Siamese cats are a breed of small lung cats with a long wedge-shaped head. Thanks to their special fur coloring , the Siamese cat is almost impossible not to know. These cats are popular because they are not cross-breeds. Throughout their history, the Siamese cat has not crossed with other breeds.

I go an inquiry from Jack Blake, who runs the website TotalFitnessquest.com. By the way, if you are into fitness, I suggest you check Blake’s site. I particularly love the list of the best weighted vests for workouts.

Back to our discussion, Jack wanted to know the history of Siamese cats. So, here we go.

Where Did Siamese Cats Originate?

The native home of Siamese cats is Thailand. In the country, the breed once considered sacred and was respected. The cat Siamese was usually found in temples and was protected by law. The royal family Siamese  cats were used for certain rituals. Due to all these, taking out the cats abroad was prohibited. However, with time, the cat was moved to Europe and eventually the United States.

Siamese cats are often remembered in Thai legends and tales. For example, one legend says that the cat breed was always accompanied by a Thai princess while bathing in the river. Before bathing, the princess had to remove her rings and rub them on the cat’s tail so she could be safe until she finished bathing. Also, if the princess lost her wedding ring, she had to tie knots on the tip of the Siamese cat tail.

Speaking of knots – the presence of knots and kinks in the tail was considered a characteristic feature of the Siamese cat. However, it is now known that the knots are formed as a consequence of cross-breeding of close relatives. Today, the presence of knots or kinks is considered a defect.

The true origin of Siamese cats is not known. It is possible that the breed came from the wild Bengal cats. This is thought so because the pregnancy  period of both Siamese cats and wild Bengal cats is not less than 65 days. On the other hand, the term pregnancy for all other cat breeds  is 55 to 65 days.

In Europe, the Siamese breed began to spread in the late 19th century.This is when the English consul brought the first cats that were given to him as a gift by the King of Siam Thai. In America and other countries, the breed arrived a little bit late. Today, there are about about 40 species of Siamese cats. Some of the most common ones include the  monotones (black, purple, blue, cream, etc.).

Pedigree Siamese cats have short, shiny and dense fur and refined body shape. The shape of the cats is due to their small size and narrow skeleton. Siamese cats possess sufficiently powerful and muscular shoulders and thighs.

The main feature of the Siamese breed is the color and shape of the eye. The majority of the breeds have bright blue (sometimes green) eyes that are almond-shaped. Another characteristic of Siamese cats is the coloring of their limbs and the “mask” on the face. The coloring on the skin fluctuates with temperature. When the temperature is very hot, the color gets darker since it contains more dark pigment.

Standard Siamese Cat Breed

The standard Siamese cat breed is medium-sized with a slim and muscular body. The neck is long and slender, the shoulders and the chest hip-width apart. Below are other characteristics of the breed:

• The limbs are long and slender
• Refined oval paws.
• The tail is very long and thin, on the tip of the acute form.
• Wedge-shaped head; the nose is long and straight, the forehead is flat. The face is narrow, with a pronounced chin.
• The eyes are almond-shaped, and are blue or intensely green.
• The ears are very large, broad near the base, and sharpened at the tips.
• The coat is short and glossy, close-fitting, silky and without undercoat.

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