Siamese Cats
Breed Profile and Facts
Siamese cats are universally recognized by their most defining feature - their coat. Its coat has inspired the development of different cat breeds around the world.
Enrique | owner breeder Mandy Stow | cat picture © Sarah Thexton
The coat is short, fine in texture, silky, shiny and lies close to the body.
about the siamese color point
All Siamese have a color point pattern meaning that all the extremities (points) of the body i.e. face (or mask), ears, legs, paws and tail are pigmented with a darker color.
The points of color must be even and be in clear contrast to the rest of the body.
The background color must also have an even color, with shading that is subtle on the back and sides.
Interestingly, Siamese cats are not born with color points. Siamese kittens are born white, it's only around the 5th or 6th day that the points begin to appear and the coloration is only complete at around 12 - 15 months.
Another truly fascinating feature is that points are created by a temperature-sensitive enzyme that restricts darker colors to the coolest parts of the body or those farthermost from the heart i.e. tail, feet, ears and mask.
Cats living indoors during winter will therefore be lighter than those living outside.
The coat darkens with age and this is something that needs to be taken into account with show cats.
siamese coat colors
In some governing bodies (e.g. Cat Fanciers' Association - CFA) only the four original colors are accepted as Siamese coloring; and color point or point restricted, the only accepted pattern.
The four original colors are:
1. Seal Point: pale fawn to cream background; deep seal brown points
Michelles Maslow | Seal point Siamese kitten |owner Sue Eddey | breeder Michelle Fleischman | © Theresa Fouche
2. Chocolate Point: ivory background; milk-chocolate brown points
Mai-Thai’s Brown Sugar | Chocolate point Siamese | owned by Dawn Enslin | © Theresa Fouche
3. Blue Point: bluish-white background; deep slate-blue points
Mistbesque Aways Oceanos | owner Roeleen Bloemhof | bred by Enid Ashleys | © Theresa Fouche
4. Lilac Point: glacial white background; frosty-gray pinkish points
Michelle’s Manifesto | Lilac point Siamese | owned by J Groenewald and I Taylor | bred by M Fleischman | © Theresa Fouche
Other governing bodies (e.g. Governing Council of the Cat Fancy - GCCF) recognize the following additional colors as Siamese too.
Other registries consider these colors and patterns as belonging to the Color Point Shorthair Cat.
Red Point: apricot-shaded background; reddish-golden points
Red point Siamese | bred by M Fleischman
Tabby Point: stripes around the tail, legs and mask (can be seal, blue, chocolate, red, cream and cinnamon)
Siamlove Vincent | seal tabby point Siamese | owner G Palmer | bred by E van Renen | © Theresa Fouche
Tortie Point: seal, blue, chocolate tortoiseshell points
Catkin Montana of Siamlove | owner Elizabeth van Renen | Seal tortie Siamese | bred by Kathy Hoole | © Theresa Fouche
Cream Point: cream-shaded background; cream points
Parti-Color: pure white spots on part of the legs, body and mask (can be
blue, chocolate, fawn, caramel and cinnamon)
info for potential siamese cat owners
home | ideal family
These cats do adapt well to apartment living. They have thin coats which means they are sensitive to cold.
Like all cats, they do love the freedom of a garden. If they are permitted to go outside it should be into a kitty enclosure or an escape-proof garden.
They prefer humans - Siamese cats don't really appreciate other cats.
They do tolerate cat-friendly dogs.
They prefer a home where they have companionship a great deal of the time.
They make wonderful family pets and tolerate older children provided there is no rough play.
siamese breed personality and temperament
Siamese are active, playful, affectionate, outgoing, extrovert, certainly not peaceful or calm cats.
They have strong personalities and are cats that hate to be ignored or left alone.
They adore company and will follow their owners around just to have company.
Siamese cats have a true presence and are warm, sociable and people-orientated lap cats.
If you're looking for a quiet cat, then the Siamese is not for you.
They are extremely vocal cats, with loud, raspy and raucous voices.
Some people love these chatty, talkative cats that provide wonderful companionship, whilst others find this constant attention-seeking less favorable. It's really about choice.
The Siamese has been described as the conversationalist of the cat kingdom.
cat care
The Siamese has a very short coat and only subtle grooming is required.
Use a grooming glove or a rubber brush once or twice a week to remove all dead hair without harming the coat.
Bathing is not often required. A show cat should be bathed a week before show day to allow the coat to recover its natural oils.
Koosje van Tutte's Earic Flapton | owned by Dawn Enslin | © Theresa Fouche
siamese breed health concerns
Siamese cats are healthy cats, but some breeding lines are prone to:
- Dystocia (abnormal and difficult birth)
- Familial hyperlipaemia (high level of fat in the blood)
- Gingivitis (inflammation of the gums)
- Nystagmus (uncontrollable eye movement)
- Porphyria and Mucopolysaccharidosis
Do consider cat health insurance for your cat and vaccinate your cat against all the common infectious feline diseases.
diet | average weight of the siamese
No special diet is required, but they do need to be fed a well balanced diet.
The choice of cat food is up to you, but do buy a good quality, well balanced pet food. The breeder will normally provide you with guidelines on cat nutrition and the best cat food for your new Siamese kitten.
There are loads of options when it comes to cat food - kibbles, moist or raw. Raw cat food should only be prepared by experts but it is a healthy alternative, to commercial dry cat foods.
You also need to provide your cat with fresh drinking water every day.
The Average Weight
These cats have an average weight of 2.5 - 5.5 kg (5.5 - 12 lbs). Male cats are larger than the females.
life expectancy of the siamese cat
A
well cared for Siamese cat has a long life span of 15 - 20 years.
Related Cat Pages:
We Are Siamese is a resource dedicated to the Siamese cat. With its distinct color point pattern it is one of the most popular breeds of domesticated cats in the world.
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