About Us
My name is Renee Robinson and welcome to Bandilea Birmans. We are located on a small farmlet in South West Gippsland, half an hour from the outskirts of Melbourne. Along with the birmans we have a couple of Bearded Collies and Miniature Pinschers. In the paddocks we have a pony and two horses along with an Alpaca named Hazel. The views here at Bandilea are stunning and all our animals get to enjoy this.
I have previously shown dogs (Bearded Collies), done obedience, agility and flyball with them. With my horses I have attended Adult Riding Club, shown them, some up to Royal level, enjoyed trail riding and have actively been involved with rescue and problem horses which has been my strong interest throughout my time spent with horses. I work part time as a vet nurse and wouldn't dream of doing any other job!
My first love of the Birman breed came about with the purchase of my first Birman, "Holly" a blue point girl purchased as a pet. Little did I know some 15 years later I would still be 'hooked' on the breed. I have had lots of fun showing my cats with GCCFV, had some good success and met some lovely people in the process over the years.
We breed Birmans in all four solid colours, seal, blue, chocolate and lilac.
The cattery is FeLV and Feline AIDS free. All cats coming into the breeding program are tested to ensure this status remains for the health of our cats and future kittens. I strive to choose future breeding stock from healthy lines and continuing out crossing (where possible) to reduce any genetic defects or problems. Although a relatively healthy breed, we are trying our best to preserve this for future generations to enjoy. The girls are not only breeding cats but pets first and foremost and share the home with us, not stuck out in a cattery. You will notice at Bandilea we have several cats imported from New Zealand, this is because New Zealand breed some of the best birman cats in the world and most carry good, strong point colour and lovely old fashioned type. Our aim is to introduce as many new lines as possible from overseas as it is our belief the gene pool in Australia is actually quite small, even though many cats carry different prefix's (stud names), if you go back far enough in their pedigree's many are closely related. We do not follow "trends' in the show ring or breed to win, we breed to improve on the breed standard and for fabulous temperaments. We do not keep everything we breed, in fact we are very fussy because of the fact our girls live in the home, so we are limited to the numbers of cats we can keep happily, so we only keep the best and breed from the best.
The other thing we pride ourselves on here and keep to the highest standard is the temperament and socialization of all our cats and kittens. We want everyone to fall in love with the breed like we have. Most importantly though, we aim to breed quality not quantity so you will not see numerous amounts of cats and kittens on our website.
The Breed
They are stunning cats to look at and their personality certainly matches their glamerous looks. They are easy going, friendly, adaptable and get along wonderfully with other pets and children. Strangers are no problem either as it usually means more cuddles!! I would have to say in my experience they are very dog like and it is the order of the day when I get home from work that the Birmans are lined up with the dogs ready to greet me as I walk in! Many people get worried by the look of the glamerous coat and think that means endless hours of work however that couldn't be further from the truth. The coat is designed to be easy care and only requires a quick brush once every week or two to keep it looking in great shape, except for twice yearly when the coat will 'blow' or shed. During this period a groom every day or two with a comb will help the shedding undercoat to come out quicker without matting. Grooming is easy with a Birman as they tend to love it, they are a breed that thrives on affection from their owners. Sitting on the computer checking emails can be difficult with a tail plume in your face! They always seem to want to be involved with every acitivity and will also follow you from room to room when they are not busy sleeping the day away. Some like to 'talk' more than others but most of all they enjoy company. If you have no other pets we recommend you get two Birmans instead of just one for this very reason.
