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The Siamese is one of the oldest breeds of pedigree cat, and over the years
many stories have been told, for the most part romantic fables, but perhaps there is an element of truth in some of them. Certainly, they add to the charm of this most exotic, oriental and somewhat inscrutable breed.
History
Of all the pedigree varieties, the Siamese is the most instantly recognizable.
Long, lithe and elegant, with its distinctive darker 'points', it has always had great appeal.
Early Siamese tended to have eye squints and kinked tails, now regarded as serious faults, but with careful, selective breeding they have been mainly eliminated from the modern cat. Yet, these characteristics were once so prevalent that fables exist to this day 'explaining' how they were acquired.
It is said that Siamese cats were once sacred cats, guarding the Buddhist temples.
One day, a valuable goblet went missing and a pair of the cats was despatched to find the
stolen treasure. After a long journey, the goblet was discovered and the female cat stayed to guard it while her male partner went back to tell the good news. So worried was she that the goblet might go missing again, that she wound her tail tightly around its stem and it became permanently kinked. For days and nights she sat watching over the prized goblet, never lettering her eyes wander away, and by the time her partner returned, her eyes had developed a squint. Later she produced a litter of kittens - all of which had kinked tails and squints,
because of her vigilance in guarding the lost treasure.
Another fable relates to a Siamese princess who, fearing that her rings would be stolen, entrusted her Siamese cat to guard them, placing them on its tail for safekeeping overnight.
One night the cat fell asleep, and all the rings fell off her long slender tail and were lost forever. The princess decided to tie a knot in the tail to stop this ever happening again; and this could be another reason why Siamese have kinked tails.
Siamese kittens have always been highly prized. It was considered an hour for any foreigner to be presented with one of the Royal Cats of Siam, and it was an offence publishable by death for one of these cats to be stolen from the Royal Court, let alone be taken out of Siam.
But, westwards they eventually came, and after many generations of selective breeding are now, along with Persian Longhairs and Burmese, among the most popular of pedigree
varieties.
Siamese were originally a pale milky colour, with dark seal-coloured points on the paws, face, ears and tail. They have been known in this form for more than 200 years. In the late nineteenth century a Blue-point was recorded in the UK, but it is likely that this recessive colour had been around for some time before this.
Perhaps it was not so highly regarded in Siam, and was 'swept under the carpet' as the rich Seal-point variety was more highly prized.
Over the years, dedicated breeders have worked hard to produce other colour variations in Siamese, but their names vary between the UK and North America.
We now have, not only the Seal- and Blue-points, but Chocolate and Lilac (USA, Frost point), as well as the Red-, Cream-, Tortie- and Tabby-points (USA, Colour point Shorthairs).
Character and Temperament
Siamese are typical of the Oriental group of cats and, like their near relations the Burmese, are a vocal breed with outgoing personalities. They are the kind of cat that you either adore or hate; they can be noisy and demanding and have a real need to be a part of the family.
To aficionados, these are the plus points and they would not wish for the Siamese to be any other way. A Siamese does not like to be left on its own, so for anybody who is out at work all day, and only wants one cat, this is not the breed to select.
If you want a cat that will give you life-long devotion, however, then the Siamese is for you.
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