Birman Cat

This page is educational reference material for preparing questions. A licensed veterinarian examines the animal, makes the diagnosis, and sets the treatment.

Gloves, a pale body, and a social cat

Birmans are medium to large, about 7 to 14 pounds, and often live 12 to 16 years. The colorpoints and the white feet are the trademark. The coat is semi-long and mats less than a Persian if someone actually combs the trousers and the ruff once or twice a week. They are gentle and usually good with children and other animals.

They are not a silent stuffed animal. They follow, they play, and they want the household to include them. A single Birman with a window and a puzzle feeder can work. A single Birman with neither will be a louder cat than the reputation suggests.

Heart, kidneys, and a blood-cell oddity

Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy is the screening conversation. Some Birmans also develop kidney disease earlier than you would like. Neutrophil granulation anomaly is an inherited white-cell finding that can confuse a lab report. Tell the clinic the cat is a Birman before anyone panics over a blood film. VCA explains HCM. Labored breathing is an emergency. A slower loss of appetite is the not-eating page.

Birman questions

Do the gloves have to be perfect?

Show cats are judged on glove symmetry. A pet with a crooked glove is a pet. Do not buy a sick kitten because the markings photographed well.

Are they lap cats?

Often they want to be near you and not necessarily crushed in a hug. They are social and moderately active. A Birman ignored for ten hours will tell you about it by being underfoot at the door.

What heart disease do they get?

Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy shows up in the breed. A murmur, a fast resting breath, or a sudden hind-limb paralysis from a clot is an emergency.