HISTORY
Siamese cats originated in Siam-modern day Thailand. Legend has it that they were the companions of kings and priests and that they guarded temples. Some trace Siamese origins to Egypt and Burma, but many dispute this idea.
An early description and depiction of the Siamese cat appears in a collection of ancient manuscripts called the Tamra Maew (The Cat-Book Poems). The work was produced during the Ayutthaya Kingdom (1351 to 1767 AD). The picture below shows a Suphalak cat, Siamese cat, Korat cat and Ninlachak cat in the Tamra Maew.
Early prints show Siamese cats with stripes, suggesting they developed from wild, jungle cats.
Lucy Webb Hayes, wife of President Rutherford B. Hayes, was the first person recorded to own a Siamese in the U.S. The cat named Siam was a gift in 1878 from U.S. Consul David Stickles, a diplomat at the consulate in Bangkok.
A Chicago cat club listed several registered Siamese cats in 1889-90, one of which was "imported from Siam" by its founder.
Siamese cats first appeared in Britain in 1894, when the King of Siam gave a gift of two Siamese cats, Pho and Mia to Owen Gould, English consul general in Bangkok, to take back to London.
Pho and Mia produced three Siamese kittens—Duen Ngai, Kalohom, and Khromata—who were displayed with their parents in 1885 at London's Crystal Palace Show.
Wankee, born 1895 in Hong Kong, became the first UK Siamese champion in 1898.
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| Wankee side view |
The Siamese cat became very fashionable in 1920s, but repeated inbreeding almost weakened the breed into extinction. Six hundred years ago, there were 17 traditional breeds of Siamese cat, but now there are just four: seal point, blue point, copper point and white point.
The Siamese is among the foundation stock of several other breeds developed by crossbreeding with other cats; some examples are the Oriental Shorthair and Colourpoint Shorthair.
ANATOMY
A Siamese cat with its outstanding features - the raucous voice, blue and occasionally crossed eyes - is one of the most distinctive and different of all cats.
Siamese cats get their color points due to a temperature sensitive gene. The colder the body part the darker the fur will become in that area.
Many early cats were naturally cross-eyed but this trait was considered undesirable and has been largely bred out of the breed. According to legend this came about when a Siamese cat was tasked with guarding a golden goblet for the king. The loyal feline clutched the cup so hard with her tail that it bent, and stared at it for so long that her pupils lost focus.
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| This Siamese cat demonstrates the once common cross-eyed trait. By Emery |
Many Siamese cats from Thailand had a kink in their tails, but over the years this trait has been considered a flaw. Breeders have largely eliminated them via selective breeding, but the kinked tail persists among Thai street cats.
Folklore tells of a Thai princess and her pet Siamese cat which was her constant companion. One day, when about to take a bath in the river, the princess was concerned about the many precious rings on her hands, afraid that she might lose them in the water. To prevent this from happening, she removed the rings from her fingers and slipped them on to the tail of her faithful cat, and to secure them, she tied a knot. Ever since, the legend claims, Siamese felines have kept the kink in their tails.
FUN SIAMESE CATS FACTS
In Thailand, Siamese cats are called the wichien-maat, which roughly translates to “Moon Diamond.”
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| Pixiebay |
A Thai bride is traditionally given a pair of Siamese cats for good luck at her wedding.
UK prime minister Harold Wilson had a Seal point Siamese called Nemo that used to accompany the Wilsons on holiday.
Sources Mental Floss, Europress Family Encyclopedia 1999, Compton's Encyclopedia,
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