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GOTO The SACC Birman Standard of Points

 

SACC BREED CODE: BIR05Pt

BODY: Cream, shading gradually into pale warm fawn on the back and flanks. POINTS: Clearly defined dense seal brown.   NOSE LEATHER & PADS: Seal brown.  Any shade of black or grey in body or points shall be considered a fault.

SACC BREED CODE: BIR05Tp

 

SACC BREED CODE: BIR15Pt

BODY: Cream, clear as possible, shading if any to match points. POINTS: Seal brown, patched or mingled at random with red, varying shades permitted. Any large areas of red may show some barring. NOSE LEATHER & PADS: Seal brown and/or pink.

SACC BREED CODE: BIR15Tp

 

SACC BREED CODE: BIR06Pt

BODY: Glacial white, shading if any to be the same cold tone as the points but of a lighter colour. POINTS: Light to medium blue. NOSE LEATHER & PADS: Blue. Withhold major award for pink nose leather or pads. Cream, fawn or self blue body colour shall be considered a fault.

SACC BREED CODE: BIR06Tp

 

SACC BREED CODE: BIR16Pt

BODY: Glacial white, shading if any to match points. POINTS: Blue, patched or mingled at random with cream, varying shades permitted. Any large areas of cream may show some barring. NOSE LEATHER & PADS: Blue and/or pink.

SACC BREED CODE: BIR16Tp

 

SACC BREED CODE: BIR07Pt

BODY: Ivory, shading if any to be the same tone as the points but of a lighter colour. POINTS: Milk chocolate. Legs paler than the other points should not be too heavily penalised. NOSE LEATHER & PADS: Chocolate or cinnamon pink.

SACC BREED CODE: BIR07Tp

 

SACC BREED CODE: BIR17Pt

BODY: Ivory, shading if any to match points. POINTS: Milk chocolate, patched or mingled at random with red, varying shades permitted. Any large areas of red may show some barring. NOSE LEATHER & PADS: Chocolate and/or pink.

SACC BREED CODE: BIR17Tp

 

SACC BREED CODE: BIR08Pt

BODY: Off-white (magnolia). Shading if any to tone with the points. POINTS: Pinkish grey. NOSE LEATHER & PADS: Pinkish lilac.

SACC BREED CODE: BIR08Tp

 

SACC BREED CODE: BIR18Pt

BODY: Off-white (magnolia), as clear as possible, shading if any to match points. POINTS: Light to medium pinkish grey, patched or mingled at random with cream, varying shades permitted. Any large areas of cream may show some barring. NOSE LEATHER & PADS: Pinkish lilac and/or pink.

SACC BREED CODE: BIR18Tp

 

SACC BREED CODE: BIR Pt

BODY: Off white, shading if any to apricot on the back and flanks. POINTS: Reddish gold, legs and feet slightly paler in colour. Barring on mask, legs and tail is permissible. NOSE LEATHER & PADS: Pink. Freckles may appear on nose, pads, lips, eyelids and ears. Slight freckling in a mature cat should not be penalised.

SACC BREED CODE: BIR Tp

 

SACC BREED CODE: BIR Pt

BODY: Off-white, shading if any to cream to match points. POINTS: Cream. Legs and feet slightly paler in colour. Barring on mask, legs and tail is permissible.. NOSE LEATHER & PADS: Pink. Freckles may appear on nose, pads, lips, eyelids and ears. Slight freckling in a mature cat should not be penalised. A hot cream is not desirable.

SACC BREED CODE: BIR Tp

 

 

 

The Southern Africa Cat Council's

STANDARD OF POINTS:

THE BIRMAN

The "Standard of Points" is used as guideline when judging a cat. It tells you what a "perfect" example of that particular breed would look like… Any suggestions or proposals for changes to the standard, should be submitted together with motivations for the changes, to the relevant breed group's Secretary by the end of March each year, to be submitted by her to the Breed Council for voting.

TYPE:

A cat of mystery and legend, the Birman is a colour pointed cat with a soft, silky medium length coat and four pure white feet. It is strongly built, elongated and stocky, neither svelte nor cobby. The distinctive head has strong jaws and firm chin. 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. Slow to mature, the Birman does not reach full development in colour, growth and coat until its third year.

Head:  Strong broad and rounded. Forehead sloped back leading to a rounded top of head. Full cheeks with a somewhat rounded muzzle. The chin is strong with the lower jaw forming a perpendicular line with the upper lip.

Ears:  Medium in size and spaced well apart; set as much to the side as on the top of head and almost as wide at base as tall. Modified to a rounded tip.

Eyes:  Almost round but not bold, and set wide apart.

