Siamese cat is one of the famous feline breeds of the Siamese-Oriental group. The Siamese cat has a characteristic appearance - long, thin, flexible trumpet-shaped body, the head has a long wedge shape, the eyes are large, almond-shaped, obliquely set, bright blue, the ears are very large.
Siamese cats before entering Europe lived in Thailand, where this cat was a kind of relic, revered in temples, it was considered sacred, protected by law. Siamese cats were forbidden to take abroad. In the royal family, these cats were used for certain rituals.
These cats have left their mark in the legends of Thailand. In the olden days, their sign was considered to be the presence of knots and breaks on their tails. In reality, however, it was a sign of degeneration, the result of crossbreeding of relatives. Today it is considered a defect. According to legends, a Thai princess was always accompanied by a Siamese cat during her ablutions in the river. The princess would leave her rings on the cat’s tail while she bathed. One day the cat lost one ring, since then the princess began tying knots on the cat’s tail.
Regarding the origin of these cats, there are many versions. The most likely of them says that the breed originated from wild Bengal cats. Proved by the fact that Siamese cats have one of the longest gestation periods, lasting 65 days. In other cat breeds, pregnancies last 55-65 days.
Siamese cats came to Europe at the end of the 19th century. The first representatives of this breed were brought by the British Consul, who received them as a gift from the King of Siam. These cats were soon exhibited in London, and then at the beginning of the 20th century set the standard Siamese breed of cats. In America and the rest of the world they appeared somewhat later.
The modern Siamese cat is very characteristic appearance, distinctive features of which - long, thin, trumpet-shaped flexible body, long wedge-shaped head, large almond-shaped, set oblique eyes of bright blue color, extra large ears, pointed at the ends and wide at the base, which are set so that between their ends and the nose formed an equilateral triangle. The short hair is tight to the body, with no undercoat. The whip-shaped very long tail, thin from the base, the tip is pointed.
For Siamese cats are characterized by color-point color (it is a light coat, darker on the paws, ears, muzzle, tail). This color is a manifestation of incomplete albinism, which is called acromelanism. Acromelanism is explained by the body’s temperature characteristics: the warmer parts of the body produce less pigment than the colder parts, therefore the tail, muzzle and paws are colored darker than the rest of the body. The contrast of poins relative to the body may become less with age. Most cats with point color have darkening on the body after one year of age. Kittens of this breed are born absolutely white, but already after several days they begin to darken poins, and the final color is established in 6-10 months. The most common color of Siamese cats is power point. Markings for this color are dark brown, almost black. Although they can be blue (blue point), and chocolate, and purple. The four colors listed above are considered original. But other colors are also recognized Siamese: fawn, cinnamon, crim, red, torbie, tortie and tabby point.
One more peculiarity of the Siamese color scheme is the change of tone, saturation and hue depending on the environment temperature. Usually the colder the animal becomes darker. The ideal temperature for a Siamese show cat is +25-28.
These cats are very active, striving to be in the center of attention. They need attention very much, they like physical contact, and simply do not tolerate when they are not noticed. They are sociable, affectionate, strongly attached to the people they live with, and may behave jealously towards them. These cats are very trusting and get along well with children, other cats and dogs.
Siamese cats develop quickly, they are nimble, interested in everything around them. They meow a lot, they have many different intonations, and the timbre of the voice of most of these cats is husky and insistent. Cats of the Siamo-Oriental group are able to use their vocal cords, changing tone and pitch to express demands and feelings.
They love to play, often even at a mature age, and are easy to train. The best owner for a Siamese cat is a balanced and dynamic person who can appreciate liveliness, sensitivity, and exceptional affection.
There is an opinion that Siamese cats sometimes attack their owners. However, this is not true, if you surround them with kindness and affection, these cats are guaranteed to respond in the same manner. By their nature, these cats are very playful and enjoy being focused on. At the same time, they tolerate loneliness quite calmly.
However, after a long absence of the house you should not forget to pay attention to the cat, to play with it and to communicate. Siamese cats like attention. When they do not agree with you about something, they will raise their voice, because they are very freedom-loving cats, and it is important for them to be taken into consideration.