Birman Kittens

Birman kittens are born white, like other kittens of the colorpoint breeds. Seal-point kittens start developing their colors at the age of 7-9 days. Kittens with clear colors, like blue, red, and lilac obtain their first markings at the age of 2-3 weeks. The color points on ears, nose, and tail are the first to develop. The adult color of a Birman kitten is usually obtained at two years.

Current breed standards for the Birmans put an emphasis on the paws of purebred cats. Unlike other colorpoint breeds, Birman cats should have white paws. Symmetrical gloves should be the only pure white areas in Birman cats. Any other white spot on a creamy body is a fault. The glove must reach the transition of toes to metacarpals. On the back paws, the gloves should finish with an inverted V. White gloves are important when you plan to show your Birman kittens, because to take part in a show, purebred cats should correspond to the breed standard.

Birman kittens and adult cats can come in a variety of colors, but the points (ears, muzzle, tail, and legs) should be darker than the rest of the body. The most common patterns in Birman cats are Seal-point and Seal Tortie-point. Blue-point, Chocolate-point, Lilac-point, Blue Cream point, Seal Tortie-point, Cream-point, Chocolate Tortie point, and Lilac Tortie point occur not very often. All these colors occur also in a tabby (lynx) version. The body of the Birman cat should be golden or of an eggshell color, but not pure white. The eye color in Birmans is clear blue, which remains throughout their life.

Since Birman kittens develop their coat color later in life, it’s possible to mistake a poorly bred kitten for a show quality one. To avoid an unpleasant situation, buy Birman cats from responsible breeders only. The genetics of white gloves in Birman cats is still unclear and it’s difficult to foresee if a kitten will have them when it grows up. Only purebreds produce the offspring that has all the necessary attributes of the breed. If one of the parents is a mongrel, the chance of producing Birman kittens with white gloves is very low.