The true origin of the Birman is not certain but it is thought that they date back to the 1920's and began in Europe with just a pair who became the foundation of Birmans today.
They come is a variety of pointed colours, self, tabby and tortie points. Below is the GCCF standard of points that all show birmans aspire to.
GENERAL TYPE STANDARD:
Head ..... Skull strong, broad and rounded. Nose medium in length (no 'stop' but with slight dip in profile). Cheeks full and round. Chin full and well developed, slightly tapered but not receding.
Ears ..... Medium in size and spaced well apart.
Eyes ..... Almost round but not bold. Blue in colour, the deeper the blue the better.
Body ..... Long and massive
Legs and Paws ..... Legs of medium length and thick-set, paws short and strong.
Tail ..... Bushy, medium in length & proportion to the body.
Coat & Condition ..... Coat long, silken in texture, full ruff around the neck, slightly curled on stomach. The cat should be well grown, the frame (skeleton) should be strong, well covered and muscular. Eyes bright and temperament good.
Colour ..... The distinguishing colours of the Birman are those of the Siamese. Mask, ears, legs and tail dense and clearly defined (except in kittens). On reaching maturity, the mask covers the entire face including whisker pads and is connected to the ears by tracings.
The white feet are characteristic of the Birman:
Front Paws ..... Have pure white symmetrical gloves ending in an even line across the paw and not passing beyond the angle formed by the paw and leg, and not passing the stopper pad just behind the leg. Colour of the paw pads irrelevant.
Back Paws ..... Have pure white socks covering the entire paw and gauntlets tapering up the back of the leg to finish just below the point of the hock. Colour of the paw pads irrelevant.
| Head and Ears | 20 |
| Eyes | 15 |
| Body, Legs and Paws | 20 |
| Gloves & Gauntlets | 20 |
| Tail | 5 |
| Colour and Condition of Coat | 20 |
| Total | 100 |
Breed No |
Breed |
Colour Pattern |
|---|---|---|
| 13c1 | Birman | Seal Point |
| 13c2 | Birman | Blue Point |
| 13c3 | Birman | Chocolate Point |
| 13c4 | Birman | Lilac Point |
| 13c5 | Birman | Red Point |
| 13c6 | Birman | Seal Tortie Point |
| 13c7 | Birman | Cream Point |
| 13c8 | Birman | Blue Cream Point / Blue Tortie Point |
| 13c9 | Birman | Chocolate Tortie Point |
| 13c10 | Birman | Lilac Cream Point / Lilac Tortie Point Point |
| 13c11 | Birman | Seal Tabby Point |
| 13c12 | Birman | Blue Tabby Point |
| 13c13 | Birman | Chocolate Tabby Point |
| 13c14 | Birman | Lilac Tabby Point |
| 13c15 | Birman | Red Tabby Point |
| 13c16 | Birman | Seal Tortie Tabby Point |
| 13c17 | Birman | Cream Tabby Point |
| 13c18 | Birman | Blue Cream Tabby / Blue Tortie Tabby Point |
| 13c19 | Birman | Chocolate Tortie Tabby Point |
| 13c20 | Birman | Lilac Cream Tabby Point / Lilac Tortie Tabby Point |