With their cream-coloured fur with the darker accents, long limbs and their expressive eyes, the Siamese cat is nothing short of elegant. Often sociable and happy to “talk” to you when you come home, these graceful beauties are also people-pleasers, and are always ready to have fun whenever you are. Whether you’re a one-person fam or have an entire clan, a Siamese cat might just be the perfect family pet for you.
Siamese Facts
One of the oldest cat breeds in the world, these kitties actually originated in Thailand, or Siam as it was known in the late 1800s when these cats began to be exported.
- Breed: Siamese
- Length: 30-35 cm
- Weight: Female: 2.3-3.7 kg, Male: 3.6-5.5 kg
- Life Span: 11-20 years, average is 15 years
- Coat: Short-haired
- Colour: Seal point, chocolate point, blue point and lilac point, cream and cream points, pointed Bi colours, lynx and torti points.
What Does a Siamese Look Like?
Consider Siamese cats the supermodels of the cat world—they’re long, lean and leggy. They have long thin legs and an equally long slender tail; a long, pointed face topped by big triangular ears; and a long svelte body.
Then there’s the fur of the Siamese, which is short and sleek. Siamese kittens, born solid white or cream, slowly develop their darker face, legs and tail as they mature. The classic colour for these cool cats is the seal point Siamese—the body is cream or fawn and the legs, ears, mask (eyes and nose) and tail are a rich dark brown. But Siamese cats can also come in other colours, too, that include chocolate point, blue point and lilac point, though the markings remain the same (the contrast of a lighter-colour body with darker coloured legs, face, ears and tail).
As for the eyes of a Siamese cat, they are almond-shaped and somewhat slanted, and a rich shade of blue. You may find yourself unable to look away (not that you’d want to)!
Siamese
Siamese Temperament: Sociable & Friendly
These long, slim, athletic cats love people of all ages including kids, as well as other cats and cat-friendly dogs. They’re usually playful and love lap snuggling. Known for their distinctive, sometimes strident meow, Siamese cats have loud opinions they eagerly share: They will carry on meow-conversations, and seem to always want the last word!
This athletic, agile breed demands attention, and needs a lot of interactive games and toys to prevent boredom. They love climbing and readily jump great heights. Siamese cats may also use their paws to open doors, twist on faucets or even turn on the television. With smarts like that, trick training and games of fetch come easily to them. They are best suited to families able and willing to give them plenty of attention and interaction. If you’re able to, adopting a pair may help keep them both entertained.
Keeping Siameses Healthy: Issues to Watch Out For
Although there are a number of conditions that are known to be prevalent within the Siamese breed, conditions will vary in different breeding lineages, so it is important to know the family history of your Siamese.
Tip: Signing up for pet insurance while your cat is young and without pre-existing conditions could help you save on future vet bills.
Gum Disease
Just like any other cat breeds, the Siamese breed is also known to suffer from the gum or mouth-related illness at some point in their lifetime. Gum problems are known to occur when there is inflammation in some or all of the supporting structures located in the depth of the tooth.
This inflammation can occur when the food or minerals start accumulating along the gum line. This can lead to a build-up of tartar which is a brown scale formed along the gums or tooth. This can gradually lead to the occurrence of gingivitis. If no proper heed is taken, then small spaces start to form in between the gums as well as the teeth thereby creating space pockets.
These tend to become breeding ground for bacteria and germs. When timely action is not taken then it can lead to the occurrence of periodontal disease. The seriousness of this issue can lead to the spreading of bacteria from this infected tooth and gums to then entire body gradually.
It would start to damage the liver and kidney. As an owner, you can ensure to avoid such grave condition by carrying out routine basic tooth care for your Siamese. Ensure to timely brush their teeth and also feed them a mix of dry and wet food.
Eye Problems
Though one cannot name this as a disease it is termed as a deviation from the started functioning of the Siamese cat. One such example is called strabismus. You may notice that in certain Siamese cats, the eyes are oriented in more than one direction.
This deviation does not hamper the seeing capability of the cat. They are only called as cross-eyed Siamese cat. Just like strabismus, Siamese cats are known to also suffer from another eye disorder called Nystagmus. This eye condition can lead to eye oscillation wherein the eyes of your car start shifting from up and down or from the right and left.
