- Shows all characteristics known from the Siamese pointed cats, but all four feet are white (gloves).
9 breeders are on record here.
Medium to large, colorpointed cat with long silky coat, white gloved paws, and striking blue eyes. Known for its gentle, docile temperament.
Legend says they were temple cats in Burma (Myanmar). The breed as known today was developed in France in the early 1900s. Nearly extinct after WWII but carefully rebuilt. Known as the Sacred Cat of Burma.
Generally described as affectionate, active, gentle, social, quiet and loyal.
That is the breed in general, not a promise about one animal. Ask the breeder what their own line is like, and meet the parents before you decide.
Breed reference from The Cat API.
Drawn from sources, not opinion: The Cat API; Teng et al. 2024, median age at death; Abitbol et al. 2015, PLOS ONE (Table 2, Birman row); FIFe breed standard. An empty column means we hold nothing for that side, not that there is nothing to say.
The Birman standard is published by the FIFe (Fédération Internationale Féline), the international federation of pedigree-cat clubs, and it is what show judges apply. This section sums up what it says about coat and colour. It does not assess any one animal: use it to know what to ask the breeder.
Long to semi-long, according to the actual parts of the body: short on the face, gradually growing longer on the cheeks to a full frill, long on the back and the flanks.
Silky texture.
Little undercoat.
Shortened from FIFe standard SBI — each label is the standard’s own wording with the verdict lifted into the tag beside it. Read the full clause at source. FIFe lists this standard’s last modification as 2017. Text read on 31 Aug 2026.
A tick means FIFe recognises that colour in at least one variety with that pattern. It does not mean every combination is recognised.
| Colour | Tabby | Smoke | Silver | Pointed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seal | Accepted | Accepted | Accepted | Accepted |
| Blue | Accepted | Accepted | Accepted | Accepted |
| Chocolate | Accepted | Accepted | Accepted | Accepted |
| Lilac | Accepted | Accepted | Accepted | Accepted |
| Red | Accepted | Accepted | Accepted | Accepted |
| Cream | Accepted | Accepted | Accepted | Accepted |
| Black tortie | Accepted | Accepted | Accepted | Accepted |
| Blue tortie | Accepted | Accepted | Accepted | Accepted |
| Chocolate tortie | Accepted | Accepted | Accepted | Accepted |
| Lilac tortie | Accepted | Accepted | Accepted | Accepted |
Read from the table at the end of the FIFe standard. Smoke, silver, golden and corin are FIFe’s own names; the exact EMS codes and the eye colours are in the standard.
The colour varieties FIFe recognises for this breed are listed, with their EMS codes, in the table at the end of its standard. FIFe describes each colour group in the General Part of its standards.
The colours and patterns the standard admits, and what it prefers, discourages or disqualifies in each. An accepted colour says nothing about health. Quotations from the FIFe are in English, as the standard publishes them; the headings are ours.
Known hereditary risks for the Birman breed, and the specific documentation to request from any breeder before paying a deposit. A responsible breeder will have these readily available; deflection is a red flag.
2 conditions documentedThis is breed-level literature, not veterinary advice about an individual animal — your vet knows the animal.
Health checklist (PDF)Documented in this breed, but no source says how many of its dogs carry or have them. That is a gap in the evidence, not a sign they are rare.
Breed-level information from The Cat API. It describes the Birman in general; any individual animal can differ.
A degenerative nerve disease reported in related Birman kittens, causing progressive unsteadiness and weakness in the hind legs from a young age. No causative gene has been identified, so there is no DNA test; the original report describes it as being of suspected, not confirmed, inherited origin.
What to ask for
No DNA test exists — ask whether the line has any history of unexplained hind-limb weakness or unsteadiness in young kittens
An autosomal recessive deletion in the FOXN1 gene that causes kittens to be born with little to no coat and, more importantly, is associated with a much shorter lifespan. A validated DNA test exists and is the only reliable way to identify carriers, since the coat effect is not always obvious to the eye.
What to ask for
FOXN1 deletion DNA test (offered by Wisdom Panel and specialist feline genetics laboratories), on both parents
A degenerative nerve disease reported in related Birman kittens, causing progressive unsteadiness and weakness in the hind legs from a young age. No causative gene has been identified, so there is no DNA test; the original report describes it as being of suspected, not confirmed, inherited origin.
What to ask for
No DNA test exists — ask whether the line has any history of unexplained hind-limb weakness or unsteadiness in young kittens
An autosomal recessive deletion in the FOXN1 gene that causes kittens to be born with little to no coat and, more importantly, is associated with a much shorter lifespan. A validated DNA test exists and is the only reliable way to identify carriers, since the coat effect is not always obvious to the eye.
What to ask for
FOXN1 deletion DNA test (offered by Wisdom Panel and specialist feline genetics laboratories), on both parents
Median age at death 15.5 years
Middle half of deaths between 12.6 and 18.1 years, from 38 recorded deaths. 2.6% of them were before age two.
Computed from United Kingdom veterinary records covering 7,936 deaths. This is an age at death, not a life expectancy: half the cats of this breed in the records died younger.
Dataset: O'Neill, D. & Teng, K.T. (2024), Figshare, doi:10.6084/m9.figshare.25006802, CC BY 4.0. Teng, K.T., Brodbelt, D.C., Church, D.B. & O'Neill, D.G. (2024) Life tables of annual life expectancy and risk factors for mortality in cats in the United Kingdom. Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery 26(5).