HistoryNear the beginning of the past century, in a similar incidence that had occurred in the legend, the sacred temple was once again attacked. Major Gordon Russell an officer in the English army serving in Burma came to the aid of the monks. As a gesture of gratitude the monks sent Auguste Pavie then living in France, a pair of Sacred Temple Cats wearing "Nine Silver Bells. Unfortunately, the male did not survive the ocean trip but the female was pregnant thus, providing the foundation of the Birman Breed. In 1925 the Birman made it show debut in France.
Once more misfortune struck. During World War II the breed was reduced to only a single pair. Through careful out crossing the Birman once again came back. In the early 1960s the Birman had made its appearance in Britain where Mrs. Else Fisher imported the first Birmans. Since then the breed has been gaining in popularity. In he United States CFA (the Cat Fanciers Association) accepted the Birman Breed for championship in 1967.
The name Birman is from the French spelling for Burma. "Birmanie." American Breeders follow an old French tradition. of naming kittens alphabetically by the year they are born in. For example, 1990 was the letter "K", 1992 was "O" and so on. For 1993. the letter is P. By following this tradition it is easy to tell a cat's age just from its name.
