Siamese Cat

As one of the popular varieties of cats, among the first to be distinctly recognised as an Asian breed, the Siamese cat’s origins lie in Thailand. The name ‘Siamese’ is, in fact, derived from the original name of Thailand, ‘Siam’ which was the case until the year 1939. Siamese cats are typically short-haired and raised domestically. This led to its popularity in North America and Europe in the 1800s. Breeders have over the years, produced a wide variety of Siamese cats, some of which include the British shorthair Siamese cat and the Persian Siamese cat. 

In this article, we will discuss the Siamese cat in detail including the Siamese cat breeds, characteristic features, reproduction, etc. 

Classification of Siamese Cat

The scientific name of the Siamese cat is Felis catus. The classification is as follows:

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Chordata

Class: Mammalia

Order: Carnivora

Family: Felidae

Genus: Felis

Species: F. catus

Characteristic Features of Siamese Cats

When it comes to characteristic features, the Siamese cats can be broadly categorised into the modern standard breed and the traditional siamese (renamed Wichien Maat or Thai cat) breed. 

Modern Siamese Cat Characteristics

The body of the modern standard breed of Siamese cat is muscular, elongated and tubular while the head is triangular in shape. A perfect triangle can be formed when the distance from the tip of the modern Siamese cat’s nose to the tip of each ear is considered. These cats have almond-shaped eyes which are light blue in colour. They have large ears with a wide base and these are positioned in a manner that they are more towards the head’s side. The neck of the modern Siamese cat is elongated and the tail is slender. They possess no undercoat and the fine, short, glossy fur simply adheres to their bodies. They also have a pointed pattern in their fur. 

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Traditional Siamese Cat Characteristics

The traditional Siamese cats or the Thai cats are referred to as pointed cats. This implies that they have a pale body with dark extremities and their eyes are blue. Their body is less elongated as compared to the modern Siamese cats. Their head shape is modified to a wedge shape and their forehead is long and flat. Their noses bear a slight concave at the level of the eye. The traditional Siamese cat possesses a flat-lying, short single coat and has short hair. 

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Different Breeds of Siamese Cats

The Siamese cats were hugely popular in the 1950s and 1960s. The cats’ slender look was favoured by many breeders which led to selective breeding for the narrow-headed, long and fine-boned cats. As such, the modern Siamese cats, particularly those used in shows became extremely elongated with slender, long legs, body lean and tubular with a thin and very long tail tapering gradually to a point. Their wedge-shaped long head came to be topped by wide-set and extremely long ears. 

This eventually caused the original style cats to disappear from cat shows by the 1980s. A few breeders in the UK, however, continued to breed the original-style cats and register them. This resulted in the two Siamese breed cats largely available today - the standardised ‘show-style’ Siamese cats and the ‘Traditional’ Siamese cats. These cats had descended from the same distant ancestors but share a few or no recent common ancestors.

A number of Siamese cats from Thailand possessed a kink in their tails, a trait which over the years, has been pointed a flaw. This kinked tail, though largely eliminated by breeders, can be still seen in the street cats found in Thailand. 

The Siamese kittens, when born, are cream or white coloured. The dark points, characteristic of the breed, which include the legs, face, ears and tail are developed later. The dark points may range in colour from dark brown (or seal point), milk chocolate brown (or chocolate point), blue-grey (or blue point), reddish-orange (or redpoint) to pinkish-grey (or lilac point).

The process of recognising a particular breed as Siamese differs in different countries. The Cat Fanciers' Association in the United States considers only the original four colours - chocolate point, blue point, seal point, and lilac point as Siamese. On the other hand, all the pointed cats that are Siamese-style are considered part of the breed in the United Kingdom. The World Cat Federation and The International Cat Association or TICA, in addition to modern Siamese cat breed, accept Siamese cats that are less extreme type and any Wichien Maat cat imported from Thailand directly as the traditional Siamese cat, i.e., as Thai cat (the new breed name).

