Editing Birman (section)

==History==
No clear record of the breed's origin exists. They are most often claimed to have originated as the companions of temple priests in northern Burma in the Mount of Lugh.{{r|CFA}} Many stories exist 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 and Sweden by a [[Vanderbilt (surname)|Vanderbilt]]{{who?|date=February 2024}}.{{r|CFA}}<ref>''Le Chat. Races - Élevage - Maladies'' Paris: Vinot Frères ed. 1926, pp.40-41. Dr. Philippe Jumaud</ref> 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.<ref>''Les races de Chats''Saint Raphaêl: 1930: Ed. des Tablettes, pp.52 Dr. Philippe Jumaud</ref> The first traces of historical Birmans go back to a Mme Leotardi<ref>[http://www.birman.org/history/poirier.html ''Interview of Simone Poirier by Gisele Barnay''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220407111535/http://www.birman.org/history/poirier.html |date=7 April 2022 }} Interview from the book ''Les Secrets du Chat Sacré de Birmanie'' {{ISBN|2-85182-335-3}}</ref> in Nice, 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 (cat)|Persian]] and Siamese to rebuild the Birman breed. By the early 1950s, pure Birman litters were again being produced. The restored breed was recognized in Britain in 1965 and by the CFA in 1966.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.pixydustbirmans.net/History.html|title=History|website=Pixydustbirmans.net|access-date=15 December 2017|archive-date=11 September 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150911215628/http://www.pixydustbirmans.net/History.html|url-status=usurped}}</ref>

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 [[tabby]]/[[lynx point]]s.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://birman.net/colorchart.html|title=Birman Color Chart – TARON BIRMANS|website=birman.net|access-date=15 December 2017}}</ref> Birmans have also been used in the development of new breeds such as the [[Ragdoll]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.felineliving.net/ragdoll-cat-breed/|title=Everything You Need To Know About Ragdoll Breed|date=17 March 2017}}</ref>
===Breed recognition===
The Birman breed was first recognized in France by the Cat Club de France in 1925, then in England by the [[Governing Council of the Cat Fancy]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gccfcats.org/|title=Governing Council of the Cat Fancy|website=Gccfcats.org|access-date=8 October 2014}}</ref> (GCCF) in 1966 and in United States by the [[Cat Fanciers' Association]]{{r|CFA}} (CFA) in 1967. It was also recognized by the [[Canadian Cat Association]] (CCA) and [[the International Cat Association]]<ref name="TICA">{{cite web|url=http://www.tica.org|title=The International Cat Association|author=TICA|access-date=8 July 2007}}</ref> (TICA) in 1979.