Facts About Siamese Cats

From their unique personality and delightful characteristics to their interesting history and charming traits, there are many fascinating facts about Siamese cats.

Siamese Cat Slideshow

Historical Facts

• One of four breeds of Oriental cats, the ancient Siamese may be the oldest breed of all cats.

• Thailand, once called Siam, is the homeland of the Siamese cat. It was not until the latter part of the nineteenth century that exportation of these exotic felines began.

• The crossbreeding of Siamese cats led to many breeds including Tonkinese, Himalayan, Burmese and Balinese.

• The manuscript Cat Book Poems, written between 1350 and 1700 in Siam, contains pictures of Siamese seal point cats.

• With very careful and selective breeding, the crossed eyes and kinked tails of Siamese cats, which are considered undesirable traits, have been almost completely bred out.

• During the 1950s and 1960s, Siamese breeders developed a very sleek cat with a long slender neck, body and tail, known as the Modern Siamese. These cats became very popular with breeders and judges, replacing the rounder, heavier Traditional Siamese.

Other Facts about Siamese Cats

Physical Characteristics

• Distinguished by their unique markings, Siamese cats have a light-colored body with colored points on their face, ears, feet and tail.

• The almond-shaped eyes of Siamese cats are a beautiful bright blue color.

• The elegant sleek look of a Siamese cat with its short, flat silky coat is beautiful and easy to maintain.

• A medium sized cat, the Siamese has a long slender body, neck and tail. Its head is wedge shaped, almost triangular, with flared ears and oval eyes.

• The average weight of male Siamese cats is 11 to 15 pounds. The weight of female Siamese ranges from 8 to 11 pounds.

• Genetically, a seal point Siamese is a black cat.

Personality

• Siamese cats are very vocal. They have a loud voice and love to use it when they want something.

• The sound of a Siamese cat often sounds like a baby crying.

• A very intelligent breed of cat, Siamese are easy to train. Many love to walk on a leash and enjoy a good game of fetch.

• Siamese cats love to play, but when they want to stop playing they generally give a warning swipe with sheathed claws.

• Calm, affectionate and loyal, Siamese cats love to curl up on their human companion’s lap.

Color

• The distinguishing look of the Siamese cat’s coloring comes from a recessive pointing gene. Pointed kittens are always produced from two pointed parents.

• Siamese kittens are completely white when they are born. The darker points are produced by a gene that is heat sensitive, only showing on the cooler body parts. Generally, the points appear by four weeks old, but for some cats the full color of the points can take more than a year to develop.

The following are the colors of Siamese cats:

• Seal point: This was the original type of Siamese brought to the United States. The color of a seal point Siamese cat is various shades of cream on the body with a rich beautiful shade of brown on the points, nose and pads of the feet.

• Chocolate point: Recognized in 1950 by the Cat Fanciers Association, chocolate point Siamese cats have a body that is creamy white in color with points that are chocolate brown. The nose and the pads of the feet are a pretty brownish pink color.

• Blue point: Recognized in 1930 by the Cat Fanciers Association, Siamese cats that are blue points have blue undertones in their white body. As they get older the chest and abdomen slowly turn white. The cat’s points, nose and feet pads are gray in color.

• Lilac point: Recognized in 1950 by the Cat Fanciers Association, the lilac point Siamese cat has points that are a beautiful shimmering silver-gray and pink color with a snowy white body. The cat’s nose and the pads of its feet are a lovely shade of lilac.

• Red point: This is not a Traditional Siamese cat color although there are red-pointed Siamese out there.

• The body color of a Siamese cat gets darker as he or she gets older. However, there is always a big contrast between the body color and the point color.

Traditional Siamese: Appleheads

• The Applehead Siamese, also known as the Traditional Siamese, has a round head and is athletic and muscular.

• Most Appleheads are slightly less vocal than Modern Siamese.

• Traditional Siamese do not compete at cat shows against Modern Siamese since they do not conform to most cat associations breed standards. However, they do compete in the Traditional and Classic Cat International.

Additional Information and Resources

The following Love to Know articles provide more information and facts about Siamese cats:

• Siamese Rescues
• Siamese Kitten Color
• Siamese kitten names

• Maine Coon Cat Pictures
• Holiday Cat Collars
• Cute Fuzzy Kittens
• Cat Breed Quiz

• Feline Hair Loss
• Cat Meow Sound
• Cats Illness Symptoms
• Illness In Older Cats Symptoms Of Dying
• Symptoms Bloody Stool in Cats

• Domestic Cats
• Bengal Cats
• Burmese Cats
• Siamese Cat History
• Siamese Kitten Color