Siamese
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Description
The Siamese is one of the oldest recognized and
established breeds of cat. The breed is from Thailand (originally
known as Siam) and was first imported to Great Britain in the
mid-1880s. The first known Siamese cat was imported from Bangkok
as a gift from the consul of Siam to the wife of President Rutherford
B. Hayes and lived in the White House. They were an immediate
success, and appeared in the earliest cat shows in both countries.
The Siamese is distinguished by its brilliant
blue eyes and its colored "points" (ears, face, tail and feet)
which provide a striking contrast to its light-colored body. The
show-quality Siamese display a very long, slender body type, and
a long, wedge-shaped head with huge ears.
The Siamese is vocal, lively, and affectionate. The breed
can be very demanding and should not be left alone for long periods
of time. Daily play and interaction are critical to a Siamese's
emotional and mental well-being. Active feline companionship will
help keep a lonely Siamese happy, but there is no substitute for
human interaction as well. This breed is not for those looking
for a quiet companion -- Siamese are intelligent and if you don't
give them something to do, they will find something to
do instead!
Siamese were originally recognized in the solid
seal, blue, chocolate, and lilac point colors. In some associations,
additional colors and patterns are accepted as part of the Siamese
breed, particularly outside the US and Canada, while other associations
call these Colorpoint Shorthair. Those who are looking for point
colors other than these traditional four are encouraged to visit
the list of Colorpoint Shorthair breeders.
 Some breeders work with a more moderate, rounded
type of Siamese, called either the traditional or applehead Siamese, pictured at left. Other than the appearance, the breed's personality and traits are similar to Siamese with the contemporary look.
Those who prefer this look should search for breeders with "traditional type" in their descriptions. The traditional-look Siamese has recently been recognized as a separate breed in TICA, called Thai, so you can also visit the Thai breed page.
Indeed, old photographs of Siamese cats bear
resemblances to both the show/wedge and traditional styles, lending credence to the idea that
pregenitors of both body types existed.
The traditional style Siamese type lost favor in the
1960s through the 1980s, but by the late 1980s, groups of breeders
interested in promoting this type began organizing and promoting
this style of Siamese.
Photo © Chanan
Associations: The Siamese is accepted by all major cat
registries. TICA recognizes the traditional type as the Thai, and CFA distinguishes those who do not have the four traditional solid point colors as Colorpoint Shorthair.
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Breed Information
Show Standards
Clubs/Associations
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