Siamese kittens are cute and curious, like all babies. But these little blue-eyed lumps have a trait that from an early age distinguishes them from kittens of all other breeds: from birth it is a personality. If you are planning to get a Siamese kitten, try to find out as much as possible about it. This will greatly facilitate communication, education and care for him.
Description of the breed
Siamese cats are amazingly sophisticated creatures. Medium in size, flexible and graceful, they are distinguished by well-developed muscles and harmonious build.
The breed standard stipulates a head shape in the form of an equilateral triangle, large, elongated ears, slanted eyes, an elongated body, slender, dry limbs with collected paws in the shape of an oval and a thin flexible tail.
The Siamese's coat is short, soft, silky and lies close to the body. A contrast in the basic tone and markings is required, and the color of the fur on the face, ears, paws and tail must match. The back and sides should be slightly darker than the neck, chest and stomach.
Both the absence of points and weak contrast are considered unacceptable. Animals with knots and creases in the tail are also culled. This sign indicates degeneration due to inbreeding.
Eye color is supposed to be blue. Greenish tints are considered a deviation from the standard.
WHAT WOULD HAVE HAPPENED WITHOUT THE “SIAMESE ALLEL”?
And everything would be very simple. Look at the photo below: without the temperature-sensitive gene in the DNA, this cat would simply be gray and, most likely, with yellow or green eyes.
Photo: atonkstail.com
Source: Interesting Cat Facts: Siamese Cats Are Walking Heat Maps
siamese cats
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Character
The character of Siamese cats is often characterized by stubbornness and selfishness. This does not mean at all that they cannot become a devoted friend to a person. Just the opposite! Animals of this breed become very attached to their owner and literally run after him, reminiscent of small dogs in this way. And yet, for a Siamese, an owner is, first of all, a source of all kinds of benefits, and only then a friend and protector.
If there is only one cat in the house and everyone around her does nothing but caress her, admiring her intelligence and beauty, everything goes fine. But as soon as a competitor appears, be it a kitten or a puppy, the life of a new family member can turn into hell! There are often cases when you have to part with him in order to maintain peace and tranquility. There are exceptions if an older cat is introduced to a baby. Usually she calmly accepts him and subsequently friendship develops between the animals.
Features of the Siamese cat's temperament
The Siamese is an eternal child with an endless supply of energy. Playful, cheerful and endlessly devoted to the owner and all household members. If he believes that someone close to him is in danger of trouble, a faithful and fearless dog will rush to his defense. The peculiarities of temperament make the pet look like a rare symbiosis of a cat, a monkey and a dog.
These animals are distinguished by their “talkativeness”; the timbre of their voice is very unique and does not resemble the meow of ordinary cats.
There is often an opinion about the evil and vindictive nature of the Siamese, their aggressiveness. If pets are raised correctly from an early age, then no problems arise with their maintenance. Some irritability is inherent in those representatives of the breed who have tail defects. In this case, the integrity of the spine is compromised, pain and, as a consequence, imbalance are possible.
Also read the article about evil cat breeds. Who is to blame for their aggression?
It is necessary to remember the extraordinary self-sufficiency and high pride of these pets. Loud yelling or physical punishment can be perceived as severe insult. You should never raise your voice to Siamese, much less hit them. These animals require polite, patient and attentive treatment. Mutual respect and love is the only form of peaceful coexistence between Siamese cats and people.
Newborn kittens
Siamese cat kittens are born completely white, only their nose and paw pads are pink. Darkening of the coat can begin from two weeks of age, and one or another color is determined by the temperature in the room where the kitten is. In a very warm room, the main coat color will be milky white or cream, and the color of the markings will be chocolate. The cooler the apartment, the darker the color will be. Siamese kittens that are born and live outside (those that are trained to be mousecatchers in a barn or goat stall) after the first moult become dark brown, and their point color is almost black. The final color of a Siamese kitten is established only by ten months.
IT'S ACTUALLY A LITTLE MORE COMPLICATED
There are actually two types of temperature-dependent gene alleles that affect color suppression. The Siamese allele is more effective, and its carriers - Siamese, Himalayan and partly Tonkinese cats - have the contrasting coat with distinct colored spots associated with these breeds. Burmese cats also have a modifier gene, but it is weaker, and is called, accordingly, the Burmese allele. The Burmese coat has less contrast and can “cool down” to darker shades:
Choosing a kitten
Cat or cat?
