CHILDREN’S WORLD – PETS – CATS II - The Sacred Cat of Burma

The Sacred Cat of Burma (the Birman) The Sacred Cat of Burma is the most mystical breed and how they came to be is actually unknown. Legend says that in the Buddhist temple of Lao-Tsun in Indochina lived a white cat called Sinnom and that one day robbers came to kill the priest who was feeding the cat. The cat jumped on his master and his coat became the same colour as that of the skin of the goddess to whom the temple was dedicated. The robbers got scared and fled and all the cats there have acquired this striking appearance. The first verified data about the breed is a plaque given to a British officer who aided the priests of the temple. The plaque shows the Birman with sapphire eyes. The Birman has fascinating bright blue eyes and the coat is in the pointed pattern, from white to light brown, with darker points on the face, ears, legs and tail, just like the Himalayan. His coat is medium long, and may be longer on his back, thighs, neck and belly. His paws and belly have to remain white, as a symbol of purity, because they touched the priest’s body. The symmetry of the “gloves and laces”, i.e. “white mittens” is of key importance. It is unknown how the breed reached other parts of the world, but it is presumed that a person from the temple stole a pair of cats to sell them to a rich American. The first photograph of the Birman dates to 1930s and was taken in France. The name of the cat in the photograph was Dieu d’Arakan. He and several kittens were later sold to Germany to several owners. Since then the Birman is a regular show cat. They became very popular in the 1960s when the breed became well-established. The Birman is beautiful and affectionate and a wonderful pet. Boris Cebović, breeder of small animals