Over the past couple of months, I have come to the realization that I love the Siamese! They are one of my favorite cat breeds...don't I say that about all of them?
The Siamese is a very unique breed, having both a unique personality and appearance.
Because of their extraordinary coloring, many breeders have bred the Siamese with other breeds to create another cat breed with their beautiful markings. These breeds include the Himalayan, the colorpoint shorthair, the Burmese, and the Tonkinese. The Birman and the ragdoll are believed to have Siamese blood in them, because of their point coloration.
This amazing breed is known to be the oldest Asian/Oriental cat breed.
They originated in Thailand, which was called Siam until 1939.
The Siamese was first seen in a collection of ancient manuscripts called the Tamra Maew, or The Cat-Book Poems.
The Siamese is known for their beautiful unique points. When a cat is pointed, that means that their face mask, tips of their ears, the tip of their tail, and paws are darker in coloration than their body. Point coloration is a form of partial albinism caused by a mutation that affects Tyrosinase. Tyrosinase is an enzyme involved with melanin production. Tyrosinase is thermolabile, therefore it fails to regulate at the normal body temperature, except for in the cooler areas of the body: the face mask, tips of the ears, tip of the tail, and the paws. This causes the dark pigment to be limited to the cooler parts of the body, hence, point coloration.
Siamese kittens are born white because it is warm inside of the womb. As the kitten matures, the cooler areas darken the color.
The Siamese comes in four main colors, which include seal point, chocolate point, blue point, and lilac point.
Seal points have blackish-brown points, with an almost brown body. Young seal points have a pale cream body, but at the age of two years, their bodies will darken to a brownish color.
Chocolate points have chocolate brown points and a creamy white-colored body, that doesn't change.
Blue points are dilute of seal points, or just a paler version of seal points.
Their points are a deep blueish gray color. Blue point's coat will darken with age, just like the seal point.
Lilac points are dilute of chocolate points. Lilac points are a bit lighter than blue points. They have a light creamy white-colored body, which stays the same color. Lilac points are the palest of the four main colors of the Siamese. Their coloring is pale, their paws pads, and their eyes. In America, they are sometimes referred to as "frost points."
Notice I said "four main" colors? Yep, you guessed it! There are more! These include flame/red point, tortie point, lynx/tabby point, cream point, cinnamon point, apricot point, caramel point, and fawn point.
A flame point is a result of crossbreeding red/orange American shorthairs and seal point Siamese cats, therefore they aren't purebred Siamese, but a purebred flame point Siamese. Flame points have red/orange points, with a creamy white body.
Cream points are the result of crossbreeding red/orange tabbies, Abyssinians, and the Siamese. They have cream-colored points and a creamy white-colored body. Cream is dilute of red.
Apricot points have hot cream points and a creamy white-colored body. Apricot is modified to cream.
The dilute modifier gene is responsible for changing dilute colors into an even pale version of that color.
Cinnamon points have rusty-brown cinnamon points and an ivory-colored body.
Fawn points are similar to lilac points, but a bit lighter. Fawn is dilute of cinnamon. Their points are a rosy-mushroom color.
The caramel points' points color ranges from blueish purple to a pinkish/gray-brown. Caramel is modified to blue.
Lynx/tabby points come in different colors. Their points have tabby markings.
As for tortie (tortoiseshell) points, their points have the tortoiseshell pattern. Tortoiseshells have three colors; black, red, and white. Dilute tortoiseshells come in three colors also, the dilute version of the dominant colors; blue, cream, and white.
Siamese cats also come in different body shapes. These include the modern, traditional/apple-head, and the old-style/old-fashioned Siamese.
The modern Siamese is the most recognized of the three types. They have an elegant long, thin body. They have a triangular face, big ears, and a long muzzle.
The apple-head has a round face and a stockier body.
The old-style Siamese is in between both. Their muzzle is a bit longer than the apple-head but shorter than the modern.
All color-point cats have blue eyes, like the Ragdoll, Birman, Balinese, Himalayan, Siamese, and the color-point shorthair.
Siamese cat's blue eyes come in many different shades.
Male Siamese cats weigh 11-15 pounds, and females 8-12.
They live for about 8-12 years.
Siamese cats can cost anywhere from $250 to $2500.
The breed is one of the most popular cat breeds.
The Siamese is considered hypoallergenic, although on cat or dog is 100% hypoallergenic.
One of my favorite things about this breed is their amazing personality! They are active, playful, social, affectionate, and intelligent. They are one if not the most vocal cat breed. They will even carry on a conversation with their owners!
I hope y'all enjoyed reading about the Siamese. Thank you!
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