The Birmakredsen – our community

💙🐾 A tribute to all Birman lovers 🐾💙 The Birmakredsen is not just a name. The Birmakredsen is a community. A community created by people who share the same love for a very special breed – the amazing Sacred Birman. In a world where so much is often about differences, the Birmakredsen is built on what we have in common. The joy of the blue eyes, the white gloves, the gentle temperament and the very special bonds that arise between people and their Birmans. Today we would like to send a warm and heartfelt greeting to all of you who are part of this community. To those of you who wake up every day with a Sacred Birman next to you. To those of you who have shared many years of your life with the breed and still carry the memories of past Birmans with you in your hearts. For those of you who have just got your first Birman and are slowly discovering why so many of us never completely let go of our love for this breed. For those of you who dream of having a Sacred Birman one day as part of the family. For those of you who exhibit with pride. For those of you who have exhibited before and have countless memories from exhibition halls, friendships and experiences. And for those of you who are standing in front of your very first exhibition with butterflies in your stomach, excitement in your eyes and a hope for a good day together with your cat. Thank you for joining us. Thank you for giving your cats care, love and security every single day. Thank you for the many pictures, stories, questions and experiences you share with all of us. Thank you for the help when someone needs advice. Thank you for the encouragement when things are difficult. Thank you for the joy when something succeeds. And thank you for the friendships that arise between people who might never have met each other if it hadn't been for the love of the Holy Birman. Because it is precisely people like you who make the Birmakredsen what it is. Not buildings. Not titles. Not boards. But people. People with big hearts. People who come together around a breed that we all love. People who rejoice in the kittens' first steps, in the little quirks of adult cats, in great show results, in cozy evenings on the couch and in all the little moments that only true Birmans fully understand. Because the Holy Birman is much more than a beautiful cat. It is a family member. Friend. Comforter. Shadow. Companion. Entertainer. And often quite a big personality wrapped in silky soft fur and with a look that can melt even the hardest heart. Many of us started with one Birman and quickly discovered that the breed has a very special ability to find its way into both homes and hearts. It is a love that often lasts a lifetime, and which creates a community across generations, experiences and geographical distances. Whether you have been a part of the Birman world for decades, are just starting your journey, have previously had Birmans, are actively exhibiting, are considering starting to show, or simply dream of one day sharing your life with a Sacred Birman, you are an important part of the story. You are part of the community. You are part of the love for the breed. And you are part of the Birmakredsen. Thank you to all current, past, and future owners. Thank you to all current, past, and future exhibitors. Thank you for helping to keep the joy, passion, and love for the Sacred Birman alive. Together we are more than just people with cats. Together we are a community. Together we are the Birmakredsen. 💙🐾 Together for the love of the Sacred Birman. 🐾💙

A tribute to all the Sacred Birman breeders in the world ❤️ The Sacred Birman is much more than a breed. It is the result of generations of passion, knowledge, dedication and love for the cat. When we look into those deep blue eyes, admire those silky lines or delight in those distinctive white paws, we do not just see a beautiful cat. We see the fruit of more than a hundred years of dedicated work by breeders around the world. We owe a special thanks to the breed’s earliest pioneers, who laid the foundation for the Sacred Birman we know today. To the brave people who, after World War II, refused to let the breed disappear and, with a few remaining cats, rebuilt the population. Without their efforts, the Sacred Birman would probably only exist as a legend in old books. But this tribute is not just to the great names of history. It is to all breeders. To those who have worked tirelessly for decades to preserve the breed's health, temperament and distinctiveness. To those who have studied pedigrees, planned matings, cared for pregnant females, watched over births and spent countless sleepless nights ensuring kittens had the best possible start in life. To those who have shared their experiences with others. To those who have helped new breeders along the way. To those who have exhibited, taught, researched, guided and fought for the future of the breed. Also to the breeders whose names will never be written in the history books. Those who may have had only a few litters, but who have made a difference to every cat they have been responsible for. Their contribution is just as valuable, because the history of the breed has been built by many hands over many generations. Today, the Sacred Birman is one of the world's most beloved cat breeds. Not because of coincidence, but because thousands of people over time have felt a responsibility to preserve something special and pass it on to the next generation. Therefore, this tribute is to all of you. To the pioneers. To the restorers. To the breeders of the past. To the breeders of today and to those who will one day carry the breed forward. Thank you for your work. Thank you for your knowledge. Thank you for your commitment. And above all – thank you for your love for the Sacred Birman. Without you, there would be no Sacred Birman today.

🗣️ WE DARE TO TALK ABOUT IT ALL Even the topics that others may avoid 🐾 Facts over rumors 🐾 Dialogue over arguments 🐾 Curiosity over prejudices 🐾 Knowledge over assumptions At the Birmakredsen, we believe that you learn the most when you dare to ask questions – even the difficult ones. That's why we address topics about: ✨ Health ✨ Breeding ✨ Genetics ✨ Standard ✨ Welfare ✨ The future of the breed We make every effort to communicate broadly, educationally and respectfully. 💙 The most important thing for us is a good tone. 😊 There must be room for both humor, different opinions and the desire to learn more. Knowledge is only valuable when it is shared. The Birmakredsen – community, facts and the fascination of the Holy Birman.

