All about Siamese cats

Siamese cat - one of the recognizable breeds, which has a characteristic color and structure of the body. These are very intelligent and active animals with the makings of a brave warrior and undisputed leader. A Siamese cat is capricious and proud, but if she becomes attached to her master, her love will be infinite, and her devotion will last forever. Siamese are long-livers - with good and proper care, these cats are able to live up to 25 years, although there have been cases and their longer life.

Many versions of the origin of the Siamese cat agree that its homeland is Thailand, which in ancient times was called Siam. Siamese cat at all times was so gorgeous that it was called "moon diamond". The animal was attributed to the ability of contacts with the other world, and to keep such a conductor in other worlds was allowed only to religious ministers and members of the imperial family.

A valuable breed of cats was under the legislative protection of the state and the export of animals from the country was strictly prohibited. However, there is evidence that in 1884 the ruling monarch of Thailand made an unprecedented gift to the British ambassador - they were Siamese kittens. Later, after some time, the ban on the export of cats from the country was completely lifted.

Once in the UK, the Siamese did not meet with universal recognition due to the fact that they were unlike their feline counterparts. The action took place during the reign of Queen Victoria, who loved these unusual cats. Thanks to her, the fashion for Siamese cats appeared, as a result of which they quickly became popular among noble people and breeders.

Soon the Siamese cat began to explore the territory of the entire globe. At first it spread throughout Europe, then came to America. For the first time Sergey Obraztsov brought Siamese cats to the USSR in 1954. These were two females with not the best breed properties. Cats of unusual color caused a stir and for the offspring they were crossed with ordinary cats. Kittens turned out a mixed color and a rather aggressive disposition.

Failure did not stop the Soviet breeders. Siamese began to cross not only with other cat breeds, but also among themselves within the same litter. As a result, many sick and even dead kittens began to be born, and the purity of the unique breed was lost. The Siamese were helped by the fact that in the mid-80s new purebred representatives of this species were imported and their breeding was already carried out in compliance with the preservation of the purity of the breed. Today in our country purebred Siamese cats fully comply with all international standards.

Purebred Siamese cat is miniature and well built. You can learn it by the characteristic color. Today there are several types of Siamese breed, but each of them will always have points in the color - the so-called dark color spots located on the paws, tail, ears and muzzle. Points are formed due to enhanced production of pigment in those parts of the cat's body where its temperature is lowest.

Newborn kittens have a light color without clearly expressed points. This is because babies were warm in the mother's womb, and points are formed only when the difference in body temperature in certain areas. Over time, babies acquire a traditional color, which only happens by the age of 10 months. In a warm room, the points of the kittens will be of a light chocolate color, and the warmer in the house, the brighter their color will be. In kittens born on the street or in a cool room, the points will be bright black and brown color.

Siamese cats have a muscular body, the structure of which is anatomically proportional. Due to its proper composition, the purebred Siamese looks regal and graceful. Its paws are thin and elongated, with the forelimbs somewhat shorter than the hind ones. The weight of an adult cat does not exceed 4.5-6 kg. According to statistics, cats reach about 67-69 cm in length from nose to tip of tail. The tail has a length of up to 27-28 cm, it is thin and has a pointed shape. The height of the cat in the area of ​​the shoulder blades does not exceed 28-30 cm. The hair of the animal is short and thick, fits tightly to the body, and the undercoat of this breed is completely absent.

The head and neck of the Siamese elongated, the skull has an almost flat structure. The muzzle is narrowed, and the nose is clearly pronounced, elongated and straight. The frontal area has a flat structure with small superciliary arches, the lower jaw is short and pronounced. A feature of the breed is that From the extreme point of the nose and between the tips of the ears, you can visually draw a triangle with equal sides. The cat's ears are large and developed, their shape resembles a triangle, and the tips of the ears are pointed.

All Siamese cats and cats are distinguished from other cat breeds by a beautiful cut and eye color. Almond-shaped and medium-sized eyes make this cats beautiful and unforgettable. According to the breed standard, the color of cat's eyes should be bright blue. A pattern has been established, according to which the darker and richer the shades of wool in a cat, the brighter her eye color. The eyes are located relative to the nose at an angle of 45 degrees - this gives the Siamese a mysterious and at the same time mystical look.

By nature, Thai cats are peculiar - even at their very tender age you already have a personality. Not everyone can establish contact and understanding with the Siamese. And it's not about pet stubbornness or selfishness. This breed is very independent, it differs in that it chooses only one owner from the whole family, while the rest is at best ignored or tolerated. In many ways, the surrounding environment will play to form a character in a kitten - in a calm and friendly atmosphere the baby will never become the aggressor.

