History of the Birman Illustrated Standard of the Birman

Annbirwaves Birman Cattery

Head Shape

Head... Shape

The head is strong, broad, and rounded from frontal view; slightly longer than wide in profile. Cheeks are full.

	Front: Strong, broad, and rounded
	Side: Slightly longer than wide
	Cheeks: Full

Shape.... Rounded, not wedged

The "slightly longer than wide" is added to prevent a Persian or grapefruit shaped head. When the head is more than "slightly longer" it becomes "wedge-shaped" like the Siamese head.

Cheeks, chin and muzzle:

These three characteristics help to further define the rounded look of the Birman head. A full muzzle with strong chin and full cheeks. There seems to be a tendency towards weak chins lately. From the front the cats have a pleasing look, but viewed from the profile you notice the receding chin. Some judges penalize more for this than others. Just because the chin is receding doesn't mean the "bite" is out of line. "Bite" is the term used to describe the fit of the upper and lower teeth. It isn't really discussed in the Birman standard. Not being an extreme head type there is very seldom a problem with bites, but I have illustrated them to show the differences.

Last updated 07/31/2011

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