The first boy we bred in 1996, Domino de la Tour d'Argent, lives with us and reminds me every day how todays Birmans have become smaller and thinner than 10 years ago. The overall inbreeding coefficient increases with time in the lines, something that is inevitable in any pure breed. Despite all the care I took not to make any inbred marriage anymore in my own cattery, the tendency is the same as everywhere, size decreases.

I also wondered about the origins of the Birman. Most breeders are aware that after the disaster of the Second World War, Persians and Siamese were used to rebuild the Birman breed. Also more recently, Persians have been used to reintroduce the new colors. Once I met Mrs Alwyn Hill (Chosenhill Birmans) and became aware of her outcross programm of the Birman with Persians, I offered her my help. Alwyn Hill has created her own database that contains over 100'000 cats and that she uses to chase back all the Birman and Persian lines in her outcrosses. There is no risk of increasing inbreeding in the outcrossed cats due to the overuse of repeated Persian lines.

The researches of Mrs Hill on my own cats show that there is a common Persian ancestor as far back as 1952.

In 2007 the first "Perbi" arrived in our house: Chosenhill Isis, from Mrs Hills cattery . The outcrossed cats of the programm are all registered with GCCF in the UK. The Persian stud is tested negative for PKD by genetic testing. Both parents have had a vet check and each one had already produced healthy kittens within their own breed.

Impatiently expected : Isis our Persian X Birman cross in the F1 generation

First outcrossed generation ( F1) : Isis   Isis and her lilac point friends

 
Isis at 4 months: 4,2 kg   Isis at 6 months
Second generation (F2)    

Isis's fist litter : Isis gave birth to 7 kittens in 2 hours without any assistance. She fed them all herself and was in wonderful shape.

Isis usual weight is 5.2 kg

We had:
3 blue point Birmans, 4 blue kittens with white and very even gloves

Seven kittens born in two hours: no Persian or Birmans does that. This is one of the positive effets of hybrid vigour   2nd day: Isis is a very good Mum and the kittens gain 15 to 20 grams each day.
     
The Birmans F2 Roomba and Romeo at 8 weeks The gloved blue kittens
     
Rubinstein: Second generation F2 at 18 months.

Ruby and Mum

Ruby has an extremely sweet temperament

Rubinstein de la Tour d'Argent, SBI a
CCEU-RX 1008 /
TICA No BON 042408 028
Pedigree
Blood group A (specially for Annelore)

Rubinstein (Ruby)
     
Second generation F2 :
a new attempt in 2011 		   

On April 10th 2011, Isis and Nabucco de la Tour d'Argent (SBI seal point) gave us what we had hoped for for a long time:

UDINI de la Tour d'Argent, SBI a ,
a blue point boy with perfect gloves.
His sis is a black XLH and she is sooo cute.

Second generation F2:
Third attempt in 2011 : Isis tried again without asking our permission, with the help of Storm de la Tour d'Argent.

2 blue XLH females and one boy, lovely temperament.

Those kittens are no longer available..

3rd generation F3    

Ruby and Rudra gave birth to a lovely blue point female,


Soprano de la Tour d'Argent,


she is 100 % Birman and won her CAC certificat in 2010.

 
     
4th generation F4    

Soprano est pregnant from Radamès de la Tour d'Argent and we expect her kittens for next month.

Planned pedigree for 2012: (clic)