Though, not a common health disorder but may occur in certain Siamese cats. When you start noticing such oscillation or eye deviation, it is better to visit the vet as soon as possible. At times, these symptoms can be a sign of something more dangerous such as heart or kidney-related problem.
Kidney Issues
Kidneys are an important part of the body. It is known for filtering any of the waste products present in the blood. Siamese cats are known to suffer from certain infections tumours, blockages or any age-related issues which in turn can have a negative effect on the kidney.
There are times when the kidneys of the Siamese start to deteriorate over a period of time. This, in turn, can lead to chronic kidney illness. You need to take your cat to the vet at the earliest so that the treatment can be started. Based on the type of kidney problem and also its severity, the vet would start the treatment.
In certain cases, the vet would start the flushing treatment in the kidneys by making use of certain intravenous fluids. They would then suggest providing the right type of diet as well as medicines for the Siamese. Note that the damage done to the kidney cannot be reversed.
But with timely treatment and medicine, you can ensure that the condition does not worsen and also your cat is able to lead a normal life.
Vestibular Illness
The vestibular disease in Siamese is mostly said to be a genetic issue. The only certain Siamese cat would tend to develop this disease.
This issue is concerned with the inner ear especially the nerves that serve the ear. Your cat would start losing their balance or tilt their head. These can be signs of vestibular illness.
At times, symptoms such as dizziness or disorientation can also occur. This is a minor condition and is said to last only for a short period of time. In most cases, the condition tends to heal on its own. However, if the issue still persists then you can take your cat to the vet for appropriate treatment.
Respiratory Tract Infection
This condition occurs in a few of the young Siamese cat. You can compare this condition with flu that normally occurs in humans. Few of the Siamese cats also suffer from tracheal or nasal inflammation.
Ensure to get the cat checked with the vet so that they can monitor its condition and bronchitis episode. This can be seen in a few of the young cats but as they grow older, they are not prone to this condition.
Caring for Your Siamese Cat
Siamese cats require minimal grooming to their short coat but like all other cats they do need weekly cares to help keep them in top top shape.
Grooming
The short, fine coat of the Siamese is easily cared for with weekly brushing to remove dead hair and distribute skin oils.
Brush your Siamese’s teeth to prevent periodontal disease. Daily dental hygiene is best, but weekly brushing is better than nothing.
Other grooming requirements are to trim their claws every couple of weeks and do eye and ear cares weekly. Wipe the corners of the eyes to remove any discharge. Use a separate section of the wipe for each eye so you don’t run the risk of spreading any infection. Check the ears weekly and if they look dirty, clean them too.
Nutrition
Giving your Siamese cat a healthy diet is an important part of their care. Be sure you’re offering age-appropriate food: You want to ensure it provides the nutrition your young kitten of adult cat needs.
Siamese cats can do well on dried cat food or wet cat food, so choose one which you feel gives the most appropriate balance of nutrients or better still feed a combination of both. You can also feed a Siamese Breed Specific food such as Royal Canin Siamese Adult Dry Cat Food.
Use the feeding chart on the bag as a guide, or ask the PetDirect Customer Care Team how much to feed your particular cat.
Exercise & Play time with your Siamese
Siamese are intelligent enough to learn tricks, can be clicker trained and can often solve how to get to wherever you placed a forbidden item.
Enrichment and Puzzle toys that challenge your cat’s brain can help prevent boredom and keep your kitty from seeking out trouble. While interactive and electronic toys can help them burn off a bit of excess energy. Clicker training and teaching cat tricks also engages the smart feline to better channel their energy through positive outlets. Siamese cats also excel at agility games, so try adding cat trees or shelving or a cat tunnel.
Litter training your Siamese
It is usually easy to train a Siamese to use a litter tray as they will respond best to positive reinforcement. Read our blog: Cat litter tips from our cat fanatic for tips and advice on litter and litter training.
Use a quality litter and keep the litter tray spotlessly clean. Cats are very particular about bathroom hygiene, and a clean litter tray will help to keep their coat clean as well. Speaking of litter trays, ensure to get a litter tray that fits your cat to ensure they have plenty of room to turn around and squat.