‹‹Birman

Our collection of Birman cat images features champions and best of breed. Whether you are a specialist looking for stock images of breed examples, a designer looking for a striking picture, or you're simply a Birman cat fan, we're confident we'll have the image you're looking for.

Our images are from top cat photographers from all over the world.

View all Birman cat images. 

Birman cat overview

The first semi-longhair breed to get full recognition in the UK. The Birman has championship status. Livelier than a Persian and slightly more talkative. Needs regular grooming, but coat is less likely to mat than that of a Persian.

Other known names for Birman

Sacred Cat of Burma, Sacred Birman

Birman foreign names

Birmaan (Dutch), Sacre de Birmanie (French), Heilige Birma (German), Sagrado de Birmania (Spanish)

Origin

Burma

Breed number/code

No 13 (GCCF) / SBI (FIFe)

Biological data

Size
Medium to large.
Build
Long and massive, with medium length, thick-set legs.
Medium-sized ears set well apart.
Bushy tail of medium length.
Hair quality
Long and silky, slightly curled on the stomach.
Colours
Seal point
Blue point
Chocolate point
Lilac point
Red point
Cream point
Seal tortie point
Blue tortie point
Chocolate tortie point
Lilac tortie point
Tabby point
Eye colours
Blue 
Patterns
Siamese pattern with four white feet, which is characteristic of the Birman.

Birman cat links we are happy to endorse

External links are selected and reviewed when the page is published. However, Animal Photography is not responsible for the content of external websites.

Birman cat – Breed standard

The below links are external
GCCF, FIFe, TICA, CFA, AACE, ACFA, ACF, CCA

Birman cat references and further reading

USA
Sacred cat of Burma Fanciers
UK
The Birman Cat Club
The Northern Birman Cat Club

Please get in touch

If you are an animal photographer, an expert on Birman cats or a breeder, we would love to hear from you. We strive to have all the latest, most helpful and accurate information on our website, but nobody is perfect, so we do ask for your feedback if we can improve our website.

Please get in touch 
Associations and Specialists – We are happy to link to your Birman cat association or specialist area, all we ask is for you to return the favour.
Photographers – Please visit our 'join us' page to learn about working with us.
Experts – Spotted some detail that isn't right? Please email us your thoughts.
Breeders – We work with many great cat photographers such as Helmi Flick, Alan Robinson and Tetsu Yamazaki and we'd love to build our contact list of leading breeders. Who knows when you might get a call. Please email us your details.

Birman cat colours

Below are some examples of the various colours of Birman cats, colour names sometimes differ from country to country, 
we've listed the main heading according to
the GCCF and listed other known colours underneath. Colours can vary according to lighting, whether it was taken indoors or outdoors and even the quality of the cat. 
So sadly not an exact science.

Seal point (13c1)

AP-P27PB5 - Birman cat, Seal point colour
Photo © Animal Photography, Sally Anne Thompson

Colour description 
Seal Point - 23c1 (GCCF)
Points, dark brown
Body, clear pale beige with a slightly golden hue
Nose leather, dark seal brown

Blue point – 13c2

AP-1OM5UF - Birman cat, Blue point colour.
Photo © Animal Photography, Alan Robinson

Colour description 
Points, blue-grey
Body, bluish white, cold in tone
Nose leather, slate-grey

Chocolate point – 13c3

AP-1V7N8B - Birman cat, Chocolate point colour.
Photo © Animal Photography, Alan Robinson

Colour description 
Points, milk chocolate
Body, ivory
Nose leather, chocolate

Lilac point – 13c4

AP-T6NOYU - Birman cat, Lilac point colour.
Photo © Animal Photography, Alan Robinson

Colour description 
Points, pinkish grey
Body, off-white magnolia
Nose leather, pinkish / faded lilac

Red point – 13c5

AP-1JAV7N - Birman cat, Red point colour.
Photo © Animal Photography, Alan Robinson

Colour description 
Points, orange / red
Body, pale cream with slight golden hue or halo
Nose leather, pin

Cream point – 13c7

AP-1CE5DO - Birman cat, Cream point colour.
Photo © Animal Photography, Alan Robinson

Colour description 
Points, cream
Body, off-white with faint golden hue or halo
Nose leather, pink

Blue tortie point – 13c8

AP-VHAL7G - Birman cat, Blue tortie point colour.
Photo © Animal Photography, Alan Robinson

Colour description 
Points, blue intermingled with shades of light and dark cream
Body, off-white, shading unevenly to pale blue and / or cream on back and sides
Nose leather, blue and / or pink

Tabby point

AP-0HGYZH - Birman cat, Tabby point colour.
Photo © Animal Photography, Alan Robinson

Colour description 
There should be a clearly defined 'M' marking on the forehead, light coloured 'spectacle' markings round the eyes with spotted whisker pads.
Ears solid with no stripes. Clear 'thumb marks' which are less apparent in dilute colours and mottled in the Tortie Tabby Point Birmans.
The legs should have clearly defined, varied sized broken stripes and / or rings with solid markings on the back of the hind legs above gauntlets.
The tail should have many varied sized, clearly defined rings ending in a solid coloured tip.

Birman cat picture ideas

Featured image

AP-M7FTST - Birman cat
Photo © Animal Photography, Helmi Flick

Birman kittens

AP-UXKYSR - Birman kitten
Photo © Animal Photography, Barbara O'Brien