Siamese
The Siamese is one of the oldest recognised Asian cat breeds, kept in the royal households of Siam, now Thailand, and described in manuscripts centuries before it reached the West in the 1880s.
It is the foundation stock behind a long list of modern breeds, from the Oriental shorthair to the Himalayan.
The colouring is temperature-dependent: the gene responsible produces pigment only in the cooler parts of the body, which is why the points — face, ears, tail and feet — darken while the body stays pale, and why kittens are born white. Modern show Siamese are long and angular; the older, rounder type is often called traditional or applehead.
- Origin
- Thailand, formerly Siam
- Size
- 2.5–5.5 kg
- Lifespan
- 12–20 years
- Coat
- Very short, fine and close-lying
- Temperament
- Vocal, demanding, intensely attached to their people
- Shedding
- Low
Related: Asian · Himalayan · Oriental shorthair
3 siamese photos, newest first
Living with a siamese
Grooming barely registers — a rubber brush occasionally, and that is it.
The demands are social rather than physical. Siamese are among the most vocal and most people-dependent of all cats, and one left alone all day every day will tell you about it. Many do markedly better in pairs, and almost all do better with something to climb and someone to talk at.
The fine coat offers little insulation, so they seek out warmth and feel the cold. Progressive retinal atrophy, amyloidosis and some crossed-eye and kinked-tail traits run in certain lines, all of which a breeder should be able to discuss.
General guidance, not veterinary advice. Individual cats vary, and anything about a specific animal is a question for a vet who has seen it.
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