After being introduced to Europe, the Birmancat was established as a fixed breed in the United Kingdom and the United States, and then they were recognized in the United States. The Birmancat has a body shape similar to that of the Persian and Himalayan cats, as well as the spots of the Siamese cat. They are strong-boned, with a broad, round head, straight nose and plump face; cheeks and ears are V-shaped; the whole body is covered with long silvery-white fur, while the face, ears, legs and tail fur are darker, and the four paws are white, just like wearing white gloves, hence the name “four hooves on snow”.
There is a beautiful legend about the color of the Birmancat’s coat: hundreds of years ago, the Khmer people in Asia built a goddess temple dedicated to a golden goddess with a pair of ruby blue eyes. The devout monk Mum-Ha used to kneel in front of the statue of the goddess and meditate silently, while Sinh, the beautiful white cat he kept in the temple, sat beside him and watched the goddess. One dark night, thieves attacked the temple and killed Mum-Ha. After Mum-Ha’s death, Sinh placed his feet on his master’s body and turned his face toward the statue of the goddess. At that moment, his white fur turned golden yellow, his yellow eyes turned ruby blue like the statue of the goddess, and his four white legs turned brown like the earth – but the feet on his master’s body remained snow white, symbolizing purity. The next morning, all of the temple’s hundred white cats turned the same color as Sinh. Since then Sinh has not left the altar one step, and after seven days also left the world, taking the owner’s soul into heaven. From then on, whenever a cat died in this temple, people would say that a monk’s soul went with it.
Because of this religious aura, the Birman cat is full of wireless mystery.
- Birman Cat Morphological Characteristics
Many people will confuse the Birman cat with the Ragdoll and Siamese cats, but in fact they are three different cats, and we can get a glimpse of their origins: the Birmancat comes from Burma, the Ragdoll cat was born in the United States, and the Siamese cat is native to Thailand. In addition, they are different in size, with the Ragdoll being a large cat and the Birmanand Siamese being medium sized. To better understand the difference between the Birman Cat and other cats, you must understand their morphological characteristics.
Detailed morphological description of the Birman Cat
Overall: The Birman Cat is longer in size than the typical Persian cat, while the face is narrower and the trunk coat is light golden yellow in contrast to the color of the face, ears, head and tail.
Appearance: Medium to large in size. The body and head are strong, and the center of gravity is low, giving the impression of sturdiness. The ear tips are slightly rounded. The tips of the front paws are white, and all the way to the back of the legs are white. With its unique sapphire eyes, four snow-white gloved paws, and confusing origins, the Birmancat is known as the “Holy Cat of Burma” and has a unique temperament.
Head: The front of the head is tilted to the back and slightly convex. The cheeks are well muscled and rounded. The facial hair is short, but the outer cheek hair is long and the whiskers are dense.
Ears: Medium length. The ears are large and erected forward, slightly rounded at the ends, with the tips of the ears widely spaced and the roots of the ears moderately spaced, with a characteristic “V” shape to the cheeks and ears, in harmony with the head corridor. Eyes: Round and large, they appear to be talking and are widely spaced. The color of the eyes is clear blue, dark blue is more desirable than light blue.
Nose: The nose is high and straight, of medium length, with a slightly slow descending tip and a slightly hawk-like nose.
Limbs: the limbs are thick and short, with well-developed bones and strong, powerful muscles; the front limbs are upright.
Feet: toes large and round, grip, short and strong claws, claws white, like wearing white gloves. The part of the front toe is called the “glove”, and the part of the hind toe is called “Laces” (Laces), and extends to the joint point.
Tail: The tail is medium long, in harmony with the body, with dense tail hair.
Eyes: Round and large, sapphire and greenish.
