Short history:

These beautiful creatures first came to Europe from Thailand, then known as Siam, in the last eighteen hundreds. Over the course of time, two kinds of Siamese cats emerged, namely the Traditional Siamese cat, and the Modern Siamese cat.

At some point in time, judges at cat shows started ruling in favor of the more slender type of Siamese cat. These cats are called the Modern Siamese Cat. They have more elongated bodies, they have a more prominent wedge-shaped head, and are more fine-boned. Through selective breeding, the Siamese, it seems, got a brand new shape.

The Traditional Siamese cat, also known as the Old Style Siamese, or using a more derogatory term ‘Applehead’ Siamese, are the sturdier, original cats that came from Siam all those years ago. Applehead is used to describe their clearly more round-shaped head in comparison to the Modern variant. Today’s breeders of this Old Style cat are close to unable to show their cats however, since the judges still rule in favor of the more slender types. Technically they are still allowed to show their cats, but they would never wins. This means there is a certain amount of confusion with would-be owners, about the look of a Siamese. And since the Old Style cats are often not shown, there are a number of shady breeders out there who sell mixed breeds and other cats as Old Style Siamese.

The Siamese is also a ‘founding’ breed. What I mean by that is that many other breeds came into existence by crossing Siamese cats with other types of cats. Examples are the Himalayan (cross Persian and Siamese), the Balinese (long-haired Siamese), the Burmese (Siamese and Wong Mau, the founding mother of the breed), etc etc.

Appearance:

The Siamese is well known for its magnificent appearance. They have the most incredibly soft cream-colored coat. The finishing touch to this beautiful short-haired coat is the markings on the legs and head, which are a warm chocolate brown, making for a picture purrrrfect. Add to that their almond-shaped sapphire eyes, and who can blame people for falling desperately in love with this breed.

The markings of a Siamese are actually caused by a partial albinism. Apparently, Siamese cats carry a mutated enzyme, which influences melanin production. This mutation is heat-sensitive, btw. You see, it fails to work at a normal body temperature, but in the areas which are slightly cooler, it does the job, aka the legs, tail and face. Cats who live in cooler climates are usually also darker than the ones in warm climates. Kittens are cream at birth but start showing their markings after a couple of weeks. On the other hand, the older the cat grows, the darker it becomes.

Originally, the Siamese has very dark markings, but nowadays diluted colors do exist. The dark brown, close to black markings are called seal point. Diluted colors include chocolate point, a softer brown, seal blue, a gray-blue variant, and the very light markings are known as lilac points. At first, diluted colors were not allowed, but now only these four colors are accepted. Some red points and other colors came also about after breeding with other breeds, but those are usually not accepted at cat shows.

Apparently, the albinism also influenced a less desirable trait in these cats, as they are susceptible to cross-eyed vision. Luckily, breeders have bred this trait, and the typical ‘kink’ in the tail many street cats in Thailand still have out of the breed, making it far less common.

Temperament:

I bet the most widely known trait of the Siamese is its voice. They are extremely vocal, and will tell you very clearly what they want. They have a low-pitched voice that is sometimes compared to the calls of a human baby, so know what you are getting yourself into.

On the other hand, they are extremely intelligent, social, playful and pleasant. They crave human companionship though they usually bond with one, to them very special person. These cats love to help out with whatever you are up to, are very active and love play, even as adults. This also means however, that they do not do loneliness very well. If you aren’t home a lot, then consider getting another breed, or at least get two and be prepared to suffer their attention when you get home.

Over the years, they have become so overly dependent on humans, that they are no longer suited for the life on the street, making them the perfect indoor companions. You see, their colors might be appealing to us, but they aren’t exactly camouflage material. They also cannot see as well in the dark as other cats can, due to the albinism. And much like white cats with blue eyes, they often are partially to completely deaf. Their survival strategy basically consists of flattering, humoring and manipulating humans. It seems to do the job though ;)

So if you work at home, live alone, or are otherwise in dire need of some companionship, or have kids that need an active friend, the Siamese is definitely worth considering.

One final note: This is a breed which is known to become sexually active at a very early age, so be sure you are aware of this, so you can avoid problems. Where most cats become sexually active between eight and ten months of age, it is not uncommon for a Siamese to give birth before she is nine months herself. Another good reason to get her spayed in time is the calling of the cat in heat. This is especially loud with the Siamese cat, the nymphomaniacs of the cat world, who are prone to prolonged estrus.