Birman kitten

Here is a fantastic picture by Helmi Flick of two Birman kittens that are just entering adulthood. Both these pictures are links to much larger versions.


Birman cats/kittens. Photograph is copyright Helmi Flick. Helmi says that on the top is BumbleBe Degas Dancer, a 6.5 month old Seal Tortie Point Birman Female. On the bottom with Bumblebe Degas Dancer's paw on her head is BumbleBe Dore', a 6.5 month old Blue Tortie Point Birman Female.

And here is another great Helmi Flick picture of three Birman kittens:


Birman kitten - Photograph copyright Helmi Flick

If you are looking to buy a Birman kitten you might like to read this post and go to more on this page: Birman cat (more great pictures and a full description plus history and some top breeders).

The Birman is a pointed cat an unusual feature, white feet. Colorpointed or the Himalayan longhair cats have the genotype aac^sc^sll. aa represents the non-agouti gene (homozygous), c^s the pointing gene and l the long hair gene.

The Birman is a Colorpointed cat. These cats are not just longhaired Siamese cats as the body conformatoion is different, more cobby. Colorpointing is heat sensitive. As the Birman has long fur providing better insulation than a Siamese cat this has an impact on the quality of the pointing. The Colorpoint cats have a "clearer" body color which produces a greater contrast between the body and dark points.

Cat breeders say the Birman has "gloves" on their feet (maybe it should be socks on the hind feet and gloves on the foreleg feet?). The gloves should be as shown in the pictures above, confined to the feet, otherwise they would be knee length socks! The socks cannot go beyond the hock of the hind legs. There are some question marks as to what causes the gloving. It has been shown that the white gloving is caused by a dominant gene. The gloving could therefore be due to the familiar white spotting gene (S) or a different gene as yet identified (it seems to me). The limiting of the white spotting to the feet could be due to the presence of polygenes.

Without meaning to be critical Dr Ross D Clark (editor) in the book Medical, Genetic & Behavioral Aspects of Purebred Cats, says that certain genetic lines can show up with weak hind legs or nasal obstructions. This may have been dealt with as the book was published in 1992. Other genetically linked conditions that have been associated with the Birman are, epibulbar dermoids (British Birmans 1 in 150), fine eosinophilic granules (no health issues) and hip dysplasia (occasionally found in the Birman cat).

For show cats the standard is high and cats will be disqualified if they don't have those gloves on all four paws that define the breed. Cross eyed cats and cats with kinked tails are also disqualified. The original Siamese cats had kinked tails. They were considered desirable in Siam (Thailand). The head of the Birman should not look like a Siamese or Persian. I am referring to the traditional Siamese.


From Birman kitten to Home page

Birman kitten - genetics: Robinsons Genetics 4th ed

Why people abandon cats

I find this extremely sad - photo by Animals Abused & Abandoned

One big reason why people abandon cats is because their cat is not going to the toilet in the cat litter. Yet cats will almost automatically use a cat litter if it is in decent condition. This is because it will be the best thing in the home in which to go to the toilet and cats look for appropriate spots to urinate.

So, if our cat is not using the litter provided, either she is ill (e.g. cystitis which makes you want to go very urgently - this is a human disease as well - this is a Feline Lower Urinary Tract Disease) or the litter is unattractive and unsuitable.

If the litter is clean (cleaned at least once a day), large enough (make it large) and well sited (quiet and perhaps covered) all should be well. It also depends on the home. If the home is not clean and our cat has already gone to the toilet outside the litter this encourages our cat to think that the litter is the home or the home is a suitable area.

I prefer wood chip litter. It is not clumping but has excellent odor absorption and it is easy to scoop out as it is relatively dry after use. Clumping litter can be wet after use and it stains the litter tray. Wood chip litter leaves the tray much cleaner so there is less cleaning of the tray to do. A clean tray will encourage use of the litter.

I have never had a problem with my cat using the litter tray except once as mentioned when she had cystitis. This was brought on by eating too much dry food and stress. She urinated in the shower and bath (she is so sweet) and sometimes in the corner of the room during this short phase of illness.

A change of diet and my lifestyle rectified the problem and she has been fine since. So the reason why people abandon cats is the behavior of the people not the cat - sorry for that. The people who are considering abandoning a cat should look at what they are doing very objectively and try to rectify. It may not be the people but cats are reactive so if a cat is exceptionally nervous causing urinating outside the litter we should, I think, adapt our lifestyle to accommodate that to make the home as calm as possible. Persians can be nervous and have litter problems for example.

