We had some professional pics taken of our 2yo birbaby Aslan, love this one!

This is Leela, my partner and I just adopted her at 3 months and she’s amazing! She’s playful, cuddly, curious, vocal, and adapted to our home really fast (including going on places she’s not supposed to, like the bookshelves) 🥰

Does anyone have any recommendations for breeders in NYC/NJ?

Hello everyone, I'm new here! Wished I would have discovered this community under happier circumstances. I've loved Birman cats since I met one special lady when I was a kid, it was always my dream to have one of my own. I was fortunate enough to be granted this wish just after Covid with Suki, the loveliest lilac-point boy.

Unfortunately, I lost him suddenly exactly three weeks ago today. He was only 5. We have been going through non-stop heatwaves here in France and I now realise he started feeling unwell at the end of May. His breathing was a little bit off at first but it started getting worst until full-on panting three weeks later. I didn't know better and thought it was because of the heat until I realised it was not. When I took him to the ER he had so much fluids in and out of his lungs. He died of cardiac arrest during the lung puncture. I haven't done further tests but from the thorough research I conducted since his passing, I highly suspect a heart disease.

He did so well to act like his regular self (eating etc.) until the very end that I would never have guessed he was seriously ill. He was so brave and it breaks my heart to think I might have let him suffer for three weeks without taking his change of breathing seriously. I was his greatest comfort until the end as he would not leave my side and kept coming to me for cuddles. Only when I left the house for a bit on his last day (not a lot because I was worrying about keeping him cool), my parents told me he went to hide which was unusual. But when I was around he would not leave my side as always. He was my shadow. Of course I have a lot of guilt for not understanding he needed comfort for something worst than the heat.

I really loved taking care of him (brushing him everyday, researching the most appropriate food and toys, playing several times a day with him...) and loved his personality. Of course he was unique and is irreplaceable but I think taking care of another kitty would help me further down the road in my grief journey (not before next year probably).

I would love to take in another male Birman but I'm also terrified to lose another one so young. Would anyone who has gone through this path before have any advice to share?

I'm also conflicted about what coat to choose next time as Lilac-points are my absolute favorites. But when I saw videos of other Lilac-points I couldn't help but be reminded of and miss Suki so I'm wondering if having a cat that would look different wouldn't be better. Although I also fear I'd find them "less" beautiful which would be awful to think.

Sorry if this sounds superficial. I think it's part of my brain coping mechanism. I kind of need projection in the future to stay afloat as I feel like I'm drowning. I know now I will never stop missing Suki but starting to imagine being happy again taking care of another cat is a motivation to go on.

I leave you with some pictures of Suki and a bit about his character. He was very social with humans and other cats although very cautious in every endeavour and a bit clumsy. Somehow he could open sliding doors but not push doors already slightly opened. The utter relaxation he would reach in his funny sleeping positions would always amaze me. He slept by my shoulder every night in winter and against my feet in the summer. Everytime I came to him, he would purr like an engine. He loved food and was quite chatty. His fur was as soft as clouds or cotton candy. He smelled heavenly. This year he discovered snow for the first time. He was already accustomed to the mountains every summer but this August he was supposed to go to the sea for the first time.

I've never felt so loved and trusted by any other beings before and providing him with the best life was my central goal in everything I did. My life feels very empty now.

Anyway, thank you for reading about him and farewell to my little snow fox, my love, Suki 🤍

Edit: added pictures.

My babies just turned 11 and 12 this week 😭

I’m literally so in love with how my sweet girl looks🥹

I purchased a Birman kitten last month and she has several health issues which has resulted in HUNDREDS of dollars at the vet - so many tests and medications and now she’s anemic and needs a third round of antibiotics. She’s not gained any weight over the last 30 days - still only 2.5lbs despite being 5mo old. I’m starting to wonder if I should say something to the breeder or if I should ask for my money back. She was a little over 2k and is a well known breeder registered with CFA.

I just wanted to share my first pet and buddy with the Birman world. He was 13.5 years old and passed away last week, quickly from cancer. He was an absolutely amazing cat all around from goofy, to cuddles, to love, to leisure, to play. This breed is amazing and I’m glad he was the one to show me that.

She is 14 weeks old and is such a sweet girl. We are so happy to have her in the family ❤️

Hey everyone, this is my birman cat Vanille. She had babies in April and since then she started having whitening hair on her face. Does anyone know why this is happening ? Is it because of her pregnancy or stress or fatigue linked to having kittens ?

She is not 3 yet, I was wondering if this happens to other birman cats.

Thanks !

Hey everyone,

I need some advice. I have two Birman brothers who are a bit over a year old, and I've had them since they were 3 months old. They are actually "relatively" affectionate: they "talk" to me a lot and meow when they look at me. When I'm at the PC gaming, they sleep right next to the keyboard, lick me, or hold my arm. When I go to the bathroom, they follow me and rub their heads against my arm. Sometimes they even get under the blanket with me at night.

But here is the weird part: they almost never come to me on the couch when I'm watching TV. And they rarely just lay on top of the bed next to me. They completely avoid the couch and the top of the bed when I want to chill there. When they were kittens, one of them used to sleep on my chest, but now that doesn't happen anymore.

Is this normal? Why do they love my PC, the bathroom, and meowing at me, but avoid the couch and the bed? Do any of you have cats with this kind of logic?

Are they both blue point of is the lighter one is lilac ? Everyone told me he was blue but they both look quite different

Goin’ on 12 and still gets her zoomies ❤️👵❤️

I can feel her spine, hipbones and ribs to the touch and although not visible, I've never felt it as much. She spends most of her day and night under my bed and I've set up an AC for her in my bedroom and shut the blinds almost completely for her but it doesn't seem to help her

(also nothing's wrong with her eyes, she's had this since she was born and I was told it's because of her mainecoon part)

Our little sweetheart Whispurr is so missed

Hi everyone! I have had Birmans for over 16 years. Shanti (age 14.5 now) is a flame lynx. My sweet girl Savannah died in March at 16. She was my heart kitty and I still sleep with her favorite blanket. My heart breaks again every morning when I wake up and she is not lying on my pillow.

I have recently begun thinking of getting another kitty. Shanti is a character, and he doesn’t have the typical Birman temperament. He tends to be suspicious of … well, pretty much everything, until he becomes acclimated, which can take a while. We got our Finnish Lapphund back in 2020, and it has only been in the last couple of years that he hasn’t hissed at him at least once a week and Ukko just wants to be friends with him, like he was with Savannah. They really loved one another.

While Shanti wants to be with us constantly (follows us room to room throughout the day) he isn’t a cuddler. He will (very vocally) insist on attention, but then moves 2-3 ft away from you and makes you lean out to pet him. He won’t sit on your lap or lie on you. (I didn’t know as much about the breed way back then and I wonder why that is… one hypothesis is that he was given to us at 8 weeks, which I now know is really early for a Birman, so maybe that is it. Or maybe he is just “different”.)

I would love to have a cuddly cat or kitten, but am worried about stressing him out. Despite his curmudgeonly ways, I do love the little brat! 🤣 He is quite healthy: he was diagnosed with CKD almost 10 years ago, but through a low ash/low phosphorus diet his kidney functions are perfect. However, he isn’t a youngster, and I don’t want to impact his health by stressing him too much.

Would love to hear people’s opinions!