Nose:   Medium in length and slightly Roman in shape (which is slightly convex). No stop but a slight dip in profile.

Neck: Medium length, well muscled.

Body: Long, sturdy, back level. Females may be proportionately smaller than males. Heavy boning, firm and muscular. Low on legs.

Legs:  Medium in length, strongly boned and well muscled.

Paws: Large, round and firm.

Tail:   Medium in length in proportion to body. Bushy.

Coat: Medium to medium long in length and silken in texture, not as dense as the Persian coat and with little undercoat. Fur sometimes slightly curly on stomach. Although a ruff is desirable, seasonal changes to be considered when judging coat length.

COLOUR:

Eyecolour:  Blue in colour, the deeper the blue the better.

Coat Colour: As for individual colour standards. The Birman coat has a golden glow, which is a faint golden beige cast on the back and sides. This is somewhat deeper in sealpoints and may be absent in kittens and dilute colours. Mask complete and (except in kittens) connected to the ears by tracings.  Due to seasonal and hormonal changes, some allowance should be made for darker body shading in mature adults, especially entire cats, as long as contrast between points and body colour is not lost.

Paw pads:  Pink, but may have dark spot(s) - relevant to point colour.

Gloves & Gauntlets: Front Paws: Pure white symmetrical gloves ending in an even line across paw, and not passing beyond the angle formed by paw and leg when standing.

Back Paws: Pure white gloves covering the entire paw; gauntlets tapering halfway to 3/4 up the back of the foot. Higher or lower gauntlets acceptable but they should not go beyond the hock. Symmetry of gloves and gauntlets desirable.

Note: Although symmetry of the gloves and gauntlets are desirable, faultlessly gloved cats are a rare exception and the Birman is to be judged in all its parts, as well as the gloves.

TORTIE POINTED: Patching on points need not be evenly broken but each must show some break in colour no matter how small. Both colours to be well represented. Presence or absence of a blaze immaterial.

TABBY POINTED: GENERAL BODY COLOUR: Pale coat, preferably free from body markings, including back of head and neck and conforming to recognised Siamese standard for the particular colour of points. Markings on legs can be paler in tone. Some body shading to be expected, especially in Seal Tabby Points. GENERAL POINTS COLOUR: As for solid colour Siamese, matching colour essential, but varied tones acceptable. EARS: Solid, except for thumbprints, which should be as clear as possible. MASK: Vertically barred with "M" on forehead. Unbroken line/s running from outer corners of eyes. Shadow shading under eyes and towards nose. Darkly spotted whisker pads. EYES: As for appropriate solid colour. Rims dark or toning with points. NOSE LEATHER: Conforming to recognised Siamese standard for the particular colour of points, or pink, outlined with the appropriate solid colour. Eyes, nose and mouth edged with appropriate colour. LEGS: Clearly defined varying sized broken stripes. Solid markings on back of hind legs. PADS: Conforming to recognised Siamese standard for solid colour. TAIL: Many varying sized, clearly defined rings ending in a solid tip. Dark line down centre undesirable.

TORTIE TABBY POINTED: As Tabby Pointed, with the following exceptions: EARS: Mottled. NOSE LEATHER & PADS: Mottled. TAIL: Mottling permissible. POINTS: Patched with varying shades of red over tabby pattern. Distribution of patching immaterial.

FAULTS:

1. Grossly asymmetric/ uneven foot markings.
2. Coloured toes.
3. Persian or Siamese head type.
4. Delicate bone structure.
5. White beyond the metacarpel pad - 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 - including "runners" or streaks of white running up the front legs beyond this pad.

WITHHOLD MAJOR AWARDS FOR:

1. Complete lack of white gloves on any paw.
2. Complete lack of gauntlets on one or both back paws.
3. Area or spots of pure white in the points. (Note: Since the paw pads may be pink and/ or coloured, an area of white on the front feet that is attached to a large pad which is itself coloured, should not be viewed as a spot.)
4. Areas of point colour in the gloves or gauntlets.
5. White on back legs beyond the hock.
6. White spots particularly on the chin or tail.

POINT & BODY COLOUR DESCRIPTIONS:

See Siamese Colour descriptions for Birman colours. The Siamese colours will now be the official descriptions for all Pointed breeds. * Remember that Birmans are shown and bred in all point colours, including the Tabby points.

Note 1: Although a ringed tail is desirable in a tabby point, a solid-top tail ringed on the underside is also acceptable. Markings in kittens are less defined.

Note 2: When assessing point colour in a Birman, it must be remembered that due to the length of the fur on the cat, Birman point colour (especially on the tail and legs) are not as intense as that of the Siamese.