Coat: medium-length hair, not tangled, easy to comb, long and thick, hair quality like silk, fine and lustrous; neck trim hair is long, but the scapular coat is short; chest to lower abdomen coat is slightly corrugated; abdomen coat allows a small amount of curl. The body hair should be monochrome without stripes, but a small amount of dark color is allowed in the seal color spots and blue spots. The more contrast between the body coat and the spots, the better. The spots on the face, ears, limbs and tail should be the same color, and the tips of the spots should not be mixed with white. The four paws should be white.
Coat color: seal, blue, chocolate, lilac, red, cream and tortoiseshell.
Color spots: accent color base, with or without bobcat stripes.
Coat Quality: Shiny, long and thick coat that covers the whole body.
When selecting a Birman cat, you can judge whether the cat’s character is ideal based on the above characteristics. Any deviation proves that the cat may be mixed with other bloodlines, and their character may be different from that of purebred cats, and of course the price will be lower than that of purebred cats.
- Birman cat personality characteristics
Birman cats are very affectionate cats, and their feelings for their owners are completely different from those for other people. They want to be noticed and pampered by their owners, and they also want their owners to spend more time with them. People who have Birman cats may find that although the cats are very close to themselves, they are not so “friendly” to other people, and they may refuse to hug them.
Of course, some Birman cats are not afraid of strangers, they can even have a little interaction with strangers, but these do not mean that they immediately have feelings for you, want to become their heart “he”, you still have to learn to accept more tests. But you don’t have to worry, even the timid Birman cats will not be hostile to you, because they are naturally gentle and friendly, but some cats need a longer time to adapt to get along with you.
Like Persian cats, Birman cats have a sweet voice, and when they want their owners to accompany them, they will purr smartly and sweetly, and the owners can only surrender and run to the cat’s arms immediately. In addition, Birman cats are typical “Virgo” cats, they love cleanliness, the litter box is not cleaned in a timely manner, the living environment is dirty, etc. will make them crazy, so the owner has to do a good job of hygiene when raising Birman cats, otherwise even the cat will dislike you.
Although Birman cats are domestic cats, they are also eager to walk and look at the outside world. If you have a small patio at home, you will find that Birman cats will often look closely at the patio through the glass. You can take them out for a walk while wearing a leash for your cat. It is important to note that when other animals are present, keep a close eye on the cat and intervene humanely as soon as you notice signs of war to be started.
- Birman Cat Care Knowledge
Although Birman cats are not currently introduced in China, there are still many people who like Birman cats who have purchased the cats through various channels. However, because almost no one around has kept Birman cats, in how to raise Birman cats on this issue, many owners are in trouble, in fact, owners can not need to think of Birman cats as mysterious, their care and other cats are not particularly different, but in some details, the owner may have to make some changes.
I. Deworming and immunization should all be done
Do regularly vaccinate Borman cats against rabies and other diseases, and when bitten or scratched by cats, they should be treated in hospital in time. Do deworm the cat regularly. If the cat is not used for breeding, it is better to do de-worming surgery for the cat.
II. Be careful in feeding
When raising Birman cats at home, attention should also be paid to the food eaten by people to be kept as safe as possible and not to be gnawed by cats. Once the food is found to have been gnawed by the cat, it is best to throw it away and not to eat it again. When feeding cats with animal liver, it is best not to do so more than 1-2 times a week. Otherwise, Birman cats are prone to illness if they eat too much. During the growth and development period of Birman cats and the period of pregnancy and nursing kittens, some raw meat, raw liver and milk can be fed appropriately, which can prevent Birman cats from suffering from vitamin deficiency. If Birman cats are found to have mouth ulcers and wasting, some raw meat or raw animal liver can also be fed.
III. Gentle and rigid way of tempering
When coaching young Borman cats, both rigid and soft should be used. Rigid means strict requirements and strong stimulation when necessary, soft means kind, patient and careful, and timely rewards. Avoid scolding and treating young cats roughly. Make the kitten form a good conditioned reflex. When you need to scratch the cat or hold the cat, do not scratch the cat’s ears, pull the cat’s tail and grab the limbs. Otherwise, it is easy to break the cat’s ears or be bitten or scratched by the cat. The correct method should be to grab the skin of the cat’s neck or back with the right hand and quickly use the left hand to hold the cat while stroking the cat’s head with the right hand.
