Siamese Cats
History
The Siamese cat is one of our oldest recognized breeds of cat. They are believed to have originated in South-East Asia where they were often kept as sacred temple cats. Their Thai name means ‘moon diamond’.
Siamese cats were first brought to Europe from Thailand (then called Siam) in the late 19th century, when a gift of cats was made to a returning Ambassador. They soon began appearing at cat shows in the UK, and arrived in the USA in the early 20th century.
Since then the Siamese cat has been crossed with other cats to form several new breeds including the Balinese, Tonkinese and Himalayan!!! There are even more crossing being done today as we speak!
Appearance
The Siamese has a light colored body with darker ‘points’ on face, ears, paws and tail. This is caused by a genetic abnormality which brings about partial albinism. The pigmentation can only develop on the coolest parts of the body, that is the extremities and the face, which is cooled by the respiratory system and sinuses. For the same reason, Siamese cats living in colder climates will tend to develop a darker body that those living in hot countries
At birth they are pure white or cream! Their ‘colored’ points develops in the first few weeks of a kitten’s life. The rest of the body will slowly darken a little as they age. The color pointing may be seal (most popular), blue, chocolate or lilac.
Now they even cross them with the domestic cat and this new breed has their own colors called “Tortie” points. Tortie or mixed Siamese cats kind of look like regular Siamese cats but their “points” ( or ears, face and paw colors ) are marbled instead of a solid color. I have a beautiful Tortie point called “Betty” (see the picture to the right, she is the Tortie cat to the left, beside Mia my chocolate point female on the right). Betty (the Tortie point) has these beautiful blue eyes with a dark brown and beige speckling on her “points.” She is the most well behaved plus the smartest Siamese cat that I have! I have another purebred Siamese that looks exactly like the above picture (Mia) and boy is she a brat! I love her so much though! Siamese are my absolute favorite kind of cat breed!
The almond-shaped eyes of a Siamese are a very striking and vivid blue. A tendency to crossed eyes has been bred out now, except in a few cases. The head is wedge-shaped and the ears are large and set wide.
The body is long, slender and elegant with a sleek short coat and slim tail. No grooming is required. In their native Thailand, many cats have a kink in the tail but this also has been bred out of their Western cousins.
Temperament
They are affectionate and intelligent cats, full of curiosity. They have a loud and distinctive voice nicknamed ‘meezer’ which can sound like a crying baby. When I first heard their voice, it sounded so different from the domestic cat! I looked a this little kitten and couldn’t believe the loud voice that came out! 
They are great communicators, both with their voice and their body, and are persistent in their demands for attention. Wow, I should say that sentence twice to emphasize that point!
They love to spend time with their owners and they are great lap or shoulder cats. 
Their coloring makes them less able to camouflage themselves than many cats, they do not see in the dark so well and they are not so active at night as other breeds. They may also, like many blue-eyed white cats, have a tendency to deafness. These could be some of the reasons for their sociable nature and happy dependence on human beings.
The beauty and elegance of the Siamese cat makes it one of the best known and distinctive breeds. If you would like more information on Siamese cats I have put some resources below for you. Just click on the image.
Take care.
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