Siamese

Is a Siamese right for you?

The Siamese is one of the most recognisable breeds, with its blue eyes and coloured points. Its character is equally distinctive: talkative, social, demanding. This cat is not a quiet housemate but a partner in constant communication.

The only question when choosing a Siamese: are you ready for a cat that talks constantly, follows you, and asks for attention? This breed's voice is insistent and loud.

Before you adopt

When buying a kitten, ask the breeder about PRA and amyloidosis; the parents should also have had cardiac checks.

Type difference: there is a visual difference between the modern show type (extremely slender, with a long head) and the traditional type (rounder, known as "applehead"). The health profile of the traditional type is generally easier.

Siamese cats appear in breed rescues, often surrendered because of the noise or the demand for attention. Adopting an adult means the temperament is already known.

Temperament

The Siamese is social, intelligent, and extremely communicative. Its voice is distinctive in the cat world: loud, low, and insistent. It calls you, waits for an answer, and carries on talking.

Its dependence on people is very high. It follows you from room to room, climbs into your lap, and gets under the duvet. Left alone it becomes genuinely unhappy; a second cat is usually the right decision in this breed.

It is intelligent and eager to learn. It plays fetch, walks on a harness, learns tricks, and opens doors.

It is active and loves to climb. Its need for height and play is real.

It can be jealous; some individuals dislike sharing attention.

Kittens are born white; the coloured points on the face, ears, paws, and tail appear over weeks. This is caused by a temperature-sensitive pigment gene; the cooler areas of the body darken. For this reason the cat generally darkens with age and in cool environments.

Health issues and lifespan

Average lifespan is 12 to 15 years, longer in some individuals.

• Amyloidosis: A known inherited disease in this breed; abnormal protein accumulation affects the liver and kidneys. It emerges in young to middle age with lethargy, loss of appetite, jaundice, or kidney failure.
• Progressive retinal atrophy (PRA): Reported in this breed; a genetic test exists.
• Asthma and respiratory problems: Feline asthma is seen more often in the Siamese and related breeds. Cough-like spasms, wheezing, open-mouthed breathing. Dust, cigarette smoke, and aerosols are triggers.
• Dental and gum disease: Early-onset gingivitis is common in this breed.
• Crossed eyes and tail kinks: Features seen in traditional Siamese that come from the breed's genetic background. They do not seriously affect vision but are not wanted in the show standard.
• Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM): Periodic cardiac checks are recommended.
• Pica (eating non-food items): Eating wool, fabric, and plastic has been reported more often in this breed than in others. It carries a risk of intestinal blockage; dangerous items should be put away.

Feeding

An adult Siamese (3-5 kg) needs the energy equivalent of 50-70 g of dry food per day. It is a finely built breed, and looking "thin" is normal.

• Kitten (2-12 months): Kitten food, three to four meals a day.
• Adult: High protein, low carbohydrate.
• Senior (9+ years): Annual monitoring of kidney and liver values; this matters because of the amyloidosis risk.

Being an active breed, its energy requirement is good for its size. Food puzzles both tire the mind and slow eating.

Grooming and coat

One of the easiest breeds to groom.

• A very short coat with no undercoat; a rubber mitt once a week is enough.
• It sheds little, which may make it more suitable than other breeds for people with mild allergies.
• Bathing is not needed.
• Nails every two to three weeks.
• Teeth several times a week; dental disease starts early in this breed.
• Monthly ear checks; the large ears collect dust.
• It may feel the cold in winter; there is no undercoat and body fat is low. Provide a warm bed and a blanket.

Living space and enrichment

In this breed the need is for interaction rather than space.

1. Social contact. Active attention several times a day. This is the most important item for this breed.
2. A second cat. If it will be alone for long periods this should be seriously considered; the Siamese is one of the breeds most inclined to form friendships.
3. Vertical space. A cat tree, shelves, an observation point.
4. Active play twice a day. Wand toys, fetch.
5. Mental work. Trick training, food puzzles, harness training. This breed likes to learn.
6. Pica control. Wool, string, plastic bags, and anything else swallowable should be removed.
7. A warm corner. A heated bed or a sunny window; this breed seeks warmth.

History

The Siamese takes its name from Siam, the old name of present-day Thailand, and is one of the country's oldest cat breeds. In Thailand it is known as "Wichien Maat". Cats of this type are depicted in the manuscript "Tamra Maew" (the Cat Book Poems) dating from the Ayutthaya period.

It is said to have been considered sacred in Siamese palaces and temples, to have belonged to the nobility, and to have been forbidden from leaving the country.

The breed reached the West at the end of the 19th century. In 1884 the British consul in Bangkok took a pair of Siamese cats to England; these cats were shown at the Crystal Palace cat show in 1885 and attracted great interest. It reached America in the same period; in 1878 a Siamese cat was sent from Bangkok as a gift to the wife of President Rutherford B. Hayes.

Through the 20th century the breed was developed in show standards toward an ever more slender and elongated type. Breeders who preserved the traditional, rounder type maintained a separate line, recognised in some federations under the name "Thai".

The Siamese also lies at the root of many modern breeds, including the Balinese, Oriental, Himalayan, and Tonkinese.