Siamese Cat

Seal, blue, chocolate, lilac, cinnamon, fawn
Caramel and apricot are accepted by a small number of associations, but rejected by others.

Solid or classic colourpoint, tabby colourpoint, red or cream colourpoint, tortoiseshell colourpoint, silvery colourpoint, shaded colourpoint, bicolour colourpoint

Short

Blue, aquamarine

The Siamese is svelte, slender and muscular.

These cats particularly enjoy being close to their humans and the caresses they offer, especially when accustomed to it from an early age.

They are usually very active and need to be worn out. You must be sure to provide plenty of stimulating activities.

Siameses will of course have a lie-down to regain their energy… but this rest is often short-lived and they will be right back to moving and meowing again before you’ve had time to rest yourself!

As a cat with a high energy level, Siameses easily get themselves into all sorts of situations through their various antics, but they always find a way out, learning to handle any situation!

These cats must have positive experiences with different types of people from an early age - this can help to ensure they don’t develop a fear of strangers later on.

In general, they need lots of interaction and attention from their humans. You must be ready to invest time and energy if you are getting a Siamese.

These cats are known for being very loquacious. Their meow is one in a million and they use it profusely to communicate with their human. Trust us!

Siameses need a lot of stimulation to use up all of their energy. It’s important their families have plenty of time for them.

You’ll need to be cautious, as their energetic personality could lead them into escapades outside the house to satisfy their curiosity.

Being quite active, these felines can sometimes overcompensate with the amount of food they eat. You should be sure to monitor their calorie intake and keep track of their weight.

As long as introductions are correctly made, the Siamese can happily live with other feline fellows.

Dogs often mix well with the Siamese. You will probably see them playing together and maybe even sleeping side by side.

Being so energetic and active, they make great companions for children, who love their playfulness. You can expect lovely play sessions between the cat and the child!

Siameses may not be the most suitable cats for someone who is calm and needs quiet and tranquility, due to their frequent vocalisations and their high energy levels.

You won’t have to pick up hair too often as these cats lose very little.

The Siamese has a life expectancy of between 15 and 20 years.

Siameses have a short coat with no undercoat, so they are not equipped to face the cold and extreme temperatures.

Because they are almost constantly moving, these cats burn a lot of calories. However, you should consult your veterinary team to calculate their nutritional needs, to ensure they don’t become overweight from overly large portions.

• Progressive retinal atrophy: this is a hereditary disease causing the more or less rapid onset of blindness. The cat may get the disease late in life and gradually become accustomed to its disability, but atrophy can also occur at a very young age, causing the cat to go blind in the first months of their life
• Renal amyloidosis: another hereditary disease, this is pretty rare but unfortunately always fatal. The disease progresses quickly and symptoms, which are comparable to those of renal failure, usually appear between 1 and 5 years of age. There is currently no screening test as the genes causing the disease have not yet been identified
• Some individuals may suffer from the same diseases as other domestic cats, such as oral diseases.

Pairings are permitted with some other breeds, including the Balinese (long-haired variety), Oriental, Javanese or Mandarin (long-haired variety or Oriental Longhair).

As their name suggests, Siamese cats are native to Siam in Thailand, where the breed was considered sacred. At the time, they were reserved for Buddhist monks and members of the royal elite. A manuscript from 1350, discovered in Ayutthaya, describes a fair-coated cat with a black face and ears, black legs and a black tail. Other very old manuscripts show that Siameses lived in the temples and palaces of 14th century Asia. There is even one legend that says their squint comes from when they were responsible for surveilling the sacred vases - it is said that after staring at these vases for so long, they ended up squinting!

The Siamese first appeared in Britain in the middle of the 19th century. A consul general named Owen Gould, who was heading up a political business mission in Siam at the time, discovered a royal cattery on one of his visits, where he found many beautiful pointed felines. He fell under their spell, bribed one of the palace servants to give him two kittens and took them back to Britain with him. The following year, a Frenchman followed suit! A minister named Auguste Pavie made a trip to Asia and himself brought back two of these beautiful cats, which later formed a couple.

Unfortunately, despite the efforts of both travellers, the cats fell ill and withered, leading people to believe that the breed was too fragile. In spite of these failures, in 1920, breeders began successfully mating the breed. The Siamese became so popular that it ended up at risk of disappearing again - this time because breeders had started making inadequate pairings, resorting to in-breeding. It wasn’t until 1932 that radical measures were taken and a standard was established, allowing this magnificent cat to become the exceptional breed we know today.