CFA Breed Standard:
      Birman (Sacred Cat of Burma)

                         POINT SCORE

     HEAD, BODY, TYPE & COAT (65)
     Head (including boning, nose, jaw, chin ...... 30
      profile, ear & eye shape & set.)
     Body/Type (including boning, stockiness ...... 25
      elongation, legs, tail.)
     Coat (including length, texture, ruff.)....... 10

     COLOR - INCLUDING EYE COLOR (35)
     Color except gloves (including body color, ... 15
      point color, eye color.)
     Gloves (including front & rear gloves, ....... 20
      laces & symmetry)

         GENERAL: a cat of mystery and legend, the Birman is a color pointed cat with long silky hair and
           four pure white feet. It is strongly built, elongated and stocky, neither svelte nor cobby. The 
         distinctive head has strong jaws, firm chin and medium length Roman nose. There should be good 
         width between the ears, which are medium in size. The blue, almost round eyes are set well apart, 
         giving a sweet expression to the face.

         HEAD: skull strong, broad, and rounded. There is a slight flat spot just in front of the ears.

         NOSE: medium in length and width, in proportion to size of head. Roman shape in profile. Nostrils
          set low on the nose leather.

         PROFILE: the forehead slopes back and is slightly convex. The medium length nose starts just
         below the eyes and is Roman in shape (which is slightly convex). The chin is strong, with the lower
         jaw forming a perpendicular line with the upper lip.

         CHEEKS: full with somewhat rounded muzzle. The fur is short in appearance about the face, but to 
          the extreme outer area of the cheek the fur is longer.

          JAWS: heavy.

          CHIN: strong and well-developed.

          EARS: medium in length. Almost as wide at the base as tall. Modified to a rounded point at the tip;
           set as much to the side as into the top of the head.

           EYES: almost round with a sweet expression. Set well apart, with the outer corner tilted VERY
            slightly upward. Blue in color, the deeper blue the better.

           BODY: long and stocky. Females may be proportionately smaller than males.

           LEGS: medium in length and heavy.

           PAWS: large, round, and firm. Five toes in front, four behind.

           TAIL: medium in length, in pleasing proportion to the body.

           COAT: medium long to long, silken in texture, with heavy ruff around the neck, slightly curly on
            stomach. This fur is of such a texture that it does not mat.

           COLOR EXCEPT GLOVES: Body: even, with subtle shading when allowed. Strong contrast
           between body color and points. Points except gloves: mask, ears, legs, and tail dense and clearly
          defined, all of the same shade. Mask covers entire face including whisker pads and is connected to
           ears by tracings. No ticking or white hair in points. Golden Mist: desirable in all points colors is the
           "golden mist", a faint golden beige cast on the back and sides. This is somewhat deeper in the seal
            points, and may be absent in kittens.

           GLOVES: Front paws: front paws have white gloves ending in an even line across the paw at, or
            between, the second or third joints. (The third joint is where the paw bends when the cat is
            standing.) The upper limit of white should be the metacarpal (dew) pad. (The metacarpal pad is the
            highest up little paw pad, located in the middle of the back of the front paw, above the third joint
            and just below the wrist bones.) Symmetry of the front gloves is desirable. Back paws: white glove
            covers all the toes, and may extend up somewhat higher than front gloves. Symmetry of the rear
            gloves is desirable. Laces: the gloves on the back paws must extend up the back of the hock, and
            are called laces in this area. Ideally, the laces end in a point or inverted "V" and extend 1/2 to 3/4 of
            the way up the hock. Lower or higher laces are acceptable, but should not go beyond the hock.
            Symmetry of the two laces is desirable. Paw pads: pink preferred, but dark spot(s) on paw pad(s)
            acceptable because of the two colors in pattern. Note: ideally, the front gloves match, the back
            gloves match, and the two laces match. Faultlessly gloved cats are a rare exception, and the Birman
            is to be judged in all its parts, as well as the gloves.

            PENALIZE: white that does not run across the front paws in an even line. Persian or Siamese type
             head. Delicate bone structure. White shading on stomach and chest. Lack of laces on one or both
             back gloves. White beyond the metacarpal (dew) pad. (The metacarpal pad is the highest up little
             paw pad, located in the middle of the back of the front paw, above the third joint and just below
             the wrist bones.)

             DISQUALIFY: lack of white gloves on any paw. Kinked or abnormal tail. Crossed eyes.
              Incorrect number of toes. Areas of pure white in the points, if not connected to the gloves and part
              of or an extension of the gloves. Paw pads are part of the gloves. Areas of white connected to
              other areas of white by paw pads (of any color) are not cause for disqualification. Discrete areas
              of point color in the gloves, if not connected to point color of legs (exception, paw pads). White
              on back legs beyond the hock.

           BIRMAN COLORS

              SEAL POINT: body even pale fawn to cream, warm in tone, shading gradually to lighter color on
              the stomach and chest. Points, except for gloves, deep seal brown. Gloves pure white. Nose     
              leather: same color as points. Paw pads: pink. Eye color: blue, the deeper and more violet the
              better.

              BLUE POINT: body bluish white to pale ivory, shading gradually to almost white on stomach 
              and chest. Points, except for gloves, deep blue. Gloves pure white. Nose leather: slate-color.
              Paw pads: pink. Eye color: blue, the deeper and more violet the better.

               CHOCOLATE POINT: body ivory with no shading. Points, except for gloves, milk-chocolate
                color, warm in tone. Gloves pure white. Nose leather: cinnamon-pink. Paw pads: pink. Eye
                color: blue, the deeper and more violet the better.

               LILAC POINT: almost white. Points, except for gloves, frosty grey with pinkish tone. Gloves
               pure white. Nose leather: lavender-pink. Paw pads: pink. Eye color: blue, the deeper and
               more violet the better.

               The following information is for reference purposes only, and not an official part of the
               CFA Show Standard.

               BIRMAN (Sacred Cat of Burma) COLOR CLASS NUMBERS

        Chocolate Point ..............     0180    0181
        Seal Point ...................     0182    0183
        Lilac Point ..................     0184    0185
        Blue Point ...................     0186    0187
        AOV ..........................     2198    2199
        Important:  Birman cats registered as chocolate point, seal point, lilac point
        or blue point, but with AOV color ancestry (parents, grandparents, great 
        grand-parents, etc.), are NOT eligible to compete in Birman championship 
        classes.These cats are identified by a registration prefix number of "21xx."

        Birman allowable outcross breeds: none.

 

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