Seamese

The Siamese is described and depicted in the Cat-Book Poems, a manuscript written in the city of Ayudha sometime between 1350 when the city was founded and 1767 when the city was burned by invaders. The illustrations in the manuscript clearly show cats with slim bodies and legs, and pale-colored coats with dark coloring on the ears, tails, and feet. The book describes these pointed cats as having red eyes, possibly because of the way, as any cat photographer will attest, that the breed's eyes appear red when they reflect light.

No one is sure exactly when the Siamese was imported to Britain. The earliest documented account tells of a pair of Siamese cats given to the sister of the British consul general in Bangkok in 1884, who exhibited the cats the following year in London. However, Siamese cats were exhibited 13 years earlier (in 1871) in the first modern-style cat show at Sydenham, London's Crystal Palace, where they were disparagingly described as "an unnatural, nightmare kind of cat."

Despite the bad press, the Siamese rapidly became popular among British fanciers. At that time, the Siamese were noted for their crossed eyes and kinked tails; these didn't become conformation faults until later. The first British standard, written in 1892 and rewritten in 1902, described the Siamese as a "striking-looking cat of medium size, if weighty, not showing bulk, as this would detract from the admired svelte appearance... also distinguished by a kink in the tail."

The breed must have become used to posh dwellings from its years with royalty; reportedly, the first Siamese to reach America lived in the White House. This often told, if not particularly documented, story tells of a Siamese given to Mrs. Rutherford Hayes in 1878 by U.S. Consul David Stickles. Another story claims that the Siamese arrived in America in 1890, given as a gift to an American friend by the king of Siam.

The Siamese had certainly made the move to America by the early 1900s when Siamese cats began appearing in American cat shows. The breed rapidly clawed its way to the top of the cat fancy's scratching post, and is now the most popular shorthaired breed in America, and third most popular breed overall, according to the CFA's registration statistics (the Maine Coon nudged the Siamese out of second place in 1992).

Due to its popularity, the breed has been used in the matrix of many modern cat breeds, including the Ocicat, Himalayan, Burmese, Tonkinese, Snowshoe, and myriad Oriental breeds (Oriental Shorthair, Oriental Longhair, Colorpoint Shorthair, Colorpoint Longhair, Balinese, and Javanese).

Although the Extreme Siamese is favored in the show ring, the Traditional or Old Style Siamese (also known as the Applehead) has an enthusiastic following of breeders and fanciers who wish to preserve the Traditional Siamese. These fanciers believe the Traditional's rounder, heavier body style is closer to the original type that existed before humans began tinkering with it. The Traditional Cat Association, founded by Diana Fineran, is dedicated to preserving, protecting, perpetuating, and promoting the Traditional Siamese.

Extreme breeders, on the other hand, believe that the Extreme body style is the original look, which became adulterated through dubious crosses in the early years. They are dedicated to preserving the natural, sleek elegance of the Extreme Siamese.

Extreme and Traditional Siamese fanciers continue to hiss at each other over the difference in style, and it's difficult to say who is correct. The illustrations of the Siamese in the Cat-Book Poems show cats with long, slender legs and tails; however, the body type could be interpreted as either Extreme or Traditional, depending upon one's point of view. Both sides agree on one thing, though: Siamese make wonderful companions. If you're looking for a cat with personality, an impish nature, and a talent for conversation, both the Traditional and the Extreme will fit the bill. If you're looking for success in the show ring, the Extreme is favored.

Siamese have fascinated folks around the world since they were first officially exported from Thailand, or as it was known then Siam, in the late eighteen hundreds. Their sleek lines, striking color contrast, finely chiseled aristocratic heads, deep blue almond eyes, and short silky coats make them living art. Combine this beauty with acute intelligence, inquisitive personality and a loving nature and you have the essence of the Siamese cat.

The first Siamese to appear in England were a gift from Siam to an ambassador who brought them home. They began appearing in English cat shows almost immediately, and in American shows by the early twentieth century.

Seal points, still the best known variety, were the first to arrive. With their seal brown, almost black extremities and their pale fawn bodies, they were sensational. While chocolate points, with creamy white bodies and milk chocolate legs, tail, mask and ears did appear from time to time, it was the blue point that gained official recognition in 1934. The blue point has a bluish-white body with slate blue points. The chocolate point was recognized next. In 1955 the lilac point followed and completed the breed. The lilac point has pinkish gray points with a white body which makes it most ethereal and delicate in color.

Appearance

The most striking feature of a Siamese (next to her big blue eyes) is the point-restricted coat pattern, for which the breed is famous. This means that the body of the cat is always a light color while the face, tail, paws and ears (the points) are always a darker color.

The point-restricted pattern is caused by a gene that reduces the amount of pigment in the hair. The pattern is controlled by an enzyme that produces greater depth of color at the areas farthest away from the heart. The skin temperature of the body's extremities is a few degrees lower than the rest of the body, and therefore attracts more pigmentation. The body hair contains little pigment, but the "points" of the body - the face, tail, feet and ears - contain more.

The Cat Fanciers' Association (CFA) recognizes the Siamese in only four colors: seal point, blue point, chocolate point and lilac point. However, other cat associations accept additional colors including red point, cream point, cinnamon point, fawn point, tortie point, lynx point and tortie lynx point. In the CFA, these colors of Siamese are considered a separate breed called the colorpoint shorthair. Most of the other cat associations, however, consider these cats to be simply color variations of the Siamese.

