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The History and Traits of the Siamese Cat

© Faith Antonioni

This month's article is about the fascinating history and attributes of the Siamese cat. Monks and royalty in Thailand held them up in very high esteem. These cats may be traced as far back as the late 1700's in Asia. Siamese cats guarded temples in Siam when a person of high rank died. The Siamese cat was considered a receptacle for the dead person's soul. The cat was removed from the royal house and sent to live in the temple to live with monks. There after, the cat lived a life of wonderful opulence. It has been recorded that Siamese cats ate the best foods from gold plates. They also sat on cushions made of the best material. The items that were used to maintain this life style for the Siamese cat were provided by the relatives of the deceased in order to obtain good fortune.

This particular cat has captured our attention since the late 1800's in England. In fact, a Siamese was given as a gift from Siam to an Ambassador of England. After receiving the gift of the Siamese cat, he brought them home. After that, they were quite visible on the English show scene in 1871 at the London Crystal Palace. When they appeared in the cat shows in England, they caused quite a stir and where described as a hideous type of cat. Also in 1896 a Siamese cat was entered in a show for Blue Points and disqualified. Speculation dictates that it could have been a Lilac Point. The first Siamese cats to appear in Europe and North America had crossed eyes and kinked tails. They also had round heads and are considered apple head Siamese cats. Over the years the modern Siamese has been developed with the elongated head. But the traditional Siamese is considered the apple-head Siamese. Even though there is nothing in the rules that prevents a traditional Siamese from competing with a Modern Siamese, elongated head, few people attempt this.

The Siamese cat made its appearance in America, Seal Point Siamese, by the early 1900's and has been widely accepted ever since. The Siamese cat is the number one shorthair. The Seal Point has a fawn body as well as a black limbs and tail. Chocolate Points have creamy white bodies and milk chocolate legs, tail, mask and legs. The Chocolate Point made its entrance on the cat scene from time to time. But the Blue Point was more recognized in 1934. The Blue Point has a bluish white body and slate blue points.

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