Vivienne Smith begins to describe some of the fascination of the Birman in her 'Introduction' to the excellent book 'The Birman Cat Worldwide' (Designed and printed by Bernard Kaymar Ltd., Preston, Lancashire.  PR1 4AL ISBN 0 9518799 0 1)  She writes:

"Birmans, or the Sacred Cats of Burma as they are otherwise known, are a beautiful and unique breed of Oriental - type semi-longhair cat.  Their colouring is similar to that of the Siamese, but there the resemblance ends.  They have long, silky coats, but they do not have the Persian type of face.  They are very affectionate and make devoted pets, simply demanding devoted owners!  If you are owned by a Birman, you will inevitably be under the paw.

Upon seeing Birmans for the first time people often ask, 'What are those pretty cats?  Are they long-haired Siamese?  Are they colourpoints?' On being told they are Birmans, they invariably reply 'Oh, yes, Burmese, we've heard of those!'"

The book then contains an excellent chapter with some interesting articles about the origin of the breed which, I suggest readers might consult.  Here I merely offer a 'potted version of the legend' and a few comments on history.

The reincarnation of souls and a deep love for priests is the basis for the legend of the Sacred Cats of Burma:-

Once upon a time, before the days of Buddha, the Khmer people built beautiful temples to honour their gods - particularly the god Song-Hyo and the Goddess Tsun-Kyan-Kse.  One of these temples was Loa-Tsun, built on the sides of Mount Lugh.  Within the temple was kept a gold figure of the goddess, with her sapphire eyes and dedicating his life to prayer lived the very holy Kittah Mun-Ha - and also 100 pure white cats with golden eyes.  One of these was Sinh, the companion of the old priest.

One night Thai raiders attacked the temple, killing Mun-Ha as he knelt before the figure of the Goddess.  Immediately the cat Sinh jumped onto the body of his master and faced the Goddess.  The priest's soul entered the cat, and as it did so the white hair of its body became golden and its eyes became sapphire-blue like the goddess.  Its legs turned brown, except where the feet rested on its master and they remained white.

The transformation inspired the other priests to drive the raiders away and saved the temple from profanation and pillage.  Seven days later, Sinh also died carrying with him into paradise the soul of Mun-Ha.  And when seven days later, the assembled priests consulted before the statue to decide on Mun-Ha's successor, silently all the other white cats ran up, all dressed in gold with white gloves and with golden eyes transformed to sapphire blue.  Transformed just like Sinh they surrounded the youngest of the Kittahs and thus the reincarnated ancestors were designated by the will of the Goddess.  From then on, the priests guarded their sacred cats, believing them to have custody of the souls of the priests.  When a priest dies his soul is transmigrated into the body of a cat and upon the cat's death the priest's soul's transition into heaven has been accomplished.

The legend does not explain the actual scientific origins of the Birman cat and so there is some mystery which surrounds it's original origin.  The original Birmans of France are said to have been a gift from the priests of a new temple of Lao-Tsun in the mountains of Tibet.  Details differ with sources consulted but it seems that two cats were sent to France, possibly around 1916 - 1919, one - a male - dying in transit.  The French history is also very complicated - one account saying that the cats were given to a Major Russel Gordon and August Pavie as a token of gratitude for saving their sect from massacre.  Another account that a pair of stolen cats were given to an American millionaire, Mr. Vanderbilt while he was cruising in the Far East, gave the surviving pregnant female to a Mme. Thadde Hadisch and a litter of kittens was born in the French town of Nice in 1920.  It is agreed that the female, already pregnant, survived to become the founder of the pedigree Birman breed of Europe.

It is intriguing that when, in 1960, a pair of Tibetan Temple kittens were given to a North American cat lover, they had colouring identical to the Birman and were accompanied by the same legend - even down to the one hundred temple cats.

The breed was first recognised in France in 1925 by the 'Federation Feline Francais'.  Whatever it's true origin, the Birman is a fascinating variety which became very successful in France until WWII decimated the feline population.  After the war, the breed was again reduced to two individuals and it was a long time until it fully recovered.  Birmans were first taken to England in the 1960s but were not accepted for companionship competitions until 1966.

The Birman is now an exceptionally popular cat all over the world.  It's gentle, laid back nature makes it an ideal indoor pet, and easy-care coats suit the lifestyle of people who don't have so much time for grooming a long-haired cat such as a Persian.