Some more:

• History of cat litter
• Odor Control Cat Litter
• Eliminate Cat Urine Odor
• Healthy Green Cat Litter
• Clicker training a cat

Why people abandon cats - photo of abandoned cat: published under a Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs creative commons License

Cat people are independent people

photo by Mathieu Struck

Cat people are different to dog people. Although there is bound to be a lot of middle ground where the person's personality makes him/her suitable to like both cat and dog.

The reason why cat people are different to dog people is because cats are different to dogs. Both see their human owners are parents but the dogs live in packs with status playing an important role. The dog therefore sees a family as a pack and the head of the family as the top dog. Looking at it from the human's point of view the kind of person who wants to have a family is the kind of person who fits into society, accepts society, plays by the rules, has a career and is a group animal. This person will also prefer a dog as the dog thinks along the same lines (i.e. a dog needs a pack or group in which to thrive).

Turning to cats. Although they bond and look to the person as the surrogate parent they are more independent. They don't come to heel and there is no hierarchy or social status. They are individuals doing their thing. This suits the people who keep cats as they tend to be the same, less group orientated, less career minded perhaps and more individual. Cat people are independent people.

Cat people being what they are are less likely to have families. They are also more likely to have less money. This is because they are less interested in playing the company career game. Obviously as mentioned this is not a black and white thing with clearly demarcated boundaries.

This explains why, in the United States, 67% of dog owners are married compared to 61.8% of cat owners. In addition dogs are more likely to be found in larger families (bigger packs). 52.6% of dog owners are in families of 3 or more while only 47% of cat owners are in families of three or more.

83% of dog owners and 64% of cat owners made a trip to the vet at least once per year. Cats owners have less money. That is my theory. For the reasons mentioned.

There are 81.7 million cats and 72.1 million dogs in the USA. Dogs and cats can get along fine if socialized to it. Source for the above figures: U.S. Pet Ownership & Demographics Sourcebook, visit http://www.avma.org/reference/marketstats/sourcebook.asp.

Photo: published under a Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs creative commons License

Are lethargic cats ill?

Are lethargic cats ill? No, not necessarily. Although lethargy is often a common sign of illness, alone it is far from conclusive.

The key is to be aware of our cats normal movements (including bowel movements!), activity patterns and of course eating habits. When we add lethargy to a change in usual behavior that continues for say 12 hours or so we reach a situation where a visit to the veterinarian could and should, perhaps, be considered.

Typical additional symptoms and signs of illness might be lack of appetite, vomiting, poor breathing, diarrhea and gums looking pale.

Once we have decided things don't feel right we need, I think, to monitor our cat closely and without delay (when we consider it time) to visit the vet.

I've built two pages that might help:

Cat Health Problems lists a pile of potential health problems from the serious diseases to illnesses that we might treat ourselves

Cat Illness Symptoms is the other side of the coin and sets out symptoms of a range of illnesses and points to the possible cause.

York cat

What is the York cat? Why is it called the York cat? And are there any pictures of this recognized cat breed?

Yes, lots of questions but I am surprised that as a cat breed recognized by the World Cat Federation the only form of description that I can find is the breed standard and Sarah Hartwell's.

Anyway, I shouldn't whinge. This is an experimental cat breed so is yet to receive full recognition. The breed seems to be distinguished by the fact that it has been developed from domestic medium/long haired cats without a pedigree and the colors allowed are very restricted to chocolate and lilac solids or these colors with white (see cat coats solid and white for a general discussion on this).

The York cat is a medium/large cat. The head is a little small in proportion to the body. I think the Bengal cat has the same appearance in relation to head size. This cat has large ears and eyes medium in size and oval in shape. The coat is medium in length, glossy and silky with the usual undercoat. There should be no evidence of tabby markings except for ghost markings in kittens younger than 10 months old.

I have no idea why the cat is called the York cat. Sometimes the place of origin is a factor in naming such as the Russian Blue, Maine Coon, Norwegian Forest Cat, Devon Rex etc. If that is the case York is in England and it is ancient town founded in AD 71 by the Romans. My guess is the breed is named after the town in England or being a chocolate cat the breed may be named after the Yorkie chocolate bar! This is a well known chocolate bar in the UK that is manufactured by Nestlé®.