History of the Birman         Illustrated Standard of the Birman 

Annbirwaves Birman Cattery

Head... Ears... Shape

The ears are almost as wide at the base as they are tall. They should be open at the base, have a slightly rounded tip, and be moderate in size, and placed moderately apart with furnishings.

The proper ear set is a very important component of the "Birman Look" and can be one of the hardest to obtain in breeding.

They should be very close to an equilateral triangle in shape. An equilateral triangle is one which has all sides equal in length.

This helps give them a wide base. The opposite of this would be a "cupped" ear.

These accentuate the round look to the head.
By good grooming you can make sure there are no tufts to create a pointed look.

Head... Ears... Size

Moderate in size - one of those relative terms, they should not be large like those of a Siamese nor small like those of a Persian. A good ruff can make quite a difference in how large or small the ears appear. The more common fault being ears that are too large, one seldom sees ears that could be considered too small.

Head... Ears... Placement

Set is probably the most important aspect, since a cat can get away with large ears if they are set properly. And usually if they have the correct set the proper shape will follow. This too helps create the rounded image that is important to the Birman look. Too high set or "donkey ears" give a rectangular look that should be faulted.

Head... Ears... Furnishings

What are furnishings? This refers to the hair growing horizontally from the inside of the ears, NOT the ear tufts on the tips of the ears.

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Last updated 07/31/2011

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