The kid loves care, attention and admiration, but does not tolerate competition at all. Siamese will immediately declare war to a competitor and will never give up his territory. An exception may be the situation when an adult Siamese cat is brought home a little kitten, in which case friendship may start between them.

Having become attached to the owner, the Thais will require constant attention from him because of their natural sociability. In loneliness, the Siamese do not like to remain; the maximum that they can safely wait for their master is 10-12 hours. Later, if the owner did not return, the cat or cat begins to be outraged loudly. Their vocal abilities are very good, and their voice will be heard hoarsely to all neighbors. The "concert" will continue until the owner comes and reassures the pet. After returning from a long absence, it is very important to play with the animal, pet it, talk to it in a friendly way.

To express their feelings and emotions, Thais use their voice, whose range is quite wide. However, in their surroundings, pets love peace and quiet - they do not tolerate loud cries, swearing, harsh sounds. In a nervous environment, the Siamese's psyche will experience excessive overload and he may get sick.It is proved that Siamese cats can react not only to the timbre of the voice, but also to catch a certain semantic load, especially if a person’s speech is addressed to them.

Siamese are curious and endowed with excellent intuition, they have an innate ability to quickly develop new territories and adapt to them. They retain playfulness and mobility, even as adults. Cats love active games with children, but only if children treat them carefully. Siamese do not like when kids are pulling them by the tail, and if this happens, the pet will immediately use claws and teeth to protect it. The Thai cat prefers to play with people she knows, she will be wary of strangers and will prefer not to play.

Often, Siamese cats show the instincts of congenital hunters - this can be expressed either in the game, when it is used literally everything that comes up and seems interesting to the animal, or it will be a real hunt for mice and rats, in which the Siamese is doing well. Thais are observant - they can easily learn to open the door, the refrigerator, your purse, box. Scold and punish these cats is not recommended. The Siamese will remember his offense for a long time and may begin to take revenge on the offender.

The following varieties belong to the classic Eastern-Oriental group of the Siamese breed.

• Siamese view - short-haired, with a narrow wedge-shaped head, pointed-pointed ears and a cat with blue eyes. The body is thin, proportionate, the paws and tail are long. These cats are very beautiful and are one of the favorite breeds of many breeders. They combine white and cream wool with dark brown points.
• Thai view - is considered the benchmark of the original breed that existed in Thailand. They differ from the Siamese in that all the lines and proportions of the body have rounded and smoother lines.
• Oriental view - the body has the structure and proportions the same as in the Siamese species, but with the difference that the cats have a uniform gray or black color, sometimes there may be spots, but there are no points in the color of this species. This species was brought together with the Siamese, but did not cause delight among breeders and was not so common.
• Mekong bobtail - The color and structure resembles the Thai look, but in Bobtail the tail is similar to a stump consisting of several vertebrae.

In modern breeding species of Siamese cats can vary the characteristics of colors.

• Brown power point - The general color of the cat's body is light cream, and the points have a dark chocolate color.

• Blue Blue Point - The main coat color is pure white, while on the paws, tail, ears, nose and muzzle the white wool has a grayish-blue tonality.

• Apricot Red Point - the basic tone of color is white. Points have a ginger or apricot shade.

• Light cream caramel point - The color of the cat's body is pale cream in color, while the points are pinkish caramel.

• Black chocolate point - The overall color of the coat can be pale cream or beige, and the points have a black or dark chocolate color.

• Pink Lilac Point - The white coat of the cat's body is very beautifully combined with points of a grayish-pink shade.

• Ivory Cinnamon Point - The body of the Siamese is covered with ivory-colored wool, with the points having a pale pinkish-brown tone.

• Tortie Tori Point - the unusual color is that the points on the paws, muzzle, ears and tail are, in addition to the main color, interspersed with a blue, gray, red or cream color.

• Tabi Point - when the body of a cat's body is uniform in color, its points have pronounced strips. The coat is colored slightly darker than the base color of the point.

Siamese cats are picky about food and do not eat what they do not like. A small kitten can be accustomed to certain types of feed, but if you took a grown-up cat into a house, be prepared for the fact that she has already developed taste preferences and will not be able to change them. The diet of a Siamese cat consists only of balanced dry food, or it can be natural products that can be combined with dry food.

Specialty foods are believed to be the most preferred option for feeding your pet, as they are rich in vitamins and minerals. The highest quality feed Siamese breeders consider products whose quality is stated not lower than the premium class.

If you decide to feed your pet with natural products, try to coordinate your diet with a veterinarian. In the menu can be:

• fresh beef or veal;
• turkey or chicken (without skin and bones);
• diet rabbit meat;
• red fish and marine low-fat fish;
• beef liver or heart;
• buckwheat or pearl barley;
• natural vegetable oils;
• milk (for kittens) and dairy products (for adults);
• chicken eggs;
• natural greens, juicy grass.

