There is no clear record of the breed's origin. They are most often claimed to have originated as the companions of temple priests in Northern Burma in the Mount of Lugh.There are many stories extant of how the cats first came to France, including pairs of cats being given as a reward for helping defend a temple, or being smuggled out of Burma by a Vanderbilt.Another pair of Birmans (or a pregnant female called Poupée de Maldapour) were said to have been stolen and later imported to France by Thadde Haddisch.The first traces of historical Birmans go back to a Mme Leotardi in the city of Nice in France.
Birmans were almost wiped out as a breed during World War II. Only two cats were alive in Europe at the end of the war, a pair named Orloff and Xenia de Kaabaa, both belonging to Baudoin-Crevoisier. The foundation of the breed in postwar France were offspring of this pair. They had to be heavily outcrossed with long-hair breeds such as Persian and Siamese to rebuild the Birman breed. By the early 1950s, pure Birman litters were once again being produced. The restored breed was recognized in Britain in 1965 and by the CFA in 1966.
The first Birman cats were seal point. The blue point colour was introduced in 1959 using blue Persian lines. New colours were later added by English breeders including chocolate, red, and lynx (tabby) points.Birmans have also been used in the development of new breeds, notably including the Ragdoll.
Birmans have a medium sized, rectangular body with a broad face and distinct Roman nose. Their ears are ideally as wide on the base as they are tall and should be set as much on top of the head as on the side. The eyes are rounded and should be a deep sapphire blue.
The Birman's fur is medium-long and should have a silky texture. Unlike a Persian or Himalayan, they have no undercoat, and are thus much less prone to matting. Coat colour is always pointed, save for the contrasting pure white, symmetrical "gloves" on each paw that are the trademark of the breed. The white must involve all toes and in front must stop at the articulation or at the transition of toes to metacarpals. These gloves should extend noticeably further up the back of the leg (referred to as the "laces"), finishing with an inverted V extended 1/2 to 3/4 up the hock. Any other spot of white on the points is considered a serious fault. The base body colour is white to cream, with a wash of color that corresponds to the points but is much paler.
Recognized point colours are seal, chocolate, blue, lilac (a softer silver-grey), red or cream. Tabby and tortie variations in seal, chocolate, blue or lilac are also allowed; other colours are in development.
Data refer: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Birman_cat
A cat flap is a wonderful invention. It allows your cat to enter and exit different rooms of the house where he is allowed to be without giving access to rooms that are off limits. It can also allow access to the outside so the kitty can go to his private corner of the lawn to do his business. But what if a neighbor's cat who is not so well trained gets into the home or a small dog follows kitty into the house? Today, it is possible to protect your home and your pet with a magnetic cat flap.
A magnetic cat flap uses very powerful magnets to lock the flap in place when the cat is not actively entering or exiting. These magnets are powerful enough to stop a full grown human from being able to open the flap without the proper magnetic key, which can be added to the cat's collar without any problem.
When a magnetic cat flap is in place, the cat can enter and exit at will because the magnetic key in the collar deactivates the magnetic locks. The neighbors' pets will not be able to enter, even if they follow the cat because the locks will pull the flap closed quickly behind the animal and before another creature can make entry.
This factor will protect the home from invasion by neighboring animals who could destroy things or make a mess in the home. In addition to that, it provides protection for the cat in the event it is chased back into the house by another animal.
Unlike traditional cat flaps and doggie doors that can be used by thieves to gain entrance into a home, the magnetic cat flap provides protection from this possibility as well. The only way the flap will open is if the cat approaches with the magnetic key, a thing not likely to occur if there is a stranger right outside. This means that would be thieves will not be able to use the pet entrance as a way to get tools inside the house that would allow them to circumvent the locks and open the doors.
There are several different levels of security provided by cat flaps. The most secure, and the most expensive, provide for a four point security lock. This means that four separate magnets hold the flap in place until the magnetic key on the pet's collar deactivates them. Cheaper units can come with as few as one magnetic lock. These are not as secure as the four point lock, but are still almost infinitely better than a simple pet flap that has no security features built into it.
It is up to the homeowner to determine how secure the magnetic cat flap needs to be based on the value of the cat and the contents of the home. One thing is certain: a magnetic cat flap can provide a great deal of protection to both one's home and one's pet.
Jim Webb writes more about the magnetic cat flap [http://www.petdoorsreview.com/magnetic-cat-flap.html] and various types of pet doors at [http://www.petdoorsreview.com].
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If your cat exhibits the following symptoms:
Swollen or inflamed gums that appear red in color
Bleeding gums
Pain while eating
Lack of appetite and subsequent weight loss
Excessive salivation
Development of halitosis
Foul breath
Then they could be suffering from feline periodontal disease. It is important to control this condition before it progresses to a much worse stage of chronic gum disease.
Periodontal disease is the most diagnosed problem in cats and dogs. Approximately 90% of cats over the age of one year have some degree of periodontal disease. If they have grade I-II periodontal disease, basically a veterinarian would recommend doing a dental prophylaxis (basically a cleaning under general anaesthetic). Grade I periodontal disease is reversible though. It is most similar to gingivitis in humans. A few things can be done - try... switching the cat off any high protein food they may be on, and switch from canned to dry. High protein food s linked to foul breath odour. Recommended are the dental diets cat foods which will help scrub their teeth as they eat- t/d (Prescription Diet) is the ultimate in these diets but Medi-Cal Veterinary Diets also does a dental diet and so does Science Diet.
There are also additives you can put in their water that can help with the breath- Breathlyzer is one of these.
One of the best things to do too is to brush their teeth. It helps to gradually work up to tooth brushing. Even if they lick a bit of the toothpaste (don't use human toothpaste)- it will help. It has enzymes in it that help prevent calcium from binding and forming tartar.
If the disease has progressed to a later stage; this feline gingivitis can be a very painful condition and although antibiotics may help reduce the infection, tooth extraction may be the only long term solution.
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Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/4600472