Siamese Cat Breed

There is nothing timid about the Siamese cat breed. A Siamese cat is an exaggeration on paws.

You might think the looks are the most striking thing about the Siamese cats, but more often than not it is the Voice. This cat is Vocal. It had a loud and low-pithced "meezer" that sound like a baby crying. The voice is so raspy some say that this cat uses bad language.  And it just won't shut up - it is the most vocal cat breed out there, and it loves its own voice, has a lot of opinions and shares them happily.

This is Lesley Willis's 10-year old beautiful choc point Mirat.

Mirat is a great climber and knows how to open doors - no undignified dangling from the doorknob though. He sits on the back of a chair to open the door. He is also very musical - when Lesley sits at the piano and plays, Mirat yawls along. (But of course, with the Siamese Voice what else would you expect?) Mirat is also friendly to visitors and rubs his face in their hair from the back of the sofa. I am sure the visitors know to appreciate this friendly gesture.

Yes, this cat will keep up a constant conversation with its humans. If their Purrsons don't seem to understand them, or won't pay attention to what the Siamese has to say, they will simply talk louder until you will have a real yowly monologue. So you'd better keep up the conversation with them, because they will have their will in the end, and this will lower the volume. They just wanted to be sure they had your attention.

And they also talk with body language in most impressive ways. So the whole cat is very expressive.

(There is a way to slightly lower the  vocal expression, and this is neutering / spaying.  Unless you are a breeder, this is good to do at an early age. Other benefits are that female Siamese can breed as early as 6 months of age, and male Siamese are more prone to spraying than many other cat breeds. You'll be avoiding surprise kittens and smelly household by spaying / neutering your Siamese early.)

The Traditional or Classic Siamese cat breed is said to be a little less vocal and hyperactive.  

Which ever the case, you may predict how chatty your cat will be already as a kitten. The more vocal kittens tend to me the more vocal ones as adults too.

This cat has a bold personality. It is curious, it is athletic and affectionate to the extreme. This cat sleeps in your bed, follows you like a dog… no, like a Siamese… and may experience severe separation anxiety from you, especially if it is the only cat.  Some people call their Siamese cats "lap fungus" because of the way they attach themselves to you. You sit - the Siamese is in your lap, purring like a tractor.  Also it is very common for the Siamese to sleep right next to you at nights. As they love warm spots, you may even find them sleeping under your blankets with you.

This cat Loves its people. Some are more of a one-Purrson cat, others love the whole household with a loyal-to-the-bone attitude. Majority of opinion seems to be that the Siamese are good for active families. They are lively and they are loving to the extreme. But on the other end they may show hypersensitivity and be over-emotional and somewhat unpredictable. 

The Siamese cat breed bonds most strongly with one person, and may be a bit wary about visitors to begin with. Some Siamese never really love strangers, and prefer to find their own peaceful spot when visitors arrive, but then again this is common with all cats. 

Toby and Oban

Above is a picture of Brian Alm's two Siamese boys (15 years of age when writing this). Toby (or Tobermory) is a seal point, and Oban is a lavender point. Both are named for towns in Scotland.

In Brian's own words: 

”They adore each other and follow us around like dogs, always touching and cuddling. Very vocal, insistent and distinguished. ” Brian also suspected that if he told the boys they were going to be internationally famous (that is, their photo being published here ), ”they would simply assume it was within the natural order of the universe and nothing to take particular note of. Probably with a yawn to punctuate the point.”

And that is the Siamese cat breed defined to a tee, I'd say.

"They both love people and always come out to greet visitors. Toby gets on the back of a chair and bites their hair, gently. Oban rolls on his back to encourage stomach scratching. Toby speaks less than Oban but goes on for whole paragraphs, in a raspy and penetrating voice. Both have blue eyes that look like tropical seas. Very different personalities: Toby very type A, Oban very Type B. Nonetheless, favourite posture: curled up together in a chair or on my legs on the sofa, entwined like yin-yang."

Siamese cat breed may be aloof with children at first, so let the introduction between the child and the Siamese happen on the cat's terms.  There are plenty of stories of the Siamese cat breed being wonderful with children, great family cats not minding at all being carried around.  After all this breed loves attention. And children tend to give that to family pets. It has been said that actually the Siamese cat breed tolerates more from children than adults, understanding them to be kittens, but this does not include ill treatment in any way. 

Still it has been said there is no other cat breed that loves people as much as Siamese cats.

