The Siamese is one of the most beautiful cats in the feline kingdom. Noted for their gorgeous blue eyes and distinctive points, this cat breed is one of the first recognized feline breeds from the Orient, most notably from Siam. Ancient folk tales abound about Siamese cats being used to guard temples. Known for dedicated loyalty to their owner, a Siamese cat can be fiercely protective of their territory. Some Siamese cats have no fear whatsoever of taking on a large dog that invades what they consider to be their property.
Once you are adopted by a Siamese cat you will forever be considered a member of their family. These cats will choose one person to be their very own and will just tolerate the rest of your family. Siamese cats will even watch over children and defend them if they feel a dog, or even a person, is threatening a child. Stories have been told of Siamese cats that follow strangers in the house to watch what they are doing. Some Siamese cats have attacked strangers in the home and driven them out the door with their hearts pounding with fear. A Siamese cat is certainly one cat that you will want to respect.
If you talk to families that own Siamese cats they will tell you the cats will even defend a child when a parent is administering a spanking. These cats have pulled a parent away from their screaming child by pulling on the parent’s ankle after taking hold of it with their mouth. Siamese cats do not like loud noises and will definitely let you know if you are making too much noise or if you are causing a commotion in the home. It is almost as if the cat is the one that keeps order in some families. Most owners will testify to the fact that their Siamese cat will exhibit more of a dog like behavior than normal cat behavior.
Siamese cats have distinctive markings and a distinctive meow. Many have described the sound of a Siamese cat’s meow as being like that of a human infant’s cry. Their color markings are called points. The points are on the ears, tail, paws and face. The rest of the body is a a light to dark creamy tan color. Some of these cats have the dark stripe down the middle of the stomach as well. These cats have been classified as being seal point, chocolate point, lilac point, blue point as well as the lynx point and tortoise shell Siamese. The body style is thin and elongated. The tail is long and may have a characteristic kink in it. Some are cross eyed, but this characteristic is not as common today as it used to be in the past.
A Siamese cat has a lifespan of about 10 to 12 years and has higher mortality rate than other breeds. Most cats with blue eyes do not have a good sense of hearing, but this is not the case with a Siamese as they have very acute hearing. This breed is noted for having gastrointestinal problems and the main cause of death is usually mammary tumors.