Having decided to purchase a Siamese kitten, the future owner often does not know who to choose: a cat or a cat. At two to three months, all kittens are equally charming. But childhood does not last long, and when the pet grows up, its belonging to one gender or another will appear before the owner in all its glory.
Most owners of Siamese cats believe that the males of this breed are much more beautiful than the females. One cannot but agree with this opinion. The Siamese cat has a more impressive size; its body proportions are slightly different than those of females: the body is shorter and the head is larger. Some people believe that keeping a male is not particularly difficult, unlike a female. At least you won’t have to think about where to place the kittens.
However, this is not even the point. The problem of cat marks and unwanted offspring can be solved by castration or sterilization. What will stay with an animal forever is its character.
The Siamese cat feels like a sovereign master in the apartment. He perceives the owners as servants who must fulfill his every whim. He is curious, active, loves to poke his nose everywhere, especially where he is not allowed. Often irritable and aggressive.
Cats of this breed have a much calmer, affectionate character. They become very attached to a person (most often this is the owner), and vigorously show their love and devotion. And the cleanliness of Siamese dogs is legendary!
Although there are no rules without exceptions.
Choice depending on color
After you have decided on the gender of your future pet, you need to decide what color you like.
Most often, when people think of a Siamese kitten, they think of the classic sealpoint: cream coat, dark markings and beautiful blue eyes. The image is truly captivating, but this color is by no means the only one. Bluepoint (snow-white coat color with blue-gray markings), redpoint (white background color and apricot or red markings), lilacpoint (silver coat with lilac-pink markings)… It’s easy to get confused! But there are other colors: chocolate point (an ivory coat with very dark, almost black markings), cinnamon point (ivory and brownish points), caramel point (an absolutely amazing, indescribable shade of coat with gray-pink points), tabbypoint (lovely solid-colored cats with striped markings), tortiepoint (a fantastic combination of calm background color and spotted points).
The eye color of Siamese cats depends on the color of the coat: the darker and more saturated the color of the animal, the brighter and deeper the blue will be.
There is an opinion (though not yet confirmed by anything other than the words of the owners) that cats of different colors have different personalities. For example, it is believed that the temperament of bluepoints is much softer and more pleasant than that of sealpoints or chocolate points.
Diseases
Typical ailments of Siamese cats:
- Hip dysplasia is a pathology that causes cramps and lameness.
- Psychogenic alopecia – a cat, when under stress, begins to lick itself so often that bald spots form on its body.
- Endocrine alopecia occurs due to a deficiency of sex hormones, most often in castrated and sterilized animals.
- Respiratory infection (bacterial or viral). Symptoms are the same as in humans. The cat begins to sneeze and snot and loses its appetite. Drug treatment is required.
- Urolithiasis is a serious disease characterized by the formation of stones in the bladder.
- Allergy – protein intolerance.
- Breast neoplasia. Diagnosed in females over 10 years of age.
- Intestinal tumor - develops with poor nutrition and decreased immunity. Removed during surgery.
- Deafness, often progressing to complete hearing loss. It can be on one ear, or on both sides at once. The problem is genetic in nature.
Not a disease, but a feature of the breed - a change in coat color depending on the climate. In colder places it is dark, in the southern zone it is lighter.
Even if your cat only walks around the house, it needs to be vaccinated. Not only from rabies, but also from calcivirosis, panleukopenia and other ailments. After all, you can catch the disease not only while walking: you can bring pathogens home on the soles of your shoes, outerwear, or on your hands.
Care and maintenance
Features of caring for a kitten aged 1 month The kitten you want to buy should be at least two, and preferably three to four months old. At this age, kittens completely switch to normal food, are practically independent of their mother, are curious and very sociable. The baby will willingly make friends with you and the rest of the family.
If you get a kitten that is at least a month old, difficulties cannot be avoided. Such kids have great difficulty making contact. If there are small children in the family, it is advisable to completely protect the kitten from their attention. Absolutely everything scares him: large (as much as two meters!) distances, loud sounds, an unexpectedly chirping sparrow... The first days he can sit in the sofa or the pocket of an old bag, secretly getting out of there to grab a piece of food or go to the toilet. One person must take care of such a baby. You should not force him out of hiding and poke his muzzle into the food if he resists. The best thing you can do is leave him alone and quietly observe. Let your baby get comfortable. Only when the kitten stops hiding at every rustle can you begin to introduce him to the whole family.
Feeding
Choosing the right diet for your pet is the main task of every owner. The Siamese cat is particularly prone to obesity, so it needs a special selection of food. You don’t have to choose between natural food and dry food, as they can be combined.
