Siamese (cat)

From ArticleWorld

Although the exact origin of the Siamese cat is unknown, it is believed to be descended from the sacred temple cats of Siam. The Siamese cat was one of the first oriental breeds to be recognized by cat fancy organizations.

History

The entire Siamese breed can trace its history back to a very small number of original cats. In 1884 Owen Gould brought a pair to England, from Siam. They were given to his sister who later went on to co-found the Siamese Cat Club in 1901. In 1886, a Mrs. Vyvyan and her sister brought another pair of cats, plus two kittens, to England. Several other cats were brought to England in the following years and formed the breeding pool for the entire Siamese breed. It is estimated that the original breeding pool only consisted of approximately eleven cats. As a result, all modern Siamese cats can trace their history back to this same group of original cats.

Characteristics

The Siamese are divided into two subbreeds, traditional and modern. The traditional, as is the case with most breeds, is much sturdier. It has an apple shaped head with proportionate ears. The modern show Siamese are bred to be extremely lean. They have very angular heads and disproportionately large ears. A common kink in the tail of the traditional Siamese was viewed as a flaw, and has been largely bred out of the modern version. Both versions of the breed have almond shaped eyes, which are often crossed. This is caused by a disruption of the crossed wiring of the brain connections to the optic nerves. Usually the parts of the eye that see things on the right side are connected to the left side of the brain, and vice versa. Due to the lack of crossing of these connections, the cats tend to cross their eyes to compensate.

Originally all seal pointed, Siamese are now bred in all standard cat colors. They have a cream colored base coat with ‘’points’’ on the tail, lower legs, paws, face and ears. Siamese cats produce an enzyme that is heat sensitive. On the cooler areas of the body, those mentioned as having points, the enzyme becomes active, darkening the color of the hair. These points are not visible at birth. They darken gradually and the color of the kitten is generally evident by the time it is four weeks old.