Cats are so adorable that we just can’t stop falling in love with them. Be it feral or a housecat, be it an exotic breed or a regular tabby, these furry felines have enchanted us for ages. One such cat breed that is not only adorable but also intelligent is the Siamese Cat. In this Siamese Cat facts, we will learn more about this wonderful cat breed.
Without further ado, let us begin…
Siamese Cat Facts: 1-11
1. Siamese Cat was a temple cat of the King of Siam. These cats were famous for their beauty and they were used as guard cats.
2. They sat on tall columns which were present around the king’s throne.
3. If the king was threatened by anyone, they would jump on them and push them down.
4. The strength and the size of the Siamese Cat and its ability to jump from a height would easily knock the person on the floor.
5. Sometimes, they would even scratch the face of the person who they think will harm the king.
6. A German explorer and naturalist, Peter Simon Pallas, reported Siamese cat when he explored the areas around Caspian Sea in the 1700s.
7. He described the Siamese Cat to have black paws, black ears, and a black tail. He also described the cat to be of middle size, having smaller legs than a normal cat’.
8. King of Siam gifted two Siamese cats to the English’s consulate general in Bangkok in the late 1800s. This is how Siamese Cats entered Europe.
9. These two cats were named Mia and Pho (female and male). Owen Gould took this pair to England in 1884.
10. The kittens of Pho and Mia were shown at a cat show held in the Crystal Palace by Mr. Gould’s sister. The show took place in 1884.
11. King of Siam gifted another Siamese Cat to a friend who hailed from the USA.
Siamese Cat Facts: 12-22
12. In 1890s and 1900s, these cats were imported from Japan, Siam, France, and Britain to the US.
13. Their popularity in the US increased by leaps and bounds only after the World War II.
14. Irrespective of this history of these cats, the true origins of the cat breed are still a mystery.
15. Some say that they were raised by Buddhist monks and others say that they were raised as royal pets.
16. These cats were depicted in the Thai manuscript, Tamra Maew or The Cat Book Poems. This manuscript was produced between 14th and 18th centuries.
17. Some say that an American naval officer brought two Siamese cats for the first time to the US.
18. Others say that it was Blanche Arral, a renowned opera singer, who brought the Siamese Cats to the US after touring Siam.
19. David Stickles, a diplomat in Bangkok’s consulate, gifted US President Rutherford’s wife Lucy a Siamese Cat in the 1870s. The cat was named Siam.
20. Unfortunately, Siam lived a little over a year and breathed his last in the White House.
21. Earlier most of Siamese Cats had crossed eyes and kinked tails. These traits were considered negative and were strategically removed via selective breeding.
22. As per a legend, it was the duty of a Siamese Cat to guard a golden goblet for the king.
Siamese Cat Facts: 23-33
23. The cat took its job so seriously that it continued watching it and got crossed eyes and its tail got kinked as it kept on holding the goblet with its tail.
24. The earlier Siamese Cats had stockier bodies and round faces. The lean and fine body of the Siamese Cat that you see today was developed through selective breeding.
25. Some of the breeders choose the traits of earlier Siamese cats. The International Cat Association now accepts a new breed of cat called Thai, which looks extremely similar to the old or earlier Siamese cats.
26. The darker color on the cat’s tips (or extremities) and the lighter color of the torso is because of an enzyme which is controlled by temperature.
27. The cooler parts of the body (generally tips) are dark and the warmer parts of the body stay pale. The kittens are born all-white or completely white. They develop such spots when they are a few weeks old.
28. The cats born in warm climate zones are lighter in color compared to the counterparts in colder areas.
29. Cat Fanciers’ Organization accepted Siamese Cats with dark brown points and called them Seal Points. As of today, they recognize several color points like chocolate, lilac, red, cream, fawn, cinnamon, and blue.
30. A Siamese cat named Kity weighed 50 pounds! The five-year-old cat lived in Asbest, a city in Ural Mountains of Russia.
31. The pet parents of Kity gave hormones to stop her from mating, this increased her appetite and she weighed 50 pounds.
32. To give you an idea, a male Siamese Cat weighs around 11 to 15 pounds and the weight of the female Siamese Cat is around 8 to 12 pounds.
33. Guinness World Records didn’t give that much attention to the fattest animals’ way back in 2003, else Kity would have won it with ease.
Siamese Cat Facts: 34-44
34. Elvis, a 7-year-old cat from Germany, was considered as the fattest cat in the world in 2015. Kity would have defeated him without any difficulty.
35. Siamese cats were famous even on the big screen. They acted in movies like Bell, Book and Candle, The Incredible Journey, and in animated ones like Lady and the Tramp.
36. But the first movie in which a Siamese cat acted in was ‘That Darn Cat’. The movie featured Hayley Mills as Patricia ‘Patti’ Randall.
37. The star of the movie, however, was the Darn Cat of course! Darn Cat or DC was played by a Siamese male cat called Syn.
38. When he was two years old, he was left in a shelter because of his high-handedness and a cat trainer adopted him for $5.
39. Syn was the first cat to win PATSY award. This award is given to animal actors by the American Humane Association’s Hollywood office.
40. These cats are extremely intelligent. In the 1960s, two cats in Moscow’s Dutch embassy realized something’s not right.
41. They started screeching at the walls and behaving weirdly. Then ambassador Henri Helb had doubts. After an investigation they found 30 microphones hidden in the wall.
42. Instead of complaining about the government’s spying, they kept complaining about the shortcomings in embassies or packages stuck in customs, etc. Those issues were solved within 24 hours!
43. A mixed breed of Burmese/Siamese cat gave birth to 19 kittens on 7 August 1970. Four of them were stillborn. This litter size remains unbeaten till date.
44. Elizabeth Taylor gifted a Siamese Cat to James Dean before his death. He named it after his uncle, Marcus.
Siamese Cat Facts: 45-55
45. He gave a very different diet to Marcus – a can of evaporated milk, an egg yolk, boiled and chilled distilled water combined, and a teaspoon of white Karo syrup.
46. In Thailand, Siamese cats are called Wichien-Maat meaning Moon Diamond or Diamonds and Gold.
47. Siamese cats are extremely talkative. They just talk, talk, and talk the whole day and even at nights.
48. They have blue eyes. They have a lifespan of 8 to 12 years. A Siamese Cat called Scooter lived for over 30 years. They are medium-sized cats with good muscle built.
49. Though these cats are intelligent, it is a little difficult to train them. They are very affectionate towards their pet parents. The pet parent must reciprocate those feelings and should spend time with them. They are lap cats and love to sleep next to their pet parents.
50. They are amazing jumpers and love heights. They love playing with toys.
51. Their diet must be heavily controlled. They have a tendency to get overweight easily. Their coat needs some brushing.
52. They were often referred to as Temple Cat or Palace Cat or Royal Cat of Siam.
53. They are extremely loyal to their pet parents. They are friendly with other pets and children.
54. They are vulnerable to diseases like asthma, congenital heart defects, amyloidosis, etc.
55. CFA, ACFA, TICA, and FIFe are the international cat associations that recognize Siamese Cat as a separate and special breed.
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