Birman

A widespread legend, attributed to novelist Marcelle Adam, tells that long ago in Burma, in a temple dedicated to a golden goddess with sapphire eyes, an old priest owned a white cat named Sinh. One day, the temple was invaded and enemies killed the old priest. Sinh jumped on his master's head while looking into the eyes of the goddess statue. His eyes then became sapphire like those of the goddess and his fur took on a golden tint, except for his paws which remained white like the old priest's hair. A few days later, Sinh died of grief and all the cats living in the temple underwent the same metamorphosis, becoming the first sacred cats of Burma. It is said that this cat was stolen from the temple of Lao Tsun in Burma and that the first pair of these cats was brought to France on the yacht of an American millionaire in 1920. The male died during the crossing but the female, Sita, who had been pregnant, gave birth to a litter of kittens, one of which was a female named Poupée de Madalpour.

The Sacred Birman cat is often described as an affectionate and gentle cat. Some breeders describe the Birman as a playful cat. It is said that despite its resemblance to the Siamese, it does not have its character since it would be calm and have a soft voice. Sociable, it adapts well to family life. These personality traits remain perfectly individual and are dependent on each cat's history. The Sacred Birman does not like to live alone, it gets bored, and prefers the company of other cats of the same breed.

Halfway between the Siamese, from which it possesses the marks and colours, and the Persian from which it partially inherited the fur, the Sacred Birman should be considered as a separate breed as it must respond to very specific requirements regarding the distribution of colour which must be colourpoint with white gloves, the quality of the coat, as well as the morphology.