Exquisitely Royal – The Siamese Cat
Introduction
Graceful and beautiful, the Siamese have that sophisticated, elegant dressed to kill chic look that is a sight to behold. The Siamese cat is very affectionate but requires a lot of love and dedication from her parent. A talkative cat, the Siamese loves to play. Spend some quality time with this adorable and doting Siamese.
History
A legendary temple cat of the King of Siam (Thailand), this beautiful Siamese was not only valued by the King for its unmatched beauty, but also the official guard cats of the palace.
The Siamese by itself is known to be a natural breed, which means that its original pointed pattern is the result of a mutation that is genetic. This breed has contributed towards an evolution of many other breeds, including the Oriental, Balinese, Himalayan division of the Persian, Havana Brown, and Tonkinese.
It seems that a German naturalist cum explorer Peter Simon Pallas may have first seen the Siamese on his explorations of the Caspian Sea in the 1700s. Pallas described the cat as having – eyes, paws, and tail entirely black. He also said that the cat was mid-size with somewhat smaller legs than other ordinary cats, and the head was longer towards the nose.
The Siamese cats first visited Europe when the King of Siam gifted them to the English consulate general in Bangkok during the late 1800s. The very first Siamese cats in the western world were fancily named Pho and Mia. This breeding pair was brought to England by Owen Gould in the year 1884. Moreover, the kittens born to Pho and Mia were exhibited in a show held at the Crystal Palace in 1885 in London by Mr. Gould’s sister. The first Siamese cat entered the USA as a gift from the King of Siam to a friend.
The late 1890s saw an import of many Siamese cats to North America from Britain, France, Siam, and Japan. Then after that, for some time, the Siamese, however, became surprisingly rare until the end of World War II, and then they quickly gained the first position by way of registration.
Almost all the cat associations now recognize the Siamese. The international cat Association recognizes and describes this cat as the original form of a pointed cat native to Thailand. In Thailand, however, this cat is known as Wichienmaat in the old-siamese style.
Physical Appearance
The siamese being a long and elegant cat, has a long neck, legs, and tail. However, medium in size, the Siamese have beautiful muscles. The head is a long triangle. That all years seem to be a part of this head triangle. A nose is quite long and straight. The legs are slender and long, and the tail is a long as well and tapering to a point. The skin coat is short, glossy, and sticks close to the body. The Siameses attribute its exquisite beauty to its slender body, the dreamy blue eyes, and the contrast of light and dark extremities of the color. This color contrast is called a color restriction or commonly known as points. The color of the fur near its eyes, ears, tail, and feet is different than the overall body. The face is like a mask of deep dark color that surrounds the eyes and covers the whisker pads. This mask is smaller in a kitten and gradually increases as the kitten grows.
Size
A Siamese is a long, medium-sized cat weighing three to three and a half kilos.
Personality traits
The Siamese cats are highly agile, athletic, intelligent, and love to play. These cats can be trained to walk with a leash and known to play fetch willingly. The Siamese is the oldest and the best-known cat breeds.
The Siamese is the cat for which you can rightly say - a beauty with brains. However, intelligence does not mean to train the Siamese to one’s wishes, but here it means that the Siamese have a mind of their own and are lead to their desire.
With a Siamese around, one can expect a constant chattering as they are very talkative and highly opinionated. They will let the whole world know what they think through a loud and raspy voice expecting everyone to pay attention to them and act on their advice.
Despite all of these, a Siamese is a very affectionate and doting cat and wants her parents to reciprocate. All they want is to play with someone.
Health Factor
The Siamese cats being agile face few health problems though they may be genetic:
- Amyloidosis is a disease that occurs in the liver of the Siamese when a type of protein known as amyloid gets deposited in body organs.
- Asthma or bronchial disease
- Aortic Stenosis a congenital heart defect
Care
The parents of the Siamese cat should indulge in loving care routine for it –
- The fur coat of the Siamese needs minimal care. Thus, arrange a weekly combing session to remove dead hair and distribute skin oil
- The Siamese love heights, and they also keep on jumping around. Provide high perches and cat trees for them to perch upon
- With a long muscular body, the Siamese cat will immediately show the weight gain on its body. After a day of overeating, it starts showing pot belly. Therefore, nutrition must be taken care of as its long, slim legs will not hold its fat body.
- The Siamese loves to play, and they will appreciate having lots of toys around the house for running around and playing with them
- Take care about dental hygiene by having a weekly brushing schedule
- Being an extremely affectionate cat, it can spend a lot of time in the lap and always sleep next to a parent
- To protect a Siamese from being stolen always keep her indoors.
Conclusion
Siamese cats, best known for their sleek and distinctive appearance, are very loving creatures. Two lines sung in Disney’s ‘Lady and the Tramp’ express a perfect Siamese personality – “We are Siamese if you please. We are Siamese if you don’t, please.” Spend quality time with your Siamese and see hove they go head over heels for you.