Natural nutrition
Suitable natural products:
It is important to ensure that there is always clean water in the bowl.
Industrial feed
It is better to choose premium-class food. Their composition is tailored to the needs of the cat’s body.
Which ones are suitable:
Don’t forget that an active lifestyle, which requires a lot of energy, is very important for the health of a Siamese cat. The cat may often ask to eat, but you should not overfeed it.
Hygiene procedures
Caring for little Siamese is surprisingly easy. Their short coat, devoid of even a hint of undercoat, looks great without any water treatments. It is enough to rub it with a special mitten, and from 4 months - with a soft brush.
Carefully monitor the condition of your pet's ears and eyes. Wipe them daily with a damp cotton pad. If you find the slightest sign of discharge, immediately show the kitten to a doctor. Any disease in children is much more severe than in adult animals, so the sooner treatment is started, the better.
Health
Siamese live from 14 to 25 years. This is a long time for an animal. With proper care it can be extended.
Siamese are prone to:
- genetic diseases;
- rhinotracheitis;
- strabismus;
- calcivirus;
- asthma;
- breast cancer, intestinal cancer;
- mental alopecia;
- cardiomyopathy, etc.
Diseases of Siamese cats are numerous; it is important to be careful when choosing a kitten. Animals may feel unwell due to stress and depression. Their health is negatively affected by heavy dust, poor living conditions, and poor quality food.
Any Siamese must have vaccinations. They are allowed to be carried out starting from the age of two months. They will protect against leukemia, plague, infectious peritonitis, panleukopenia.
When performing any surgery, it is important to remember that Siamese cats are sensitive to anesthesia. There is also a high probability of an allergic reaction to any medications or odors, food, flea bites and dust.
What to name a Siamese kitten
It is unlikely that anyone would think of calling a Siamese aristocrat Barsik or Murzik. Meanwhile, these sonorous nicknames perfectly demonstrate the principle by which you need to choose a name: a distinct, sonorous beginning and the absence of hissing sounds. If you can’t do without hissing sounds, let these sounds be in the middle of the name.
Let's try to come up with a beautiful, euphonious name for the pet.
If it's a boy, you can name him:
- Athos;
- Basil;
- Bertie;
- Leslie;
- Nelson;
- Nestor;
- Maurice;
- Solomon;
- Tyson;
- Everett.
If: you have a cat:
- Alice;
- Anfisa
- Bertha;
- Beatrix;
- Ophelia;
- Saji;
- Sona;
- Sookie
- Tess;
- Ulsi.
Where can I buy
You can buy a Siamese kitten in Moscow from one of the nurseries:
- "Sharess-Ori" (cattery of Oriental and Siamese cats);
- "Salambo" (oriental and Siamese cattery);
- "Marsiori" (oriental cattery).
You can choose the baby you like among the ads on Avito or use. Of course, in this case it will be difficult to find a purebred kitten with a pedigree, although there are exceptions - for example, if the owners move to another country and cannot take their pet with them, it will be very important for them that it ends up in good hands.
If it is not the pedigree that is important to you, but the point color, this is a good choice. But you must be prepared for the fact that the kitten you choose is only half Siamese. As he grows up, he may become aggressive, and you will have to make a lot of effort to correct his character.
Origin history and interesting facts
There are different versions of the origin of the Siamese breed. According to legend, many thousands of years ago a male monkey fell in love with a proud lioness. The bond between the animals resulted in the cat, which exhibits the grace of a lioness but the habits of a monkey.
As for realistic hypotheses, scientists are of the opinion that the first representatives of the breed appeared in Thailand, in an area called Siam. Local people considered cats to have a sacred meaning, so they were kept by monks and royal families. Animals were protected by law, which prohibited their export to other countries.
Only in the 19th century. The Siamese ended up in Europe. Having charmed the inhabitants of the continent with their unusual appearance and impressed Queen Victoria, they quickly gained popularity and began to be sold in different countries.
The breed is full of interesting stories and facts. Exotic individuals are distinguished by a graceful gait that resembles the running of an Arabian horse.
Having long limbs, a kitten can easily open a chest of drawers or a door, climb into a bag and unbutton a coat pocket.
Another interesting fact tells us that for Alexander Alekhine his cat was considered a talisman. The chess player took his favorite with him to all competitions, and even while participating in an international match in Zurich, he left the hall to pet the cat.
Despite their high decorative properties and gracefulness, Siamese are excellent at catching mice and have a hunting instinct.
