No clear record of the breed's origin exists. They are most often claimed to have originated as the companions of temple priests in northern Burma in the Mount of Lugh. Many stories exist of how the cats first came to France, including pairs of cats being given as a reward for helping defend a temple, or being smuggled out of Burma and
Sweden by a
Vanderbilt. Another pair of Birmans (or a pregnant female called
Poupée de Maldapour) were said to have been stolen and later imported to France by Thadde Haddisch. The first traces of historical Birmans go back to a Mme Leotardi in
Nice, France. Birmans were almost wiped out as a breed during
World War II. Only two cats were alive in Europe at the end of the war, a pair named Orloff and Xenia de Kaabaa, both belonging to Baudoin-Crevoisier. The foundation of the breed in postwar France were offspring of this pair. They had to be heavily outcrossed with long-hair breeds such as
Persian and
Siamese to rebuild the Birman breed. By the early 1950s, pure Birman litters were again being produced. The restored breed was recognized in Britain in 1965 and by the
Cat Fanciers' Association (CFA) in 1966. The first Birman cats were seal point. The blue point colour was introduced in 1959 using blue Persian lines. New colours were later added by English breeders including chocolate, red, and
tabby/
lynx points. Birmans have also been used in the development of new breeds such as the
Ragdoll.
Breed recognition The Birman breed was first recognized in France by the Cat Club de France in 1925, the
Fédération Internationale Féline (FIFé) in 1949, in England by the
Governing Council of the Cat Fancy (GCCF) in 1966, and in United States by the CFA in 1967. The breed was also recognized by the
Canadian Cat Association (CCA) and
The International Cat Association (TICA) in 1979. ==Appearance==