This entry was posted on 2014-07-15 by Schalk.

Personality and Temperament

The Siamese is a chatterbox, very affectionate, outgoing cat that depends on human companionship. Therefore if you aren’t home often this isn’t the cat for you, as it will get lonely and depressed. They need to be managed carefully, but are the ideal companion when shown, patience, care and love.

Traits

•    Weight: Male: 4-6.5 kg; Female: 2.7-4.8 kg.
•    Height: Male: 29-31 cm; Female: 27-31 cm.
•    Coat: glossy, short, soft, fine, tight
•    Colour: Chocolate, blue, dark brown, cream, red, lilac, tortoise shell, silver.
•    Litter size: 3-6 kittens
•    Life span: 9-15 years

Physical Characteristics

This cat has very beautiful light blue eyes and strikingly large ears. Its figure is slim and sleek and its coat is fine and short. The coat colours include: chocolate, blue, dark brown, cream, red, lilac point, tortoise shell, silver. The body colour is pale with darker ears, face, tail and feet.

History and Background

This breed is world famous and has a long history. The Siamese cat originally came from Thailand, which was initially called Siam. Royalty because of its manner and fascinating appearance adored it. It was believed that when a royal family member died the soul of the member would be transported into the cat. The cat would then be taken to a temple where it would live out the rest of its days in luxury as a servant to the priests and monks.

Other myths attempt to describe some of its interesting characteristics. The first claims that the cat’s eyes became crossed as a result of starting so intensely at the royal vase it had the duty of guarding. The next claims that the cat guarded the royal princesses rings. To keep the rings safe it would slide them onto its tail and developed tail kinks to ensure that the rings didn’t fall off.

In Bangkok 1884, two cats were given to a sister of the British consul general. The following year they were exhibited in London. Before this in 1871 the cat was said to have attended the first cat show called the Crystal Palace in London. It didn’t do very well, people who attended where disgusted by its appearance stating that it looked unnatural.

Despite this the Siamese soon began to gain popularity regionally. In 1878 the U.S. Consul, David Stickles, gave the first Siamese cat in America to Mrs. Rutherford B. Hayes. The Siamese started attending cat shows in the 1900s and is at the top among the shorthaired cat breeds today. As it became such a popular breed it was used to create many modern day cat breeds; the Himalayan, Ocicat, Tonkinese, Burmese, Snowshoe and Korat. As well as a myriad of Oriental breeds; Oriental Longhair, Oriental Shorthair, Colourpoint Longhair, Colourpoint Shorthair, Javanese and Balinese.

Nutrition

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