Siamese Cat Diet

Siamese cats, although domestic, are obligate carnivores and favour meat. The ideal diet of Siamese cats should be balanced incorporating wet, dry, homemade or fresh food. Care should be taken to ensure that the diet provided to Siamese cats do not lead to weight gain or obesity and instead promotes lean muscle mass. The components of the Siamese cat diet should also be easily digestible as these cats are known to have sensitive stomachs. The weight of the long, slender Siamese cats should be monitored and kept between 2 to 4 and a half kilograms. 

Siamese cat diets may typically include ham or cooked turkey. It is also important for Siamese cats to drink plenty of water in order to stay hydrated. 

Colouration in Siamese Cats

The pointed pattern seen in Siamese cats is a kind of partial albinism. This results from a mutation that occurs in the enzyme typically involved in the production of melanin - tyrosinase. This enzyme in its mutated form is sensitive to heat. At body temperatures in the normal range, it fails to work and becomes active in the regions of the skin that are cooler, usually less than 33°C. As a result, dark colouration occurs in the coolest parts of the body of the cat. This includes the extremities as well as the face as the passage of air flowing through the sinuses cools it. This manifestation of albinism that is temperature-sensitive causes eumelanin, a black pigment and type of melanin to become concentrated in these areas. 

These visible points develop within the first few months in the colder parts of the Siamese kittens’ bodies, irrespective of whether they are white or pure cream at the time of birth. These points are generally sufficiently distinguishable for identification of the Siamese cat colour by the time a kitten is of four weeks in age. 

An interesting feature in Siamese cats is that with age, they tend to darken in colour. The coat colour of Siamese cats living in warm climates is generally lighter as compared to the cats found in colder climates. 

The coat pattern and colour in Siamese cats are recessive characteristics. Thus, in case, Siamese cats are mated with some other breed of cats neither of the features is noticeable in the immediate offspring. 

Life Span and Diseases of Siamese Cats

When compared to other breeds, the mortality rate of Siamese cats and varieties derived from them is higher. As per estimates, the median life span of Siamese cats is between 10 and 12.5 years. The record for the Siamese cat to have lived the longest, up to the age of 30 is held by a Siamese scooter. 

The diseases in Siamese cats, among other factors, attribute to its high mortality. Neoplasm, primarily mammalian tumours are the cause of a majority of deaths in Siamese cats. They also have a high rate of morbidity and are at a higher risk of gastrointestinal and neoplastic problems. Also, in comparison to other breeds, the instances of lung infections, especially among kittens are higher in Siamese cats. These include vestibular disease, feline hyperesthesia syndrome and feline osteochondrodysplasia. Their hearing ability is not impaired as in the case of other blue-eyed cats. 

They also exhibit progressive retinal atrophy, which is generally observed in cats. This is caused by a mutation in the rdAc-gene. The allele responsible for coloured points in the Siamese cats is also responsible for their blue eyes lacking tapetum lucidum. This structure is responsible for amplifying the dim light in the eyes of other cats. Additionally, the mutation in the tyrosinase enzyme is also responsible for abnormal neurological connections between the Siamese cats’ brains and the eyes. The optic chiasm results in abnormal uncrossed wiring. This caused many early Siamese cats to be cross-eyed, as a means of compensation. This trait has, however, been on the decline nowadays owing to selective breeding. The lack of tapetum, however, even in the case of uncross-eyed cats results in the reduction of vision at night. This affects their hunting ability and increases their interest and dependence on humans, a trait desired by many owners. This, however, makes them vulnerable to dangers such as vehicular traffic at night. 

Siamese Cat Derived Breeds

Siamese cats are often mated with other cats to widen their genetic pool. Breeders have over the years, produced a variety of breeds by crossing Siamese cats with other cat species. Some of the most popular cat breeds derived from Siamese cats include:

• Bengal Cat: It is an interspecific hybrid cat. This cat breed was obtained by crossing the Siamese cat with the Asian leopard cat. 

