Siamese Cat
Siamese Cat
History
The Siamese cat is one of our oldest recognized breeds of cat. They are believed to have originated in South-East Asia where they were often kept as sacred temple cats. Their Thai name means ‘moon diamond’.
Siamese cats were first brought to Europe from Thailand (then called Siam) in the late 19th century, when a gift of cats was made to a returning Ambassador. They soon began appearing at cat shows in the UK, and arrived in the USA in the early 20th century.
Since then the Siamese has been crossed with other cats to form several new breeds including the Balinese, Tonkinese and Himalayan.
Appearance
The Siamese has a light colored body with darker points on face, ears, paws and tail. This is caused by a genetic abnormality which brings about partial albinism. The pigmentation can only develop on the coolest parts of the body, that is the extremities and the face, which is cooled by the respiratory system and sinuses. For the same reason, Siamese cats living in colder climates will tend to develop a darker body that those living in hot countries.
At birth they are pure white or cream. The pointing develops in the first few weeks of a kitten’s life. The rest of the body will slowly darken a little as they age. The color pointing may be seal (most popular), blue, chocolate or lilac.
The almond-shaped eyes of a Siamese are a very striking and vivid blue. A tendency to crossed eyes has been bred out now, except in a few cases. The head is wedge-shaped and the ears are large and set wide.
The body is long, slender and elegant with a sleek short coat and slim tail. No grooming is required. In their native Thailand, many cats have a kink in the tail but this also has been bred out of their Western cousins.
Temperament
They are affectionate and intelligent cats, full of curiosity. They have a loud and distinctive voice nicknamed ‘meezer’ that can sound plaintive, like a crying baby. They are great communicators, both with their voice and their body, and are persistent in their demands for attention.
They love to spend time with their owners and they are great lap cats. Their coloring makes them less able to camouflage themselves than many cats, they do not see in the dark so well and they are not so active at night as other breeds. They may also, like many blue-eyed white cats, have a tendency to deafness. These could be some of the reasons for their sociable nature and happy dependence on human beings.
The beauty and elegance of the Siamese cat makes it one of the best known and distinctive breeds.