To preserve the health of the cat from its diet should be excluded such products:

• sugar and its substitutes;
• cocoa and chocolate;
• salt and hot spices;
• onion and garlic;
• pickles and vinegar;
• any smoked meats and canned foods;
• Palm oil;
• soy and legumes;
• fresh and dried sweet fruit;
• semolina and corn porridge;
• river fish, as well as salted or dried fish of any origin;
• mushrooms;
• any bones, skin and fat.

When feeding cats of Siamese breed, they should not be overfed. Feeding should take place at the same time, morning and evening. Two meals a day is enough for an animal, provided that it is balanced in the number of proteins, fats and carbohydrates. After 7 years of age, the pet must be transferred to 3 meals a day.

It is necessary to form useful skills in a Siamese cat at an early age, and the cat will keep it for life, as adults rarely change their habits.

First of all, teach a kitten to the toilet. To do this, you need to stock up on a plastic tray with a special filler, which can be bought at any pet store. Cat toilet put in a secluded place where the pet will feel calm.

As soon as you bring the kitten to the house, take it to the tray and allow your pet to study it.. After that, when you notice that the baby has begun to look for a place to meet its natural needs, take it to the tray again.

If the baby has started playing or for other reasons does not want to do its business in the tray, it is not necessary to scold and punish him. Carefully take the baby over the area of ​​the withers and bring it to the tray where you need to persuade the kitten to make a puddle in the gentle voice where it is needed.

After a positive result, the baby should always be praised. If a Siamese has done his business outside the tray, you shouldn’t poke his nose in a puddle - by doing this, you will not overwork it, but you can ruin the relationship forever.Cat toilet should be regularly washed and disinfected with hot water and vinegar, with chemicals with strong odors and especially with chlorine can not be used.

No less important point is to find a convenient place to sleep and rest pet. When choosing it, one should remember that the sleeping place will also be the point of view of the surrounding space for the kitten. Often, cats choose a place on a small hill from the floor level, and a place to sleep should be kept as close as possible to people passing by and their attention.

It is a good idea to arrange a sleeping place for a pet in a shallow, but rather wide wicker basket. Inside you need to put a soft mattress or thick fabric. In pet stores now there is a huge selection of special houses designed for cats, in which pets feel comfortable and protected.

If the kitten refuses to sleep in the secluded place and tries to get into bed with the person, this should not be allowed. The baby must be taught to his sleeping corner from the first days of his appearance in your home. Often, cats love to choose their own place to rest, and if the pet does not want to admit any other place, you will have to put his basket where he chose. Only in this case he will be able to sleep and feel safe.

Siamese cats love the attention and care of the person, but it also happens that the pet begins to abuse your friendliness - the cat begins to engage in extortion. He can ask for food from the table and at the same time loudly meow. Such behavior cannot be supported, otherwise having matured, the pet will demand everything that he wants, and at the same time screaming very loudly.

In order not to encourage such moments, breeders are advised to feed the Siamese when you are already going to leave your apartment. So you can get enough sleep in the morning, and your absence will outlive your pet much easier, because your care will have positive emotions in the process of eating. It should be remembered that never and under no circumstances should the Siamese begging be encouraged - do not give him pieces from the table, do not share food with hands.

The kid should be taught to sharpen growing claws in a specially designated place - the cat's claw. Until the kitten gets used to the fact that it is possible to release claws only on a kogtetochka, the furniture is covered with tight covers. To teach the Siamese to observe where he likes to do claw turning, and that’s where you install the scratching post - if the kid understands and does everything right, do not forget to praise him for it.

It is easy to care for Siamese cats, but you will need to know and follow some important points.

• The optimum temperature for the animal is 25-28 degrees Celsius. This range is necessary in order to preserve the color of the pet, because in cool conditions its wool will darken. Air does not need to humidify, but to protect the cat from drafts. During off-season periods it is good to have a special warm house or a rug where a Siamese could keep warm.
• Siamese do not need to comb their hair, but if you run a brush over the back and tummy of your cat, he will love it. It is possible to bathe a pet no more than once a month.
• Skin, ears, eye area, paws and tail - all you need to regularly inspect for damage to diseases or blood-sucking parasites.If problems are found, you should seek veterinary care in a timely manner.
• Adult cats should regularly brush their teeth with a regular small-sized toothbrush without using toothpaste. Once a year, the pet's oral cavity should be checked at the vet.
• Small kittens need to cut their claws, at this time they are still soft. Adult cats can grind their claws on the claw themselves.
• When walking on the street, especially in the city, you can wear a leash with a harness on your pet - this will save him from fleeing in an unknown direction in case of fright.
• Pet ears and eyes should be regularly cleaned with a damp cotton swab. If you notice discharge from the eyes - immediately contact your veterinarian, as this may be a signal of the onset of a serious illness.
• Periodically, the cat is required to give anthelmintic drugs as a prevention of helminth infections.

