Sacred Cat of Burma – Beautiful and Strongly Devoted to Its Human

The cats differ in character from the majority of their conspecifics: quite untypical of their species, they attach great importance to pleasing their humans. This makes them the ideal pet for cat lovers who do not want to put up with the self-will of house cats. Birman are easy to train and particularly well-behaved – typical cat mischief rarely occurs to them. But this does not mean that these cats are passive or even boring. They like to have their nose where there is something to discover, follow their human like a shadow and are fond of playtime with moving objects. Their lovable character makes the Sacred Cat of Burma the ideal family cat. It also gets along well with children or other pets such as sociable dogs.

The care of the Sacred Cat of Burma is relatively simple. The coat of the Sacred Cat of Burma should be brushed at least twice a week, with the prominent ruff being particularly in need of care. As the Sacred Cat of Burma has little undercoat, the risk of matting is low, but brushing contributes to their well-being and encourages bonding with their humans. The tail of the Sacred Cat of Burma is feathery and does not require extra grooming.

The Sacred Cat of Burma is an excellent indoor cat. If you are working, the Birman cat should have other cats for company, because it does not feel comfortable as a single cat. The Sacred Cat of Burma needs a lot of attention from its human, but is also very cooperative. It is easy to train and responds curiously to clicker training. Free roaming is only recommended to a limited extent: Due to its trustfulness towards strangers, the Sacred Cat of Burma can easily put itself in danger.

The spectrum of colours of the Birman cat is wide. The Sacred Cat of Burma comes in the various point colours such as Cream, Red, Lilac and Seal. Tabby and tortie markings have recently become popular in European breeding lines. Common to all Birmans are the strikingly bright blue eyes and the white paws, the symmetry of which is an important criterion for breeding evaluation. On the hind feet these markings should end in pointed “spurs”.

The systematic breeding of the Birman cat started in France at the beginning of the 20th century, the recognition as a breed took place there in 1925. In Europe, the breeding of the breed probably goes back to crosses of Siamese and/or Persian cats with cats imported from Burma. In fact, the Sacred Cat of Burma visually resembles a mixture of Persian and Siamese. In the 1930s, breeding also flourished in Germany, but was interrupted throughout Europe by the war. It was not until 1955 that the breeding population in France stabilised again. Today, the breeding of the Birman cat is secure.