Animal-World > Cats > Natural Cat Breeds > Siamese Cats

Siamese CatsPalace Cat, Royal Siamese, Royal Cat of Siam

Family: Felidae

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Felis domesticusPhoto © Animal-World: Courtesy Justin Brough

     The Siamese is distinctive in personality and appearance compared to other cat breeds. This breed is extreme in every way. It is highly loyal and affectionate, and also hypersensitive and demanding. Its angular features and slender body give it a graceful, unique appearance. This breed is a great choice for cat lovers who are willing to give their pet the attention it needs.

    The Siamese has a distinctively unique personality compared to other cat breeds. This breed is known for being affectionate, loyal, and intelligent, but it is also known for being emotional, unpredictable, and domineering. The Siamese craves attention, but generally attaches itself to one person. It can tolerate other people, but dislikes sharing its home with other cats. Siamese often become jealous of other animals or people. Interestingly, they can be trained to walk on a leash. Some even say that the Siamese acts more like a dog than a cat. The Siamese is very vocal. Its voice is loud and distinctive. The Siamese requires little grooming.

    It is unknown where the Siamese originated from, though it has resided in Thailand since around the 1500's. Currently, it is a popular breed in the U.S., Britain, and Australia.

Common Name(s)     Siamese, The Palace Cat, The Royal Siamese, the Royal cat of Siam.

Background     Much mystery surrounds the exotic cat from Siam, which is present day Thailand. Several theories exist that attempt to explain the Siamese cat's origin. The first theory posits that the Siamese descended from a wild Oriental species. The second suggests that it was bred from Egyptian domestic cats that were brought to the Far East. The third states that the Siamese was a product of a pure white cat given to the King of Siam and the brown temple cats. The fourth is that Annamese cats were crossed with the sacred cat of Burma to produce the Siamese. The fifth and last theory is that a natural mutation occurred in the cats of Siam, which caused their brown coats to become temperature-dependent, which resulted in a dark-pointed coat. No matter what its exact origins were, the Siamese is known for being a prized cat in Siam. Some believe that it was only kept in the palace with the King of Siam, while others say it was also kept with other royalty. When members of the royalty died, one of these special cats was put in the tomb so that the soul of the deceased would have somewhere to go. When the cat escaped from the tomb (each tomb had several holes in the roof), it was believed that the person's soul was reincarnated in the cat.
The first record of a Siamese in Britain was in 1871 in the first British cat shows. Then, they started appearing in the United States in the late 1890's. By some, the cat was regarded as an "unnatural nightmare", but others saw it as a wonderful exotic addition to the cat fancy world. Currently, it is one of the most highly praised breeds.
Several variants of the Siamese exist. They include the following:
    1) Balinese (longhair Siamese with points)
    2) Javanese (longhair Siamese with new-color points)
    3) Oriental Longhair (longhair Siamese without points)
    4) Oriental Shorthair (shorthair Siamese without points)
    5) Colorpoint Shorthair (shorthair Siamese with new-color points)
    6) Havana (shorthair Siamese with solid brown coat)
    7) Foreign White (shorthair Siamese with all-white coat)
    8) Seychellois (shorthair Siamese with splashed white coat)
    9) Ocicat (shorthair Siamese/Abyssinian)
    10) Snowshoe (shorthair Siamese/American Bi-color)
    11) Tonkinese (shorthair Siamese/Burmese)
    Some breeders have begun to develop Siamese that look more like the original specimens, with a round head and solid body. These cats are known by various names, including the Applecat, Apple-head Siamese, Classic Siamese, Old-fashioned Siamese, Opal Cat, Thai Cat, and Traditional Siamese.

Description     One of the defining features of the Siamese is its pointed coat pattern. This breed has a light colored body with dark extremities. This unique pattern is caused by a gene that prevents the fur from darkening when the body temperature reaches a certain level. As a result, the tail, face, ears, and paws are dark, while the rest of the body is light. In the U.S, only four color patterns are accepted: Seal Point, Chocolate Point, Blue Point, and Lilac Point. In Britain, many other variations are accepted, some of which are the Caramel Point, Cream Tabby Point, Cinnamon Point, and Lilac Tortie Point. These additional color patterns are classified as Colorpoint Shorthairs in the U.S.
    The present-day Siamese has a medium-sized, long angular body. The original Siamese had a round head and solid muscular body, but its angular, long features were exaggerated through selective breeding to produce the Siamese body type we see today. The head of the current Siamese forms a long, tapering wedge. The ears are quite large and pointed. The eyes are medium-sized and almond shaped and the nose is long and straight. The legs and tail are both long and slender. This breed weighs approximately 6 to 12 pounds. The Siamese lives a long life of about 15 or more years.
    The original Siamese had a kinked tail and crossed eyes, but those features were eliminated during breeding programs.

