Sacré de Birmanie

		Sacré de Birmanie
		Translation Francis Vandersteen
		Origin The Sacré de Birmanie, or Birman, is a cat breed originally from France.


This medium-sized cat is characterized by its semi-longhair coat, which has the same colorpoint pattern as the Siamese.

A brief historical overview

A widespread legend, attributed to novelist Marcelle Adam, is associated with the Birman. It tells how, long ago in Burma, in a temple dedicated to a golden goddess with sapphire eyes, an old priest owned a white cat named Sinh. One day, the temple was invaded and the enemies killed the old priest. Sinh jumped on his master's head and looked into the eyes of the statue of the goddess. His eyes turned sapphire like those of the goddess and his fur took on a golden hue, except for his paws, which remained white like the old priest's hair. A few days later, Sinh died of grief and all the cats living in the temple underwent the same metamorphosis, becoming the first Sacré de Birmanie cats.
It is said that this cat was stolen from the Lao Tsun temple in Burma and that the first pair of these cats were brought to France on the yacht of an American billionaire in 1920. The male died during the crossing, but the female Sita, who had been covered, gave birth to a litter of kittens, including a female named Poupée de Madalpour.
However, no proof of this story has ever been given.
If Poupée de Madalpour did exist, there is no record of her actual ancestry. Given the lack of certainty, it is generally assumed that the Burmese was born in France in the 1920s, from a chance mating between a white-gloved Siamese and a Persian, of which he appears to be the perfect intermediary. While this hypothesis eludes the mystery of the breed's emergence, it is not entirely satisfactory either. Some argue that in the United States, such a cross was reproduced between Siamese and Persian, but with an ungloved Siamese, to give the Himalayen, whose characteristics were at the time similar to the Burmese, but after the war when the breed was nearly decimated, similar attempts to crossbreed Siamese and Persian were made in France, resulting in ungloved cats known as “colorpoint” (these cats were probably a second starting point for the Himalayen).
However, these “easy” answers don't explain why Dr. Jumaud (veterinarian and future founder of France's first cat club) mentions the Burmese in his final thesis, a few years before the first mentions of Poupée de Madalpour, or the cat that would immediately establish the Burmese as a major breed : Dieu d'Arakan. In this thesis, Dr. Jumaud mentions sightings of this cat in Asia.
After the Second World War, there was only one pair left (Orloff & Xénia de Kaabaa), from which all the cats of this breed currently in existence in the world are descended, as testified by the Livre d'Origines of the Fédération Féline Française. Thanks to the hard work of breeders such as Boyer and Simone Poirier, the breed came back to the fore. A few crosses were made with the Persan to limit inbreeding and restore the pre-war morphological type.
In 1950, the breed was officially renamed Sacré de Birmanie to avoid confusion between the Birman and the Burmese.

General appearance

Halfway between the Siamese, whose markings and colors it shares, and the Persan, whose coat it has partially inherited, the Sacré de Birmanie must be considered a very special breed, as it must meet very specific requirements in terms of color distribution (colorpoint with white highlights), coat quality and morphology.
The Sacré de Birmanie must not be confused with the Ragdoll, Raggamuffin or Neva Masquerade. It cannot be crossed with these breeds, nor with any other.

Behavior / characteristics

The Sacré de Birmanie is often described as an affectionate, gentle cat. Some breeders describe the Birman as a playful cat. Despite its resemblance to the Siamese, it is said not to have the Siamese temperament, being calm and soft-spoken. They are sociable and adapt well to family life. The Birman adapts its behavior to its master's living habits, in other words, the Birman is affectionate in a loving environment.
Kittens should be socialized after the 14th day. The kitten must be gently tamed so that it doesn't develop fears. At around 25 days of age, they begin to leave the nest to explore their environment under their mother's watchful eye. This period of development is crucial for optimizing socialization, which is why caging should be avoided.
However, these traits are perfectly individual and depend on each cat's history. Being highly sensitive, all Sacré de Birmanie cats become fearful in an environment that lacks harmony.
Sacré de Birmanie cats don't like to live alone, they get bored and prefer the company of other cats of the same breed.