• Balinese: It is a longhaired Siamese breed. This cat resulted from a natural mutation occurring in the Siamese cat. 

• Birman: This breed of cat was developed by French breeders post World War II. The original Birman population had almost been entirely wiped out during the war and thus the population was reconstructed by interbreeding with Siamese and various other breeds. The pointed coat patterns found in the modern-day Birman has been inherited from the Siamese cats. 

• Colourpoint Shorthair: This breed was developed by crossing the Siamese cat with other shorthair cats. The CFA or Cat Fanciers’ Association registers it as a Siamese-type cat. These cats, in addition to the CFA, marked traditional Siamese coat colours also possess pointed coat colours. The major variations include tortie points and lynx points.  

• Havana Brown: This breed of cat was derived by crossing a black cat with a chocolate-point Siamese cat.

• Himalayan: This breed was developed by crossing Persian cats with Siamese cats. This breed is longhaired. The initial crosses were initially done to introduce the long point colours chocolate and lilac in the domestic Persian cat. With the introduction of colours after the initial crosses, the cats were later bred only with Persian cats. They are referred to as colourpoint Persians in Europe, a division within the Persian breed. 

• Ocicat: This cat resulted due to a cross between Abyssinian and Siamese cats. These cats are spotted. 

• Oriental Shorthair: The coat patterns of this Siamese-style cat is non-pointed. The colours include tabby, solid, tortoise-shell and smoke/silver. 

• Savannah: In order to obtain this cat breed the Serval cat was first bred with a Siamese cat. In general, this a hybrid domestic cat breed. 

• Snowshoe: The cross-breeding of the bi-coloured American Shorthair cat with the Siamese cat in the 1980s resulted in this breed. They are usually white and cream and have some points and their eyes are blue in colour. 

• Tonkinese: This cat was developed by a cross between the Burmese and the Siamese cat. These cats can be of different patterns such as Siamese pointed pattern,  Burmese sepia pattern or Tonkinese mink pattern. Their eyes are often aqua in colour. 

Siamese as Domesticated Cats

Usually very intelligent and affectionate, Siamese cats are widely known and liked for their social nature. As domesticated cats, they enjoy being around people and have been deemed as extroverts. They are often known to develop a strong bond with a single person. Typically, the Siamese cats very playful and active, even as adults. Certain Siamese cats can be very vocal, with a low-pitched and loud voice known as ‘meezer’, which has also earned them the nickname as such. Siamese cats desire to be with people and thus, when left alone for prolonged time periods can suffer from separation anxiety or depression. 

Here, we have discussed the Siamese cats in great lengths including studying their breeds. We have learnt that the modern Siamese cat and the original Thai or traditional Siamese cat share a common ancestry along with their point colouration gene. They only differ in type which implies the conformation of the head and the body. Imports in the early 20th century to the West made the vocal, people-loving and outgoing personality of the Siamese cats famous among owners and breeders. 

Siamese Cats - Fun Facts

• The Siamese cats given their beautiful, unusual and distinctive appearance were originally treasured by the royal families of Thailand. There was also a belief among the members of these royal families that upon their death, their soul would be received by a Siamese cat, who would then spend the rest of its life in a temple where monks and priests would pamper it. 

• In the United States, one of the earliest known Siamese cats belonged to the wife of President Rutherford B. Haye, Lucy. The name of the cat was Siam and it was a gift to the first lady by a US official diplomat who served in Thailand at the time. 

• Siamese cats have been starred in a number of motion pictures such as The Lady and the Tramp, That Darn Cat! And The Incredible Journey. The entire plot of That Darn Cat! Is, in fact, centred around a Siamese cat named Darn Cat or DC who helps in preventing a kidnapping. 

• Siamese cats have also been known to foil espionage in the 20th century around the 1960s. Two Siamese cats at the Dutch embassy in Moscow, Russia began scratching the wall, which is when their owner suspected them reacting to a noise that the human ear is unable to detect. As it turns out, behind the wall 30 small microphones were detected.