Birman cats are gentle, loving and
playful. They tend to get along fairly well with other cats and pets of
other breeds, 
but may be jealous if their human companions offer more
attention to other animals. Overall, though, they are less demanding of
attention than other breeds like Siamese. Birman cats are generally patient and
loving with children, making them good family pets.
The Birman is a large, solid cat with long hair that has a silky texture.
Their color points are similar to Siamese and may be seal point, lilac point,
blue point or chocolate point. Light in color, the Birman often appears to have
been “misted” with gold. They have large, round, blue eyes. Birman cats have
white “gloves” on their feet. For best showing, these gloves should go across
the front paws in a straight line, while on the back paws the white continues
midway up the leg. 
Birman cats originated in Burma, and a pair of them was believed to have been smuggled to France in 1919. Sadly, the male did not survive the trip. Luckily, however, the female not only survived the journey, but was pregnant and thus carried on the breed. The Birman was first listed as an official breed in France in 1925. In another nearly devastating blow to the breed, there were only two of these cats alive in all of Europe by the end of World War II. Through care and diligence, they were out-crossed to successfully re-establish the breed.
Birman are single coated cats, but their long hair means they do need a good bit of grooming to keep their coats clean and untangled. The lack of an undercoat and the breed-specific non-matting texture of the coat make them easier to groom than many other longhaired breeds. Although weekly combing will generally suffice for a Birman, many enjoy being groomed and wish to be pampered more frequently. Birman cats are not prone to any specific diseases or ailments, and often live fifteen years or even longer. On average, a litter of Birman cats is six kittens, although larger litters of ten or even more are not terribly uncommon.
