Siamese Cat
Weight
9 – 14 pounds | male
6 – 10 pounds | female
6 – 10 pounds | female
Height
about 23 inches | male
about 21 inches | female
about 21 inches | female
Ideal Human
Companions
Busy, active families
Singles with other pets
Experienced cat owners
What They Are Like to
Live With
Highly intelligent, this breed can be trained to perform
commands and tricks and has proven to be a viable competitor in feline agility.
Things You Should Know
Their coats darken with age.
Siamese cats are
very vocal.
Responsible breeding practices have bred out the cross-eyed
and kinked tail tendencies.
Siamese History
One of the oldest and most recognizable cat breeds in the
world, theSiamese traces its royal roots back to the 14th Century in
Thailand when it was known as Siam. This elegant breed belonged to members of
the Siam royal family who would bestow them to visiting dignitaries.
This breed began showing up in Europe and the United States by the late 1800s. The first known Siamese to reach American shores was a gift to First Lady Lucy Webb Hayes from the American consul in Bangkok in 1884. Siamese also enjoyed time in the White House during the Gerald Ford and Jimmy Carter presidencies.
Today, the Siamese ranks fifth in popularity among all breeds recognized by the Cat Fanciers Association, the world’s largest breed registry.
This breed began showing up in Europe and the United States by the late 1800s. The first known Siamese to reach American shores was a gift to First Lady Lucy Webb Hayes from the American consul in Bangkok in 1884. Siamese also enjoyed time in the White House during the Gerald Ford and Jimmy Carter presidencies.
Today, the Siamese ranks fifth in popularity among all breeds recognized by the Cat Fanciers Association, the world’s largest breed registry.
The Look of a Siamese
Highly recognizable, the Siamese sports deep blue,
almond-shaped eyes, a chiseled, wedge-shaped head, sleek, tubular body and
large pointed ears. The body is muscular but delicate.
Its short hair coat contains a mutated enzyme in its pigment that produces its cream colored torso offset by darker points at the ears, face, and toes. The CFA recognizes four “points” or colors of Siamese: seal (black), chocolate (brown), blue (grey dilution of seal) and lilac (dilution of the chocolate). TICA allows more colors, including lynx and tortoiseshell.
Females weight between 5 and 6 pounds and males average between 6 and 7 pounds.
Regarded as a healthy breed, the Siamese can be genetically predisposed to problems with gingivitis and a liver-destroying disease called amyloidosis.