Care and Feeding     The Siamese has no special dietary needs.

Housing Your Cat     The Siamese can live in an apartment, but it needs room to run and play. If kept indoors, it should be allowed to run throughout the apartment or house.

Maintenance     This breed requires little grooming. It should be brushed weekly.

Social Behaviors     The Siamese is very affectionate towards its owner and demands a lot of attention. It can be social with other humans, but usually prefers to stay away from other animals.

Activities     The Siamese is an active cat that enjoys running and playing. It should be provided with a scratching post and toys to prevent it from turning to couches and curtains for entertainment.

Breeding/Reproduction     Females mature earlier than other breeds. They can become pregnant at five months. The average litter size is six kittens, but larger litters of ten or more kittens are not uncommon. Since the womb is warm, and the Siamese' coat is temperature sensitive, newborn kittens are completely pale and the color points develop gradually after birth.

Common Health Problems     The Siamese is a generally healthy breed, but some ailments have been noted. Prior to adulthood, Siamese are susceptible to respiratory diseases. Incidences of cardiomyopathy, an inflammation of the heart, which decreases cardiovascular functioning, have been reported. Siamese are also sensitive to anesthetics.

Availability     In the late 1800's and early 1900's, some Americans were willing to pay up to $1000 for this interesting new breed, possibly making it the most expensive breed in history. Currently, the Siamese is a readily available breed that costs approximately $200 for a pet quality cat to $800 for a show quality cat.

Glossary Terms     Cardiomyopathy: A serious heart condition in which the heart is enlarged or rigid, causing decreased cardiovascular functioning.
    Colorpoint Pattern: The coat pattern in which the body is a light color and the extremities (ears, face, paws, and tail) are a dark color.

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Latest Comments
My first ever cat was a (traditional) Siamese named Sushi, and it was love at first sight. She took to me as I took to her. She had a slightly round face with light blue eyes and a rather thick coat. We mated her with a stocky male Siamese, and we ended up with a litter of four, all of whom grew into large (compared to strays and local breeds), elegant, and solidly built cats. Two of them, Maki and Saldi, had short hair. The other two came out long-haired (!!), yet their coats never mat or tangle. Sushi and Maki kept us company, and they would happily snooze on my belly, lap, or behind my knees. Sushi is the sweeter one, who loves being carried on your shoulder, and Maki is the more mischievous one, who gets a kick out of walking on my keyboard and loves lying down smack in the middle of my sketchpad whenever I go drawing on the floor. Saldi is more athletic one, catching mice, cockroaches, and even birds and trying to jump for the dried fish on top of the fridge. These cats are just so beautiful and adorable. I hope to have another one someday, and it's definitely got to be Siamese! Hana 2009-05-08
I recently bought a Traditional Siamese just after Christmas, and it was the best purchase I've ever made. Well him, and my two horses that he loves dearly might I add. He has the most amazing personality! I work at the local Tuesday Morning and he goes to work with me. He's the best salesman we have in the store. He greets the customers and then comes back to help me with whatever I'm doing. Siamese are amazing cats but if you're looking for a cat to catch mice I would not suggest you get one. Siam can't catch a mouse to save his life, unless it's a toy. Allison 2009-04-25
I just adopted my first Siamese from a local animal shelter (yesterday). The name she went by there was "Blondie" but I have changed it to Numiko. She is a lover and purrs all the time. I love her so much. My husband gave her to me for a Valentine's Day gift. Judy 2008-02-10
I once owned a siamese kitten name Princess. She was mix. She was so cute. She liked to play and chase her tail. She is like a dog; she would carry her toys in her mouth. She ran away and never came back for a whole month. I loved her more than anything. She is very sweet and enjoys sleeping in warm places. Anna Rivas 2008-02-05

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