Siamese

Named after their country of origin, Siam (renamed Thailand in 1939); the Siamese cat has always exuded an aura of mystery. They are a natural breed and cats with their distinctive pointed pattern of dark mask, ears, legs and tail contrasting with a paler body and with deep blue eyes, have been known for centuries and are derived from the Thai or Wichien Maat, an old cat breed. They are described and illustrated in the “Tamra Maew” book of cat poems, written between the 14th and 18th centuries, copies of which are still kept in the National Library of Thailand.

The first Siamese cats to arrive in the UK, were brought back by the British Consul-General in Bangkok, Edward Blencowe Gould, as a gift for his sister, Lilian, in 1884. This was a breeding pair named Pho and Mia. They duly produced a litter of three kittens in 1885 which were shown, along with their parents, at the Crystal Palace Show; sadly shortly after the show, all three kittens died. In 1886 another pair of Siamese, together with their kittens were imported to the UK by Eva Forestier Walker, and her sister, Ada. The distinctive look of these cats was very different to the native shorthair and longhair cats that were familiar to the British, and they were originally called the “Royal Cat of Siam”, although there is no evidence that they were kept by Siamese royalty. Further imports arrived over the ensuing years, and most of today’s Siamese are descended from around eleven of the original imports. Lilian Gould, the recipient of the very first pair of Siamese cats, went on to co-found the Siamese Cat Club in 1901. The first Siamese cat to become a Champion in the UK in 1898 was Wankee, born in Hong Kong in 1895.

The modern Siamese cat that you will see at a show looks rather different to its original ancestors from Thailand. The original cats were medium-sized with long bodies and moderately wedge shaped heads and comparatively large sized ears. As Siamese became increasingly popular in the middle of the 20th century, a more slender version was favoured, and today the standard describes the breed as beautifully balanced with head, ears and neck carried on a long svelte body, supported on fine legs and feet, with a long, tapering tail in proportion. The head is long and well proportioned with width between the ears, narrowing in perfectly straight lines to a fine muzzle, a straight profile and strong chin. The ears are large and wide at the base and set to follow the lines of the wedge shaped head. The eyes, which are one of the great beauties of the Siamese, must be Oriental in shape and slant towards the nose; the colour should be a deep, brilliant blue. The points – mask, ears, feet and tail should show a clearly defined colour that matches on all points, and there should be a clear contrast between the points and body colour. The coat is very short and fine in texture, and should be glossy and close lying.

The cats originally arriving in the UK were seal point, but occasionally other colours, blue, chocolate and lilac were born. Today Siamese come in a wide variety of 32 colours and points patterns – the solid points colours are – seal, blue, chocolate, lilac, cinnamon, caramel, fawn, apricot, red and cream. There are also tabby points in the same colours, tortie points and tortie tabby points. Siamese kittens are born light cream or white and the points colour starts to develop after a week or two. Siamese have a genetic mutation, similar to albinism, which is often referred to as the Himalayan gene. It affects enzymes that control the colour of the fur. Areas of the body that are cooler allow the enzymes to function and they develop more pigmentation, making them darker. In cold climates the Siamese cat’s fur will be darker on its body than a cat living in a warm climate. This distinctive coat pattern has also been introduced into other breeds such as the Persian, British Shorthair and Snowshoe.

The Siamese is probably as well known for its loud vocal personality as for its classic looks. They are outgoing, extrovert and can be extremely noisy. They demand attention and to be part of the family. A Siamese is not an ideal cat for someone out at work all day as they do not like to be left on their own but this can be overcome by having two Siamese. They are highly intelligent and need to be kept amused. Toys and scratching posts should be provided for their amusement and they can be taught to retrieve toys. Siamese are immensely loyal to their chosen human and they may not tolerate rivals for their affection!

The Siamese cat’s short glossy coat does not require excessive grooming but the cat will enjoy the attention gained from being groomed. As with most shorthair breeds, the cats look after their coat very well. Male Siamese cats weigh between 10 to 15 lbs, while females weigh less than males at 8 to 12 lbs. Siamese often live well into their late teens and it is not unheard of for them to live into their twenties.

The original Siamese had eye squints and tail kinks which are now considered serious faults. There are, however, a number of conditions that are linked to the breed. Some lines may be predisposed to some cancers such as mediastinal lymphoma and some intestinal tumours. Siamese do also seem to suffer more from chronic coughing (asthma) and to vomit more than other breeds. Some lines of Siamese will ingest strange non-edible items (this is known as pica) such as eating woolen garments, plastic and other materials – the reason for this is not understood. Progressive retinal atrophy (PRA) has also been identified in the breed and the Siamese may be predisposed to hip dysplasia. Lysosomal storage diseases such as Niemann-Pick disease, mucopolysaccharidosis and gangliosidosis (GM1) have been described in Siamese cats, as has systemic amyloidosis.