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| Names |
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| Breed Classification |
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Siamese |
| Lifespan |
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> 15 years
Siamese often live well into their late teens and it is not unheard of for them to live into their twenties. |
| Average Litter Size |
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The average litter size for Siamese is about six kittens but much larger litters of ten or more are not uncommon. |
| General Physical Description |
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The Siamese is a medium sized cat with a long, lithe body that is graceful and elegant but still has a muscular feel. They should feel much heavier than they appear. The body is well balanced and athletic. The hind legs are higher than the front. The legs are slender and the paws are small and oval. The head viewed face on resembles a triangle tapering in straight lines to a fine muzzle. The profile should be straight with no breaks or stops and the chin is deep and strong. The head is carried on an elegant neck. The ears are large and pricked and are set so that they follow the lines of the triangle. The eyes are oriental in shape and slant towards the nose. There should be width between the eyes and they should not be deep set. The tail is long and tapering and free from kinks. |
| Weight Height Range |
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| Feeding |
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The Siamese is an active cat and will require 80 Kcals of food per kg bodyweight per day. This type of cat rarely overeats and will soon tell you how much he requires each day. It must be noted that Siamese should not be fat. |
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Try Royal Canin Breed Specific Cat Food |
| Ailments |
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Siamese cats have no specific health problems and are capable of living well into their teens. From the age of about eight years it is advisable for them to have an annual health check to check teeth and liver and kidney function. |
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| Show Characteristics |
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Siamese are extremely popular show cats and are responsible for one of the biggest breed sections at major cat shows in Britain. The standard is high and the competition is hot. The Siamese is relatively easy to prepare for showing because of its short coat. Prizes will be withheld for incorrect coat colour or pattern, incorrect points, unlevel bite, eye casts as well as other faults which apply to all breeds such as skull deformities, entropion, squints, under or over shot jaw, tail kinks etc. |
| Country Of Origin |
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Thailand. |
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| Energy |
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High |
| Compatibility With Other Cats |
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Medium |
| Compatibility With Other Animals |
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Medium |
| Suitability For Children |
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Medium |
| Character & Temperament |
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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. They tend to settle best with cats of their own type such as Burmese or Orientals but being territorial tend to bully less domineering breeds such as the longhairs. |
| Noisiness |
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High |
| Placidity |
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| Playfulness As An Adult |
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| Grooming & Upkeep |
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The Siamese’ 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. |
| Coat Length |
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Short |
| Colour |
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The coat is short, fine and close lying. The main body colour is pale with darker intensely coloured points. The coloured points only extend to the mask area of the face, ears, legs and tail which are the cooler parts of the body. Temperature can affect the colour of the points. A cat that has an operation often has temporary darkening of the points and cats that live in warmer climates tend to have paler points. The Siamese is bred in an incredible combination of thirty-two colours and patterns. 'Seal Point' - Points are seal brown, body is warm cream possibly shading to warm fawn on the back. Nose leather and paw pads seal brown. 'Blue Point' - Points are light blue, body is glacial white possibly shading to pale blue on back. Nose leather and paw pads blue. 'Chocolate Point' - Points are milk chocolate, body is ivory. Nose leather and paw pads are chocolate or pinkish chocolate. 'Lilac Point' - Points are pinkish grey, body is magnolia. Nose leather and paw pads are pinkish grey. 'Cinnamon Point' - Points are warm cinnamon brown, body is ivory. Nose leather and paw pads are pink to cinnamon brown. 'Caramel Point' - Points are brownish grey, body is off white. Nose leather and paw pads are pinkish grey. 'Fawn Point' - Points are warm pale rosy mushroom, body is off white. Nose leather and paw pads are pinkish fawn. 'Red Point' - Points are a rich bright reddish gold, body is a warm white. Nose leather and paw pads are pink. 'Cream Point' - Points are a cool cream, body is creamy white. Nose leather and paw pads are pink. 'Tabby Point' - The tabby point can be a tabby version of any of the above nine basic colours. The face will show clearly defined stripes especially around the nose and eyes with a distinct ‘M’ on the forehead. The whisker pads are darkly spotted. The ears show a thumb print pattern. The legs will show broken stripes of varying size and the tail is ringed ending in a darker tip. The body colour will be solid and appropriate to the main colour of the points. 'Tortie Tabby Point' - The tortie tabby point can be any of the above basic colours except red or cream. The tabby markings are overlaid with patches of red or cream giving an effect of mingled colours. The points will be mottled and the nose leather and paw pads may be mottled. The body colour will be solid and appropriate to the main colour of the points.
'Tortie Point' - The tortie point can be any of the above basic colours except red or cream. The points are mottled with red and or cream hair to form patched or mingled colour. The nose leather and paw pads can be whole coloured or mottled to match the points. The body colour will be solid and appropriate to the main colour of the points.
The eye colour in all coat colours and patterns will be a vivid intense blue. |
| History And Uses |
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The Siamese is one of the most popular breeds of pedigree cat and also one of the most easily recognisable. The Siamese originated in what is now Thailand and has been in existence for hundreds of years. Legend says that Siamese cats were sacred cats and guarded Buddhist temples. Siamese kittens were highly prized and it was considered a great honour to be given one. Theft of one of the Royal Cats of Siam from the Royal Court was punishable by death. They were finally imported into Britain in the 1880’s and arrived in America shortly afterwards. The original Siamese colour was the classic seal brown points with a warm cream coloured body but breeders in the west developed more colours by introducing other breeds of cat into the breeding schedule. The original Siamese had eye squints and tail kinks which are now considered serious faults but once these ‘faults’ were so common there are fables so tell of their origin. One story tells of a valuable missing goblet and two Siamese cats who were despatched to look for it. When they found the goblet one cat stayed to look after it while the other went back with the good news. The guard cat was so worried that the goblet might go missing again that she wound her tail tightly around the goblet and held it so tight that the tail became permanently kinked. All the time she was waiting for the other cat to return she stared at the goblet lest it disappear and her eyes developed a squint. Another story tells of a princess who was so scared her rings would be stolen she entrusted them to her Siamese cat to look after. The rings were placed on the cat’s tail but when the cat fell asleep the rings fell off. So the princess tied a knot in the tail of the cat so that the same thing could never happen again. |
| Shedding |
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Little |
| Suffers From Allergies |
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| Tendency to Cause Allergies |
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