📢 Where did the posts go? Many have probably noticed that the Birmakredsen's series on the Health & Welfare Commission has been removed. This is because the Birmakredsen has been asked not to publish the series, as concerns have been expressed that the posts could be confused with official publications from FIFe. Of course, this was never the intention! The series has been prepared by the Birmakredsen based on publicly available FIFe rules and documents with the sole purpose of making the rules and organization easier to understand for members, breeders and cat enthusiasts. We have therefore chosen to remove the posts while we work on a solution that even more clearly distinguishes the Birmakredsen's information material from official publications. Our goal remains the same: 📚 To convey knowledge. 🐾 To create understanding. ❤️ To make complicated rules more accessible. We hope to soon be able to present a revised version of the series, clearly stating that this is an unofficial information series prepared by the Birmakredsen based on publicly available FIFe rules and documents. Thank you for your understanding and support. 💙 The Birmakredsen

💙🐾 The pedigree is a tool – not a medal. 🐾💙 When the subject comes up with pedigrees, you often hear the comment: "It's just a piece of paper." And if you look at the paper itself in isolation, that is of course true. The paper itself has no value. It is the knowledge behind it that is important. A pedigree does not tell you whether a cat will be a fantastic family cat, whether it loves children, or whether it will win shows. That is not what the pedigree is made for at all. On the contrary, it is a document that tells you where the cat comes from, which lines it comes from, and how the generations are connected. It gives the breeder the opportunity to calculate the degree of inbreeding, follow genetic lines, and plan future matings on a much more informed basis. Therefore, a pedigree is not a status symbol. It is a work tool. Fortunately, we are talking more and more about animal welfare. We discuss nutrition, socialization, vaccinations, and good care, and they’re all important. But animal welfare doesn’t just start when the kitten is born. It starts the day you decide which cats will be the parents of the next litter. Every mating is a choice, and the more knowledge you have about the two cats, the greater the opportunity to make a responsible choice. This does not mean that a pedigree can guarantee healthy kittens, just as a cat without a pedigree is not necessarily unhealthy. However, documented knowledge provides a much better basis for assessing genetic variation, kinship and known lines than if you do not know the cat's background at all. This is particularly relevant for the Sacred Birman. The breed has a relatively limited genetic variation, and therefore responsible breeders spend a lot of time analyzing pedigrees, calculating COI and trying to preserve as wide a genetic variation as possible. You simply do not have that opportunity in the same way if the lineage is unknown. At the same time, I think we owe the domestic cat more respect than it sometimes gets. A domestic cat does not need to be called "Burmese-like", "almost Burmese" or "Burmese without a pedigree" to be a lovely cat. The domestic cat is something very special in itself, just like the pedigree cat is. When we try to give a domestic cat a breed identity without documentation, we also risk sending a signal that it is not good enough to "just" be a domestic cat. I think that is a shame – both for the domestic cat and for the purebred cat. Therefore, in my opinion, this debate is not about prestige or making some cats more refined than others. It is about responsibility. It is about using the knowledge we have when we choose to bring living animals into the world. The more we know about their background, the better chance we have of making well-considered decisions for the benefit of both the cats and the future of the breeds. The pedigree is a tool – not a medal. It does not make the cat more valuable, but it does allow the breeder to take on greater responsibility. And if we really believe that animal welfare is important, then it should also include the choices we make long before the kittens are born.

