For those enthusiasts who like to have their feline with long fluffy coats, yet are unable to cope with daily grooming ......then the Birman is the perfect pet for you. The Birman is intelligent, inquisitive, charming, playful and people oriented. When you come home they will always greet you at the door, wanting to investigate all the new things you have brought home from shopping, hoping that you may have brought something special home for them as well.
Birmans possess wonderful characters and because they are very loving, gentle cats, will fit into virtually any home. They are not overly vocal loud cats but still like to have a chat with their owners, or manage to make their feelings known by the flick of a tail or the deep stare of their blue eyes. They thrive on your companionship and appreciate the company of another cat if they are to be left alone for long periods while their owners are at work.
A Birman's coat is relatively tangle free but a light comb removes dead hair and prevents hairballs. A weekly comb through will normally be all the maintenance your cat will need. However I highly recommend brushing more often as it is also a special time between your Birman and yourself. Once your Birman gets their adult coat they will need extra grooming in the spring when they are moulting. So even though they have a coat that generally never matts they still reqire the weekly grooming to remove any dead hair as not to be consumed and cause hairballs. Birmans do enjoy being bathed but I recommend you start this at a young age. I recommend you do this every 2 to 3 weeks as a young kitten because if you try to bath them for the first time when they are an adult they will not enjoy the experience. Make sure you blowdry all the hair dry especially under the arms and under the back legs.
However, Birman's have such an easy coat to care for it is not essential to bath them at all especially if you give them a good brush at least weekly and keep them indoors.
With indoor cats you may need to clip their nails as they get older. This will stop them causing any accidental damage to furniture or getting caught on your clothing when you pick them up.
The Birman face is a conventional cat face. The expression should be sweet with large blue eyes set wide in a broad head. They come in a variety of colours from the traditional seal and blue points to the newer colours of chocolate, lilac, red, cream, tortie and tabby points. Mention of the fine features of the Birman cannot be complete without discussion of the "gloves and gauntlets".
These are the very distinctive white feet of the Birman that make our breed one of the most difficult to breed for the show bench. Ideally they have even gloves on all four feet with the gauntlets being the spearhead of white up the back hocks. This feature is much easier discussed than achieved! Sometimes the markings make all the difference between a breeding/show cat and a much loved pet.
They are recommended as indoor cats only. The reason being they are extremely trusting cats and if they are allowed to wonder the neighbourhood will either get themselves into harm and will be not quick enough to escape the disaster they will face. You will find that an indoor cat is easier to care for, no chance of other cat attacks, no car attacks, tick or flea problems and most of allyour cat will be far more devoted to you.
Over the years many people have asked whether they can take their cat outside supervised. I actually think that is more unfair on the cat as what you may think is long enough may not be for them. What they dont know of the outside is something that they cannot possibly miss. As a good pet owner all you need to provide from the outdoors is the entertainment value. Inside that can be in the way of a high scratching post with a couple of tiers to climb, lots of interesting toys and a pot of cat grass. I promise you if you keep your Birman as an indoor pet you both will have a long happy life together.
If you are interested in owning a Birman you can contact me via my Kitten/Contacts Page.
