Birmans are marketed as a calm, especially healthy longhaired breed, but they carry a distinctly higher-than-average rate of blood type B (and the rare AB type) than most cats — which matters enormously in an emergency transfusion (there is no universal donor blood type in cats) and can cause fatal newborn kitten losses if a type-B queen is bred to a type-A tom without testing first.
14.39years, life expectancy at birth
2.7 years above the all-cat life expectancy at birth of 11.74.
Measured, not estimated: worked out from 7,936 UK cats that died in 2019 under veterinary care. Based on 38 deaths of this breed. 95% confidence interval 12.87 to 15.91 years. Life expectancy at birth is the average a kitten of this breed could expect; a cat that is already an adult has a longer expected total, because it has got past the risky early years. UK cats, so treat it as the best available figure rather than a promise about yours.
Teng et al. 2024, Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery 26(5) — open access · figures cited with attributionHealth tests to ask the breeder for
There is no CHIC program for cats. These are the DNA and screening tests that the testing laboratories and cat health bodies name for the Birman. A breeder who tests will show the certificates; a DNA result of "clear" for one variant is not a guarantee against the disease.
- PKD1 DNA test (UC Davis VGL / Langford Vets) screens for autosomal-dominant polycystic kidney disease (Langford Vets lists PKD at low prevalence in Birmans)
- Birman Hypotrichosis with Short Life Expectancy (FOXN1) DNA test (commercial labs e.g. Genomia, Wisdom Panel; PLOS One 2015) screens for hairless kittens that die young
When to spay or neuter: by five months, whatever the breed. That is the one answer the AVMA, the feline practitioners and AAHA all give, and the spay and neuter page has why, and the two weeks after.
Sources: langfordvets.co.uk · journals.plos.org · genomia.cz. Checked September 2026. Check a breeder has the questions.
Adopt a Birman near you
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Living with a Birman
Birmans are gentle, sociable, and notably even-tempered for a longhaired breed — genuinely good with kids and other pets, and calmer underfoot than many other 'people cat' breeds. The silky coat is more forgiving than a Persian's and mats less, but it is still a twice-weekly brushing commitment, and it is worth asking a breeder directly whether their cats have been blood-typed, not just health-tested for the usual conditions.
Health you should know about
- Blood type B/AB prevalence — Birmans have a higher-than-average rate of blood type B (and the rare AB type) compared with most cat breeds; this complicates emergency transfusions and can cause neonatal isoerythrolysis, a fatal blood-type-incompatibility reaction in newborn kittens, if breeding cats are not blood-typed first.
- Arterial thromboembolism (FATE) — blood clots that can lodge near the aorta and cut off blood flow to the hind legs; typically a complication of underlying heart disease and a veterinary emergency.
- Hereditary hypotrichosis — a rare genetic condition first documented in this breed, causing patchy hair loss on the head and torso, for which no treatment exists.
- Increased susceptibility to feline infectious peritonitis (FIP) has been reported in Birmans relative to other breeds.
Read the full Cat Care Guide first — costs, daily time, and everything a cat needs before you choose a breed.
Naming a Birman? French dog and cat names, 89 of them, with what they mean.
Sources — 5 references
Last reviewed October 2026. 5 sources listed below. Written and maintained by Petdeals.io. General care information, not veterinary advice — for a sick animal, call a vet.