The Extraordinary Adventure of the Sacred Cat of Burma

The author analyzes the origin and legend fo the Sacred Cat of Birman who first appeared in 1926, during the First International Cat Show of Paris. For a long time bathed in mystery, Dr. Alain Lescart unveiled the reality of this cat creation and the background of Mme Léotardi, the creator of the cat and an infamous charlatan.

Before 1940, the sacred Cat of Birma was the most expensive cat in the world, due to its alleged rarity and its favor with the wealthy French class. From the first mention of this feline in 1922, and although the veracity of its Burmese tale was quickly questioned, no one had succeeded in uncovering the truth about its origins. Dr Alain Lescart, scholar and breeder of Birman cats, managed to uncover significant details on this subject while revealing the behind the scenes of a now forgotten legal case which made the front page of all French newspapers of the time, and which revolved around Mme Juanita Léotardi, the first breeder of Birman, and a major mythomaniac. In his work, the author follows the evolution of the legend with its inconsistencies and contradictions. He is finally interested in the difficulties encountered by the first breeders to develop the breed in the years preceding the Second World War.

Born in Menton in the Alpes-Maritimes, Doctor Alain Lescart is professor of literature and French at an American university in San Diego, California. A 19thcentury scholar, he has a master's and an aggregation in theology, a master's degree in family therapy, and a doctorate in French literature from the University of Connecticut in the United States. His doctoral thesis on the emblematic figure of the grisette has been published by Champion editions as well as various articles in literature and poetry.