According to Buddhist legend the Birman breed was created in the image of a Burmese goddess. The legend tells of a colony of white cats living in a Burmese temple dedicated to a goddess. After a temple priest was murdered, one of the white cats stood on his body and faced an effigy of the goddess, who magically transformed the cat, and all of the other temple cats, to a golden colour with the deep blue eyes of the goddess and pure white feet. The story may be mythical but the Birman is considered to have originated in Burma, developed by Burmese priests. When the priests were forced to flee their native country they were assisted by the English and French military. In gratitude a pair of Birman cats was sent to France as a gift and the female of the pair was pregnant. Since the early 1900s, following the Birmans arrival, the breed has continued to be developed in Europe and has spread around the world. The Birman were introduced to Australia in 1967.
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