Because of its nature the Siamese cat breed is a cat for experienced cat owners. The Siamese are very demanding in their need for affection. So much so that you might get it easier, if you just got two Siamese at the same time while you're at it. The cats won't love you any less, but when they have a feline companion, you get some breathing space when the cats entertain each other.  Of course there is the fact that the noise will double if they both decide to discuss their day with you simultaneously…

The Siamese are like over-curious toddlers - they love to explore, so keep your cupboards closed - they are acutely intelligent, and will open them if they are not locked… There have even been stories of the Siamese answering the phone and miaowing into the receiver! (Now this has to be an old fashioned phone - answering the cell phone surely must be something they cannot do)

They also want to be entertained, so be certain both the cat's toys and the people in the family are interactive. The Siamese is an eternal kitten in that respect that they never tire of playing.  But the entertainment goes two ways, because these cats are very eager to please their people.  And they are quite hard to resist because of this - how can you not love a cat whose life purpose seems to be adoring you? 

It's been said the Siamese females are more attached to just one person.  Females are also said to be smarter, while males are more relaxed.

These extrovert felines love to be the center of attention and sometimes it feels they think they are humans, not cats.  

Photograph copyright by Kruglovorda at Dreamstime.

Because of their love of play and wish to please their Purrsons, the Siamese can be taught tricks and they can be quite good at feline agility. They love to fetch.  And they also love to sit on your shoulders for a better overall view of the household, if you allow them to do that.

And the Siamese cats also love to teach their humans to do tricks - that is: to do what the cat wants.  

They are very good jumpers and love to jump high. So they should have perches and cat trees. If you cannot find your cat, raise your gaze and start scanning tops of cupboards and fridges. In all likelihood two blue eyes peek right back at you.

Sworn dog people have been converted into Siamese cat lovers after interacting with them for a while. Well, we cat people don't think this is anything out of the ordinary, but people who have no idea how interactive, intelligent and fun cats can be, can be taken totally by surprise by the Siamese. Especially when they learn that you cat actually teach a Siamese to sit on command (or should I say "suggestion"?).  The dog-people have been known to call the Siamese a "dog-cat".  Logical, yes, as the Siamese cat is considered to be the cat breed nearest to the dog personality. We of course know it is no dog trait, but a Siamese cat trait and if a dog chooses to imitate a Siamese cat, then by all means…

Siamese Cat Breed Health

The Siamese cat breed is generally healthy, but has been known to have some genetic disorders like gingivitis and amuloidosis (a liver disease) and some heart problems.The life-expectancy of a Siamese is around 14 years, but there are Siamese cats over 20 years of age.

You should take into consideration that this cat is very sensitive to anaesthesia. Maybe not as much as the tiny Singapura, but still you should be aware the Siamese cat breed can react to anaesthesia more strongly than the average cat. 

Photo copyright by Jagodka at Dreamstime

The Siamese cat breed matures faster than many other breeds, and females can breed at five to six months of age. This is way too soon for any responsible breeder. But accidents happen, which is why you should spay/ neuter your Siamese by the time they reach this age, unless you are a breeder and intend to breed them. Also un-neutered females are very very noisy, when they are calling for suitors. Also - unneutered Siamese males spray, which will give a very unpleasant odor.

Do not let your Siamese cat go out on its own. There are too many dangers there from dogs to cars to theft. It might even be you won't get a kitten, if the breeder hears you'll let the cat outdoors. If you get your kitten from an indoor home, it won't miss being outside.  Just in case, though, you should have your cat microchipped.  Also, adventurers that they are, they may slip out opportunity arising. It might be good to teach the cat to react to a certain kind of whistle - for example every time you give it food, whistle. The cat learns to respond to this whistle. This way, if your cat slips out, you'll have one way of calling it back. 

The Siamese don't need much brushing, but by all means do brush them - they love it. It is a show of affection, after all and they thrive at affection. Also teach your cat to have its ears and eyes cleaned occasionally from an early age, as well as its teeth checked and brushed.  (About the eyes:  pale pointed Siamese may be prone to have dark debris on the corners of their eyes. Simply wipe it off with damp cotton wool.)

Usually Siamese get well along with other pets. And just like with other cats, the start is easier, if the cat is young when the pets are introduced to one another. 

Especially the Modern Siamese shows proof of overeating very fast, thanks to its extremely slim figure. Another tell-tale sign is that the cat gets darker - body fats insulates the cat, and the hairs get darker in the cooler areas of the cat. This means the whole fur gets darker.  Also the Modern Siamese has very slim legs, so overweight is not recommended, as it might affect the health of the legs as well.

But as this cat is no couch potato, it doesn't tend to get fat very easily.  

So, all in all, if you want a feline companion who adores you to no limit and who takes it for granted you adore them right back, go for the Siamese cat breed - this is a match made in heaven. 

You can read about the history of the Siamese cat here.

What do modern Siamese cats look like?

And there are many legends about the Siamese cats.

Little Khufu and Mirat

And here is Lesley Willis's Mirat with his little brother Khufu. Khufu is very shy - so there are more quiet Siamese cats as well. Don't they look adorable together?

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