The Siamese is a shorthaired cat. The longhaired version is considered a separate breed, called the Balinese. This breed is also pointed. In the CFA, the Balinese comes is seal point, blue point, chocolate point and lilac point. The longhaired version of the Siamese with other color points is referred to as the Javanese, considered yet another separate breed by the CFA. Other cat organizations do not consider the Javanese to be a separate breed but merely an extension of the Balinese.

Two body types exist. The show Siamese is characterized by a long, elegant, svelte body, refined, tapering lines, and a long, tapering wedge-shaped head. The ears are strikingly large and pointed, the eyes slanted and almond-shaped, and the tail whip-long and tapered to a fine point. This variety enjoys championship competition status in most of the cat associations.

The traditional or old-style Siamese (also known as the Applehead) is a medium- to large-sized robust cat with a muscular build and substantial bone structure. The head is rounded rather than wedge-shaped, and the ears are medium-sized and rounded at the tips.

Foreign-type colorpointed cat with short glossy fur. Some registries classify Siamese with non-solid points as Colorpoint Shorthairs. Range from very extreme in type (pronounced wedge-shaped face, "bat" ears) to more moderate. Modern Siamese has an exaggerated "tubular" oriental body and long triangular face bearing little resemblance to the original Siamese body which was akin to the Tonkinese. The older style of Siamese is variously known as appleheaded, round-headed or Thai Siamese.

Determinedly social and very dependent upon their humans, Siamese crave active involvement in your life. Like Mary's little lamb, they want to follow wherever you may go. Siamese can be unpredictable in their behavior and can appear aloof and disinterested, but it's all an act. Siamese need to be treated with respect and patience and require lots of affection if they are to develop a close, caring relationship with their human companions. Siamese will pine if left too often alone.

The Siamese are well known for their talent for communicating with their human friends. If you crave peace and quiet when you return home from earning the cat food, this breed may not be for you. The Siamese's loud raspy yowl can be a bit annoying to some, but Siamese fanciers value the breed's skill at communication. Siamese are masters at human manipulation with their attention-getting yowls and their belief that the world rotates around them.

Shoulder perchers and cat toy fetchers, Siamese are social and dependent upon their human companions. They are intelligent and loyal and crave attention, affection and active involvement in your life. If left alone too often, they pine. Once you develop a close relationship, however, you have a loving and devoted companion for life.

Siamese cats are very intelligent and inquisitive and are famous for their unique vocalizations, which many people have compared to the sound of a baby crying. Siamese cats come in a wide range of colors from lilac point to chocolate point, as well as markings, which range from tabby point to fawn point.

Siamese cats are famous for their exceptional temperament. They are intelligent, people-oriented cats, friendly, and affectionate. The Siamese cat's fairly balanced activity level makes it most suitable for apartment living. One of the most distinctive features of the Siamese cat breed is their voice. They can be very loud at times. Siamese cats are claimed to speak both with their voice and with their body.

While color is a prominent feature of this breed, structure is also important. The Siamese is a study in length. From the start the breed standard has called for a long, wedge shaped head and elongated body lines. The muscular, tubular body is supported by long legs and graced by a long neck and tail. Paradoxically the short, close lying coat accentuates the long lines perfectly.

The long Siamese head is delineated by an absolutely straight profile and well aligned chin. From the front, the outline of the face presents a smooth wedge with large ears that complete the wedge. The outstanding feature of the head is the pair of deep blue almond eyes (an eye's width apart) which are set at a slant. If you have been able to resist all the other attributes of this breed, the eyes will captivate you. They radiate intelligence and emotion.

This ancient breed, perhaps the oldest of all our cats, is able to communicate like no other. The Siamese voice is legendary. They speak both with their voice and with their body. They are the quintessential "people" cat, for they love to be in your lap, on your bed, at your table--and in your heart!

Conformation

Siamese come in four or more colors, depending upon the cat association to which you belong. The CFA recognizes four Siamese colors: seal, chocolate, blue, and lilac point (called frost in some associations). Solid blues and browns were well documented in the Cat-Book Poems, so it's not surprising that Siamese cats possessing the recessive gene for the dilute factor, which changes seal to blue and chocolate to lilac, were appearing in Siamese lines early on. Siamese in red (also called flame) or cream point, tortie point (mottled mixtures of black and red or their dilute colors on the point areas, also called tortoiseshell), or lynx point (stripes of color on the point areas) are called Colorpoint Shorthair in the CFA, although most of the other cat associations consider these color variations of the Siamese. The red and cream colors were produced by foundation crossings between Siamese, Abyssinians, and red Domestic Shorthairs.

The Himalayan pattern, as the point-restricted style is called, is named after the rabbit that exhibits the same coat pattern. The color is restricted to the face mask, ears, legs, and tail, while the body remains a lighter color. The concentration of color is kept to the point areas by a temperature-controlled enzyme that creates greater depth of color at the parts of the body farthest away from the cardiovascular system. The cooler the environment, the darker the color becomes. Siamese kittens are born white, because of the warmth of their mother's body, and develop their point color as they grow.