IV. Care of pregnant cats
For pregnant cats, it is best not to be too partial to food, otherwise it will make the pregnant cat too fat, especially in the late stage of pregnancy, otherwise, it will cause a difficult birth. When the pregnant cat is in labor, care should be taken to keep the environment quiet and the light should be dark, and never let people watch casually, and never touch the pregnant cat with their hands. Otherwise, the normal delivery of the pregnant cat will be affected and the mother will refuse to feed or eat her litter. After the cat has given birth, it is best not to disturb the mother cat, and the delivery box should not be cleaned or casually moved. Do not move the kitten, and if necessary, do not catch it directly with your hands. You should first put on clean gloves or use a clean cloth to smear the mother cat’s excrement or secretions before moving the kitten. To prevent the occurrence of the phenomenon of the mother cat resisting and eating the litter.
V. Handling of the cat’s afterlife
After the death of the Birmancat, the body of the dead cat should be handled. Whether the cat dies normally or due to infectious disease or poisoning, the body should be buried or burned. Do not take any chances to avoid future problems. It is best to bury or burn the dead cat along with its utensils to prevent infecting other cats or causing environmental pollution.
In the process of maintenance, if you find some abnormal behavior of the cat, you should seek help from the veterinarian in time to avoid the situation that the cat is sick but not treated in time. In addition, because there are fewer people who keep Birman cats, owners can look up some information before buying a Birman cat and decide whether they want to keep a Birman cat after understanding the basic habits of cats, susceptibility to diseases and other knowledge.
- Birman Cat Feeding Requirements
“The question of whether feeding cat food to Birman cats will lead to malnutrition is an old one, and experts say that even if cats do not consume other foods, they will not suffer from malnutrition. In fact, almost every cat owner feeds their cats some homemade cat food, but for cats, although homemade cat food can bring temporary taste enjoyment, long-term consumption of improperly handled or unbalanced homemade food can cause many adverse effects on cats. So what taboos do owners need to be aware of when feeding Birman cats?
Animal liver: Some cats love to eat animal liver and refuse to eat other foods. Animal liver contains a large amount of vitamin A, but excessive intake of vitamin A can lead to muscle stiffness, neck pain, bone and joint deformation and liver disease.
High-fat foods: If the cat’s diet contains a lot of high-fat fish or fatty meat that is not fresh, this can lead to insufficient intake of vitamin E, which in turn can cause inflammation and extreme pain in the cat’s body fat.
Raw fish: Some raw fish contain enzymes that can destroy vitamin B1, and vitamin B1 deficiency can lead to neurological disease in cats and can be fatal in severe cases. This enzyme can be destroyed by heating, so be sure to cook the fish before feeding it to the cat.
Meat: Although the cat’s diet should be based on meat, feeding cats only meat can lead to uneven intake of minerals and vitamins, which can lead to serious disorders of bone metabolism.
Dog food: The nutrients in dog food are not the same as those in cat food, and the nutrients in dog food are not able to meet the needs of cats. Although both dogs and cats are carnivores, dogs do not have as great a need for nutrients as cats.
Cod liver oil: Special care should be taken when supplementing cats with additional vitamins and minerals. Excessive consumption of cod liver oil can lead to excessive intake of vitamin A and vitamin D, which in turn can lead to bone disease.
In addition to these foods mentioned above, owners must also control the supply of snacks. Although small, snacks can have a significant impact on cats, and if cats are allowed to eat snacks, they will be more prone to obesity and urinary tract diseases than other cats. In addition, clinically we often encounter Birman cats with high uric acid, which is caused by the uninterrupted supply of high protein food (such as shrimp) that the owner knows the cat likes to eat, and owners must pay attention to this.
