Ragdoll and Birman are two cat breeds that look quite similar and are often confused. I myself wasn’t able to recognize them before doing some research for this article. You’ll see that, with a few tips, telling the two breeds apart will be easier!



Disclaimer: The following tips will only help you to visually recognize the two breeds, but the only way to know for sure if a cat is a Birman or a Ragdoll is to check the cat’s pedigree!

So, if your cat matches some of these criteria, it does not necessarily make it a Birman or a Ragdoll! It needs to have a pedigree that proves its breed.



Breed History

The origins of the Birman

The Birmans or 'Sacred Cats of Burma' have a legendary origin. These cats were raised by the Kittah priests in their temple in Burma. The legend says that they got their blue eyes from the worshipped goddess who also had sapphire blue eyes. The white paws were awarded as a symbol of purity for their devotion.

The Birmans are said to be the descendant of a pair of cats which were brought back from a temple in Burma to France in the 1920s. Reports of the breed were made in 1927 by the Cat Club de France. However, the breed was almost entirely wiped out during the Second World War and was recreated from two purebred Birmans, with the addition of Persian and Siamese blood. The breed was recognized in 1949 by the Fifé, it was then exported outside of France and recognized in the US and UK in the ’60s.