|
History of
the Siamese Cat:
The Siamese
is one of the best known & popular breeds of cat. Many
legends surround the Siamese cat. Often
said to have resided only in the Royal Palace of the King of
Siam, the Siamese have a regal reputation. Sydney W. France
quotes a letter from sent from Dr. Hugh M. Smith, Adviser in
Fisheries to His Siamese Majesty's Government
'I was well
acquainted with cats in Siam, but made no special study of
them. There appear to be two races peculiar to the country;
the common form with pale fawn colour, black or dark brown
feet, tips of ears, tail & muzzle, and blue eyes, well known
to cat fanciers all over the world, and a form of uniform
mauve or Maltest colour with yellow eyes. There are no palace
cats in Siam. There are no 'royal' cats, although the
strikingly marked creatures would be natural ones to be kept
in palaces. Any person can have a Siamese cat, and as a matter
of fact there are many people outside the palaces & many
foreigners who keep such cats as household pets.'
Other legends
say that Siamese cats guarded the Buddhist temples & were
considered sacred. According to Sally Franklin in her book The
Complete Siamese Cat, when a high ranking person died, a
Siamese was chosen to receive the dead person's soul. The cat
was removed from the royal household & sent to one of the
temples to spend the rest of it's days living a ceremonial
life of great luxury, with monks & priests as it's servants.
[2]
The history of
the Siamese isn't entirely known although there are plenty of
theories as to it's origins.
-
Sydney W.
France in his book 'Siamese Cats' claims that the Hon.
Russell Gordon gave his considered opinion that the Siamese
cat was a cross between the Sacred Cat of Burma & the
Annamite cat introduced into the religiously sealed &
guarded Burmese Temples, and which were imported into Siam
when the Cambodian Empire of Kymer fell to the attacks of
the Siamese.
-
German
explorer & zoologist Peter Simon Pallas shows a picture of a
cat with a Siamese coat pattern which was said to be the
progeny of a black cat & had a chestnut-brown body colour,
black at the back & paler along the sides & belly, with a
black streak running along & surrounding the eyes. [1] This
cat was seen in the area of the Caspian Sea.
There are many
other myths surrounding the origins of the Siamese cat,
these are just two common ones.
What we do know
is that in 1884 Mr. Edward Blencowe Gould an Acting Vice-Consul at
Bangkok obtained a breeding pair of Siamese cats called Pho &
Mia. It is said that King Chulalongkorn gave them to him
although this story does attract some scepticism. What is
known that two Siamese cats arrived in England from Bangkok by
Mr Gould as a present to his sister, Mrs. Lilian Veley. Pho &
Mia are recorded as 1a & 2a in the Siamese Cat Register. Mrs.
Veley went on to co-found the
Siamese Cat Club
in 1901.
The following
year, Mrs Vyvyan & her sister of Dover imported two Siamese
cats. Mrs. Vyvyan writes to Harrison Weir 'The
original pair were sent from Bangkok, and it is believed that
they came from the King's Palace, where alone the breed are
said to be kept pure. At any rate, they were procured as a
great favour, after much delay & great difficulty, and since
that time no others have been attainable by the same person.
We were in China when they reached us, and the following year,
1886, we brought the father, mother & a pair of kittens to
England.'
During the next
few years more Siamese were imported into Britain, and are the
foundation cats of the Siamese we know & love now.
Temperament of the Siamese Cat:
The Siamese is
an extremely intelligent breed of cat. They are the most
talkative of cat breeds & enjoy giving their human companions
a running commentary. Their voice is rather unique, it is deep
& loud.
Siamese are
often described as 'dog like' in that they often enjoy to play
fetch, but they are also extremely incredibly affectionate &
bond closely to their humans. They love to be the centre of
attention.
Appearance
of the Siamese Cat:
The Siamese coat
pattern is striking. The face, paws, ears & tail (points) have
a darker colouring, the body is light in colour. The coat
should be short, fine & silky to the touch.
The ears are
large, eyes are a stunning blue & almond shaped.
The Siamese is
an elegant animal with a long, muscular & tubular body,
long neck. The legs are long & slender with small, oval
feet. The hind legs are longer than the front legs. The tail
is long, thin & whip like.
Colours of the
Siamese Cat:
The original &
most commonly known colours are seal, blue, chocolate & lilac.
Different cat associations accept different colours, which
include red (also known as flame), cream, fawn, caramel,
apricot, cinnamon. These colours may also come in tabby (also
known as lynx) & tortie point.
The Cat Fancy
Association in America only accepts seal, blue, chocolate &
lilac in Siamese, other colours are considered to be
Colorpoint Shorthairs.
Suitable
for:
The Siamese cat
thrives on attention & needs to be a part of the family. If
you are out for long periods during the day it is strongly
urged you have two cats to keep each other company. This is
especially true with Siamese cats.
References:
[1] The Siamese
Cat Owners Encyclopaedia - Mary Dunill. 1976.
[2] Sally
Franklin - The Complete Siamese Cat.
Thanks to:
Annaliese of
Riplily
Cats for her beautiful Siamese photos.
|
