOTYPE OF PERFECTION 

Head: strong, broad and round. Nose: on the short side. Muzzle:  almost square, with long, profuse whiskers, lips slightly open showing strong canines.  Skull: rounded.  Eyes: round, set a little obliquely and intensely blue. Ears: large and upright, furnished on the inside with white hairs. Neck: strong, and adorned in the male with a thick mane of long hair.

Body: Long, massive and carried quite low. Chest: broad. Back: straight. Legs: quite short and thick. Feet: furnished with long, sharp claws. Tail: long and straight without any bumps or kinks, very thick, often carried upright over the body.

Coat: The hair is long or semi-long depending on the part of the body. It is very long and silky around the neck of the male; long also on the flanks and stomach, where it is curly.  On the tail the hair is long and flat.  The head is covered with relatively short hair, but the hair is longer on the cheeks, like the sideburns of the tiger.  It is slightly woolly on the back of the thighs.  The undercoat is dense. 

Colour: The light areas are a shade of deep cream shading to white (stomach, under the neck, ruff, paws).  The dark parts are seal brown, and look like those of a Siamese. The whole has golden tints, especially when the cat is in full light, this is why, incidentally, the English call it the Gold Cat. The spine line is  slightly bronze coloured.  The mask is very distinct. The paws are slightly lighter and finish in the purest shade of white. This white colour on the paws is not even: higher on the back paws than the front paws.  It also forms a kind of boot, rising higher behind the paw.  The tail is dark, with the ends of the hairs golden.  Weight: the average is 3-4kg.  The male is much heavier than the female.

Faults and disqualifications. Head: too pointed. Eyes: pale blue.  Hair: any other colour than those indicated.  Paws: not gloved.  Tail: kinked, too short, or too thin. Coat: short, hard, or lying flat over all of body. Stomach and breast: shaded.

 Qualities and abilities: The Birman Cat is an excellent companion, as faithful as a Dog could be. It is very gentle, and playful even as an adult. It climbs and jumps like a Siamese, but it is less highly strung, and enthusiasts say it is more sociable.  It is very intelligent and is not inferior in any respect to other pedigree breeds. It is the Family Cat par excellence .

 STANDARD OF POINTS: Colour and markings: 25 points. Coat: 20 points. Head: 15 points. Eyes: 20 points. Body: 10 points. Tail: 10 points. Total: 100.

 PRINCIPAL CHAMPIONS: Since Poupee de Madalpour, some handsome individuals have featured in the list of winners of this splendid breed. These are: Manou, Hiramroi, Lon- Saito, Lon-Golden, Ubu, Bijou, Djaipour, Nafaghy, Sita II, Sita III, Idjadi-Tsun,, Yadi. Then, individuals coming from recent crosses and much superior in looks and particularly in hardiness: Soleil D’Arakan, Bouli D’Arakan, Dieu D’Arakan, the handsomest and most perfect type cat bred to this day, Prince de Rangoon, Reins De Rangoon.

BREEDING METHOD 

Raising Birmans is as easy as raising any other breed of Cats.  The Birman is an indoor cat, but it adapts very well to outside life and even seems to prefer it.  Indeed, it  is not sensitive to the cold, and a moderate temperature is sufficient for it.  

 Its food is nothing special, however like all Cats , it likes meat and needs it.  Meat based food is therefore recommended for the Birman.  However it can get used to fish and rice, but this food is deficient for its needs. Give very little milk to adults.

 Make up the meals as follows: raw meat (horse), 3 days a week, boiled fish, 2 days a week, sardines in oil, 2 days a week.  At the same time mix rice, stale breadcrumbs, and green vegetables (optional) with the food.

 For breeding , the choice of individuals is quite difficult in this breed with rare characteristics. Let the male at least be perfect, if the female is not; avoid the opposite as far as possible. According to these ideas, you may very well cross a Birman with a gloved Siamese.

 Do not proceed with matings before the age of 12 months, particularly for young females, that is, after their first heat.

 The young are born like Siamese. The rearing of them is the same; their care and food are identical. At one month old, wean the Kittens. Give them milk and rice. Then white boiled fish, mixed with milk and the inside of a loaf. Dry the food more and more, ending up with dry fish. Always cook the fish.  Begin to give raw meat in small quantities towards the third month, first at one meal, then at two, to end up with 6 meals a week.  Give only water to drink.

 Selection. From birth, separate out the unfit Kittens and examine the obviously defective individuals. Look at the eyes. If some of them have a pussy discharge, put one drop of Argyrol in the eye for two days. If this does not work, euthanize the animal, which could infect the whole litter, and at the same time lose its sight.  Towards the tenth month, the Kitten takes on the appearance of an adult. The fur begins to lengthen. Care for the coat by frequent brushing.

 MARKETING.  The Birman cat is one of the aristocrats of the feline family. Its unquestionable beauty, and especially its rarity, has made it one of the most expensive cats to buy.  Its breeding can therefore be quite lucrative, if success and luck smile on you.

 Some individuals have reached fantastic prices. Young kittens at weaning (two months) are worth 1500 to 2000 francs.  Adults vary, depending on the beauty and perfection of type.  A very well gloved specimen and perfect in every respect may be worth 15000 to 20000 francs. An average individual will cost around 5000 francs.  Stud service costs an average of 500 francs.

 These are prices in francs and cannot be compared with the prices of such cats of other breeds, sold in England at rates in pounds.  Always, in order to compare values, divide the English price by three. Conversely, in relation to the prices of Persian cats, sold in England, a Birman of good quality would be worth 60 000 francs or so on the other side of the Channel.  This is clearly a huge price to achieve.

 An interesting fact to note: apart from Belgium and Italy, where pet owners have acquired Birmans, France seems to be the only country which, at the current moment, possesses these extremely rare Cats.

BAUDOUIN-CREVOISIER

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