Head
Cranial region
Head		The head is medium-sized, broad and rounded. In profile, it is slightly longer than it is wide. It has full cheeks and a slightly rounded forehead.

Facial region
Foreface		The face is neither crushed like that of the Persan, nor pointed like that of the Siamese. If a Burmese has a head characteristic of one of these two breeds, this is considered a fault.
Nose		The Birman has a Roman profile, i.e. a short, arched, straight nose.
Muzzle		The muzzle is broad with a strong chin.
Eyes		The eyes are large, not quite round and set wide apart. They are always blue. The most intense blue (almost indigo) is the most sought-after color. Kittens have darker blue eyes. By 16 weeks of age, eye color has stabilized.
Ears		Medium to large ears, almost as wide as they are high. The tips are rounded and the inside of the auricle is well furred. They should not be too far apart.

Body
Generality		This cat is of medium size. It has a massive, moderately long body and heavy bones. Too fine a bone structure will result in penalties.
Back		Straight, even back.

Tail

Medium-sized, proportionate to the body.

Limbs

The legs are medium-sized, well muscled and, like the rest of the body, strong-boned. They should, however, remain proportionate to the body.
Forequarters

Hindquarters

Feet

Large, round feet.

Coat
Coat and texture		The coat is medium-length and very silky, with a light undercoat that prevents tangling. There are different lengths of hair all over the body : short on the face, it lengthens from the cheeks to a large ruff, especially on males. It becomes even longer on the back and flanks. Under the belly, the hair can frizz. The only coat permitted is colorpoint, with white trim on the legs. This is one of the breed's particular characteristics, but also one of the main difficulties in breeding. The gloves on the hind legs in particular must end in a point on the underside of the legs. In cat shows, the absence of a glove is even grounds for disqualification. Gloves that are too short or, on the contrary, too long are defects, as are white patches on the chin, throat or belly (unlike the mitted ragdoll, with which it is often confused). On the other hand, any colored spot on the girth is a serious fault and eliminatory for feline judges. A tail with a white tip is a disqualifying criterion. The front legs have white gloves ending in a straight line at the junction between foot and leg. The hind legs have white gloves running in a straight line up the back of the leg and ending in a point from half to three-quarters of the heel (spurs). Regularity between front and rear glove heights is desirable. The pads are pink and/or of a color corresponding to the cat's basic color. Most associations recognize only four varieties. However, new varieties are beginning to be recognized. But variety creation is a controversial issue among breeders, as it involves crossing with other breeds. Some breeders believe there is a risk of modifying morphological and coat type, to the detriment of gait quality.
Color and ticking		Sacré de Birmanie cats were originally bred with seal colorpoint, the black gene. All other colors, as well as the tabby, tortie, torbie, smoke and silver patterns, have been imported from other breeds, following a strict protocol to maintain the Burmese breed criteria. The basic colors are : - Seal point : the points are dark brown, the body is pale cream, the nose is dark brown and the pads are pink and dark brown. - Chocolate point : the points are milk chocolate, the body is ivory, the nose is pinkish cinnamon, while the pads are pink and light chocolate. - Blue point : blue-gray points, bluish-white body, slate-blue nose, pink and blue-gray pads. - The lilac point : the points are steel-gray, the body is ice-white, the nose is mauve and the pads are pink and lavender-pink. - Red point : the points are red, the body is creamy-white, the nose is pink and the pads are pink. - Cream point : this color is produced by diluting the red gene. This produces a slightly paler, less vibrant color than red. It should be noted that cats carrying the lilac gene have a paler body color. This is a fixed breed. No outcrossing is permitted. Cross-breeding for the introduction of a new color is carried out within a strict framework, after acceptance of a detailed program submitted for prior approval by the competent stud book. The smoke pattern was imported from the Maine Coon. This import protocol is accepted by TICA (The International Cat Association).

Details: Written by: Francis Vandersteen; Also available:; Last Updated: 28 July 2024; Hits: 232

Sacré de Birmanie