Birman

n. family name

The Birman is a breed of domestic cat. This breed has a pale coloured body and darker points with deep blue eyes.
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adj. Burmese, of or pertaining to Burma

n. Burmese, resident or residents of Burma

Lilac point Birman
Photo: Chanan Photography

Weight: 8-11 lbs.
Overview
The Birman, also called the Sacred Cat of Burma, is sometimes described as puppylike--it is playful and will follow its owner everywhere. These loving, placid cats make great companions for children: they can be carried around in all sorts of positions and don't mind being held on their backs. They are not particularly vocal.
Appearance
Birmans are large, powerfully built cats, stocky in body and legs. The head is broad and rounded, with round, vividly blue eyes and medium-size ears that are as wide at the base as they are tall. The Birman's coat is medium to long and silky in texture, with a relatively sparse undercoat that is not prone to matting. Some breed associations recognize only the traditional Siamese point colors: seal, blue, chocolate, and lilac. Others allow a number of other solid point colors, lynx points, and tortie points. The feet are white and, ideally, the fur is tinged with gold.
Origins
According to an ancient Burmese legend, one hundred pure white cats with yellow eyes served as sacred companions to the priests of a temple that held a golden statue of a blue-eyed goddess. Following an attack on the temple, one of the cats assumed the characteristics of the idol at the moment of his master's death: his fur became tinged with gold and his eyes turned sapphire blue. His extremities darkened to the color of the earth, but his feet, which touched the body of his master, stayed white. The remaining cats also acquired the coloration that is seen in the Sacred Cats of Burma (modern Myanmar) to this day. The modern history of this breed is not quite as fanciful as the legend. Many sources agree that French breeders crossed one of the temple cats with either a Persian or a Siamese, thereby initiating the breed we know as Birman. Some skeptics argue, however, that the breed did not originate in Burma at all but was created by French breeders. This theory is not very popular.

Burmese