Frequently Asked Questions - General
Q. What are the siamese colours?
A. There are four basic colours- seal, chocolate, blue and lilac. They refer to the colour of the points of the siamese, i.e. the ears, muzzle, paws and tail. A seal has black points with a darker body. The cholocate has rich brown points with a cream coloured body. The blue has points which are bluish-gray with a pale body. Finally, lilacs have very light points that may show a hint of purple, with an off-white body.
Q. Where does the siamese breed come from?
A. Originally Ayudha, the ancient capital of Siam, founded in 1350 and burnt down by the invading Burmese in 1757.
Q. What colour are their eyes?
A. Blue, but the shade depends to some extent on the point colour but also within each point, from light blue to deep blue.
Q. What is the difference between traditional, classic and modern siamese?
A. The traditional siamese have a solid body, round head, smaller ears and rounder eyes. They are the shape of the original siamese cats imported into the UK, and are the largest of the types. Modern siamese have slim elongated bodies, pointed very wedge-shaped head, large ears and narrow slanting eyes. They have been selectively bred in the last 20 years, and are the thinnest most delicate type. Classic siamese are the intermediate type between traditional and modern.
Q. What are the registering bodies?
A. The Geneneral Council of Cat Fancy (GCCF), Everycat UK and Felis Britannica, which arose from the now defunct Cat Association (CA).
Q. How long do they live?
A. About 12 (average) to 20 years (exceptional)
Q. Are they house cats or can they be let out?
A. They are safer and happy as house cats, but they can be let out in a safe area. Most people choose not to let them out due to their value.
Q. Are they noisy?
A. They can be. Entire male and female in heat will call. A neutered male or a spayed female are much quieter in my experience.
Q. What are siamese temprements like?
A. As with all animals this depends on their environment, their up-bringing, how they've been treated and their genes. All the cats I have bred are home-reared and are very gentle, affectionate and trusting of people. They will allow happlily themselves to be handled and cuddled.
Q. Do siamese have any genetic faults?
A. Two possible faults are a kink in the tail and a squint. They are caused by a faulty recessive gene but these cats would not breed from and cannot be exhibited. I have carefully removed these faults over the years out of my cats and none of my kittens have any faults.
Q. Is there a breed standard?
A. The GCCF have not yet adopted a standard for the traditional siamese.
Copyright 2002-2005 - Zuzana Bale