🐾 Welfare – the common thread throughout your Holy Birman’s life When we look back at all these areas – genetics, type, health, mental well-being, environment, socialization, ethics, medical management, normalization, showing and quality of life – one thing becomes clear: 🐱 Welfare is not created by a single choice. It is created by the sum of all the choices we make. A healthy Holy Birman is not just a Holy Birman without disease. A beautiful Holy Birman is not just a Holy Birman that matches the breed standard. A successful breeding cat is not just a Holy Birman that produces beautiful kittens or achieves great show results. It is first and foremost a living individual with needs, emotions, instincts, personality and a whole life path. As breeders, exhibitors and owners of Holy Birman, we have a responsibility to look beyond the immediate result. We must dare to question our own choices – even when they are based on traditions or habits. Development is not about rejecting the past, but about constantly assessing whether our decisions continue to benefit the breed and the individual Holy Birman. 🐾 The breed standard should describe the Holy Birman we want to preserve – but it must never become more important than the living cat behind the term. 🐾 Health should not only be measured by test results or the absence of disease. It should also be seen in a Holy Birman’s ability to live a long, active and effortless life with a high quality of life. 🐾 Breeding decisions should not only be about what we can do genetically – but about what we should do for the future of the breed. Every mating is a choice that affects future generations. 🐾 Mental well-being deserves the same attention as physical health. A Holy Birman should be safe, curious, social and have the opportunity to develop the calm and trusting temperament for which the breed is known and loved. 🐾 Everyday life is at least as important as breeding. The best genetics cannot compensate for an environment where the Holy Birman lacks security, activation, social contact or respect for its natural needs. Welfare is created every single day through care, understanding and responsibility. 🐾 The future of the Holy Birman depends on the choices we make today. If we consistently put welfare before prestige, health before quick results and wholeness before individual details, we give the breed the best opportunities to also be a healthy, beautiful and harmonious breed for many generations to come. The biggest challenge in working with the welfare of the Holy Birman may not be the lack of knowledge. The biggest challenge is translating that knowledge into action – and to maintain focus on the whole rather than individual details. Because the most important assessment of a Holy Birman does not only happen on the show table. It does not only happen in the breeding plan. It does not only happen in the health statistics. It happens every single day in the Holy Birman’s own life. 🐱 The crucial question will therefore always be: 👉 Have we created a Sacred Birman that not only lives up to the breed standard – but also has the best conditions to live a long, healthy, safe and natural life? Because in the end, the greatest success is not the Sacred Birman that wins the most titles. ❤️🐾 It is the Sacred Birman that thrives best – throughout life. The Birmakredsen

💙🐾 How do you join the Birmakredsen community? 🐾💙 It's actually quite simple: 👉 Attend our events 👉 Support the announcements and activities 👉 Share your ideas and thoughts 👉 Contribute to projects and initiatives 👉 Get involved in the breed and the community The Birmakredsen is not something you are "locked into" - it is something we create together. Do you have an idea for an event, a project or something else breed-related? Then contact us. New ideas and committed members help make the community stronger. The more you participate, the more you get in return - both professionally, socially and personally. We look forward to hearing from you! 💙

🐾 What is Breed BIS? Don't worry. I'll explain. 😼 Breed BIS means that the Holy Birman gets its very own Best in Show competition. This means that the Birmans are judged within the breed, and in the end the best among the participating Holy Birmans are crowned. 🏆 But for me, Breed BIS is about more than the competition. It's about bringing people together around a breed we love - across cities, clubs, languages ​​and national borders. 🌍❤️ Holy Birmans are found in homes and breeding all over the world. We may speak different languages, but we all know the look from the blue eyes, the white paws and the very special Birman personality. On November 21st we will meet in Grindsted, where the Holy Birman gets extra attention at JYRAK. 📍 And you are invited. You don't have to show a cat. You don't have to know the rules. You don't even have to be from Denmark. Are you curious about the Holy Birman, do you already love the breed, or do you just want to experience a lot of Birmans and people gathered around the same passion, then come and join us. And to all my Birman friends outside Denmark: Follow along, share the day with us and be part of the community – no matter where in the world you live. 🌍🐾 Because the Holy Birman does not belong to one country. It brings us together across them. See you in Grindsted on November 21st. I'll keep an eye on it all. 😼 – Bimse

🐾 BIMSE HAS HEARD ABOUT ALGORITHMS… 😳 At first I thought it was some kind of little animal that lived inside Facebook. Apparently it's not. 🙄 But I've been told that when you like, comment and share our posts, Facebook and the search engines think: “Hey! This must be something people want to see!” …and then they show the Birmakredsen's posts to even more people. 😎 That means more people who can find our knowledge about Sacred Birman. More people who learn about health, welfare, genetics and history. More people who find our community. And most importantly: More people I can control. 😇 So if you would like to help the Birmakredsen grow, you are very welcome to: ❤️ Like 💬 Comment 🔄 Share 🐾 And bring a Birma friend along Because as the people here keep saying: “Knowledge is only power when shared.” ❤️ I personally also think that snacks are only power when shared. …but apparently there are some who think I have misunderstood the motto. 🙄 Kjærliggsrekresen Bimse 🐾❤️

🐾💙 Why did you choose a Sacred Birman? 💙🐾 There are many amazing cat breeds – and just as many lovely house cats. But for those of us who have fallen in love with Sacred Birman, there is often something very special that made the difference. Was it the deep blue eyes that almost look into the soul? 💎 Was it the silky soft fur without the demanding fur care? ✨ Was it the calm, loving and social temperament? 🥰 Or maybe the unique combination of beauty, intelligence and devotion? ❤️ Many describe the Sacred Birman as a cat that not only lives in the home – but becomes part of the family. A cat that follows you from room to room, wants to be close to its people while maintaining its own dignity and charm. For some, it was love at first sight. For others, the love came slowly, after meeting their first Birman. But what many Birman owners have in common is that one Birman is rarely enough. 😊 🐾 What made you choose a Sacred Birman? Please tell your story in the comments – and feel free to share a picture of your Birman. We love seeing the beautiful puppies! 💙