Siamese Cat Info

Siamese Cat Info

Siamese cat info: description of the appearance, temperament, type of fur, grooming, and varieties of Siamese cats with a brief history of the breed.
Siamese cats are typically sleek and slender with medium-size body frames. They are long, graceful, and svelte with fine bones and firm muscles. Their heads are tapered wedges that start at their noses and then flair out in straight lines up to their ears to form triangles. Their almond-shaped eyes slant upward from their noses. The eyes of a Siamese are always a brilliant sapphire blue. Their ears are long and pointed with open bases, and their legs are long, slim, and dainty. The paws of the Siamese are small, and their thin tails taper to a fine point with no kinks.

All Siamese cats are classified as shorthairs, but the Balinese is sometimes referred to as the longhaired Siamese. The coat of a Balinese lies close to its body and is short and glossy with a fine texture. Grooming is minimal for Siamese cats. Owners may comb or brush the cats twice a week to remove dead hair and wipe the coat with a damp chamois to help the coat gleam.

Siamese cats are loveable and intelligent animals that will continually amuse you with their antics while frustrating you with their ability to get into everything. These cats demand attention and hate to be ignored or left alone. They become very mischievous when they are bored and lonely. Siamese cats are one of the more high-strung breeds and are agile and active.

Pricing Siamese cats is usually linked to the individual kitten's bloodline and type. Many breeders will allow cats to be picked up between twelve and sixteen weeks of age. At sixteen weeks, kittens should have their basic inoculations and have developed enough physical and social stability to adjust to a new environment. Older cats make wonderful pets, too, and may already exhibit good behavior patterns.

Many varieties of Siamese cats are available including: seal point, blue point, chocolate point, lilac point, red point, tortie point, and lynx point. Seal point cats have cream-colored bodies with lighter patches on their stomachs and chests and darker patches on the back. Their points that consist of the mask, ears, legs, and tail are seal brown as are their paw pads and nose leather. Blue point cats have bluish white bodies with warmer tones on their stomachs and chests. Their points, nose leather, and paw pads are slate blue. Chocolate point cats have ivory bodies, milk chocolate points, and paw pads and nose leather that are cinnamon pink. Lilac point cats have glacial white or magnolia bodies, points that appear frosty gray with a hint of pink or lilac, and lavender pink nose leather and paw pads. Red point cats have pure white bodies with a shade of the points color. The points range from apricot to deep red with the nose leather and paw pads being coral pink or flesh colored. Tortie point cats have similar colors to the seal, blue, chocolate, and lilac points except they have a tabby pattern within the color. Irregular patches of red and/or cream appear in the points. Lynx point cats have similar colors to the above mentioned cats as well, but they have a striped pattern within the color instead of the tabby pattern.

The original Siamese cat, which can still be found in Thailand today, bears little resemblance to the American version of this show cat. The Siamese cats in Thailand are stockier and have rounded heads crossed-eyes, and kinked tails. In the Siamese cats' native land, they were worshipped and protected in temples and palaces for centuries. They were prominently featured in art and literature as well. The breed became known to the world when the royal family of Siam presented the Siamese cats as gifts to visiting dignitaries. Siamese cats began appearing in British cat shows as early as the late nineteenth century and in America in the early 1900s. At that time, only seal points were accepted in the cat shows, but slowly the other varieties were introduced. Cat fanciers debated the issue, and some associations finally accepted the colorful varieties of Siamese while other associations only accepted them as a separate breed: Colorpoint Shorthairs.