Small kittens from 8 weeks of age begin to vaccinate against diseases, while the schedule of vaccinations is as follows:

• age 8-9 weeks - vaccine against the plague and cat's rhinitis;
• age 12 weeks - re-vaccination against plague and rhinitis;
• age 14 weeks - prevention of rabies;
• age 16 weeks - vaccination against leukemia and infectious peritonitis;
• 19 weeks old - re-vaccination against leukemia and peritonitis.

Siamese cats due to genetic characteristics and the efforts of breeders do not have diseases typical for exotic breeds. However, health troubles can still happen, and the most frequent diseases of Siamese vets are the following.

• Viral leukemia - the cause of the disease is a virus that, entering the blood, reduces the number of white blood cells or red blood cells, or leads to a progressive increase in the number of white blood cells. The disease is transmitted through contact with a sick animal, since the virus is found not only in the blood, but also in all body fluids. If the cat has a good immunity or immunostimulating preparations were introduced in time, then the resistance to the virus will be successful. It may not manifest itself for many years and the cat, being its carrier, may infect its other brethren.

• Rabies - A disease of viral etiology, which is transmitted by contact with the saliva of a sick animal. Getting into an open wound with a bite, the virus enters the brain, where it actively multiplies, causes foci of inflammation and enters the region of the salivary glands. Under the influence of the disease, the behavior of the animal changes - the cat may become very aggressive or too affectionate, while it will have a strong drooling. A sick animal will lose balance, and its muscles will begin to twitch noticeably. Treatment for this disease has not yet been found and the probability of death is 100%.

• Mixed infections - the cause of their occurrence is a virus transmitted by airborne droplets, while the animal affects the respiratory tract. The disease is characterized by increased body temperature, nasal discharge, sneezing, the presence of films in the oral cavity. Pet refuses to eat, inactive, drowsy. When purulent inflammatory process, breathing is difficult, shortness of breath and cough. The treatment of this condition can continue for a long time, especially if the disease has passed into a purulent form, but the prognosis is usually favorable and the pet is recovering.

In order to prevent viral diseases, your pet needs to carry out all planned vaccinations. In addition, try to avoid those places where cats are present in large quantities - these can be exhibitions or just some kind of common territory. Today, a number of combined vaccines are being released against severe mixed-type infections, but you need to have time to make them in a timely manner.

Siamese life has always been full of secrets and incredible legends. In those ancient times, when cats lived in Thailand at the emperor's court, it is believed that Buddhist monks were mainly engaged in growing this breed. When the emperor died, people piously believed that his soul passed into the body of one of his cats, so for the rest of their lives, the pets that were previously under the emperor received life-long maintenance and care from the monks.

Previously, many representatives of the Siamese breed could observe strabismus and tail with a crease in the shape of the letter "G". Over time, breeders managed to correct these features, but the legend has preserved, according to which a Siamese cat was guarding the king's cup. She braided him with her tail and looked at him without stopping for so long that her tail twisted from the strain and her eyes were out of focus. There is another legend about the cat's tail, telling that the emperor's daughter loved to go swimming, and in order not to lose her rings in the water, she put them on the tail of a Siamese cat.

Once Siamese cats helped to uncover a spy conspiracy - it happened in the 60s of the last century in the Dutch embassy, ​​which is located in Moscow. Embassy staff kept several Siamese cats there. One day, people were surprised to find the strange behavior of pets. The cats were nervous, scratching the walls, hissing and behaving very suspiciously. Embassy officials suspected that cats react to some sounds that people could not hear. The building urgently conducted research and found about 30 hidden microphones that were mounted in the walls.

Representatives of the Siamese breed do not differ in any special fecundity. In the litter the female usually brings from 4 to 6 kittens.

Reviews of people about Siamese cats are ambiguous. With someone she immediately finds points of contact, but someone does not get to win the trust of this animal. On the Internet, a lot of the most incredible stories, where they praise and scold the Siamese breed. If a cat with all its heart attached to its owner, it will become a reliable and affectionate friend to a person for life.

However, these cats very well remember all the insults that they cause by intent or negligence, and then it happens that the cat begins to revenge. She can make a mess on your pillow or in your favorite shoes, throw items off the shelves, pounce and bite. Cats are able to come up with revenge, and so if an animal disliked someone, then it is forever, there is no way back. Therefore, it is very important, starting from the age of a little kitten, to treat the Siamese gently and tenderly, and then he will answer you with his love and devotion.

On the features of the Siamese breed of cats, see the following video.