Siamese Cat Breed Guide
Talkative | Sacred | Elegant. With crystal blue eyes, slender bodies and long skinny legs, Siamese cats are the models of the cat world. They’re confident and take any chance they can to use the corridor of their homes as their own personal catwalk, meowing out like a crying baby to their hoomans to make sure they’re watching. Join us as we unpack everything there is to know in this comprehensive Siamese cat breed guide.
SIAMESE CAT BASICS
Average Lifespan: 10 - 15 years
Average Weight: 2.5 - 5.5kg
Coat Length: Short
Colouring: Point colouration
Shedding: Moderate
ORIGINS OF THE SIAMESE CAT
The Siamese cat reigns from Siam, modern-day Thailand and is one of the most popular breeds of kitties across the globe. This mesmerizing floof was first depicted in the Tamra Maew, an ancient book of cat pictures and poems that was written sometime between the 13th and 18th centuries. In the book, 23 breeds of Thai cats were depicted in detail, with 17 of them being lucky and the other 6 being symbols of bad fortune.
Siamese cats were seen as one of the luckiest and most sacred of all the ancient kitties, revered by nobles and commoners alike as they defended homes and Buddhist temples from evil spirits. These kitties were adored so much in Ancient Siam, that theft of one of the royal Siamese cats was punishable by death.
The first of these divine floofs was brought to the UK in the 1880s and by the 19th century, these cats had become one of the most popular cat breeds throughout Europe and North America.
WHAT DOES A SIAMESE CAT LOOK LIKE?
Siamese cats are slender and somewhat lanky with long athletic legs and toned bodies. Their faces are also long and taper towards a pointed muzzle with two large crystal blue eyes that point to its Thai name wí-chian-maât meaning “diamond of the moon”. The Siamese cat’s most recognisable trait is their point colouration with dark extremities and a light-coloured body. This is caused by a mutation of the enzymes that produce melanin. These enzymes are sensitive to heat and are activated at lower temperatures. This means the fur on the coolest parts of their body (face, tail and tootsies) is much darker than those parts that are closer to their heart.
PURRSONALITY OF THE SIAMESE CAT
Like the singing Siamese cats from Disney’s Lady and the Tramp, all Siamese floofs are known for being extremely vocal. They enjoy being a part of any conversation happening at home particularly if it’s about them, and they sure do love the sound of their own voice which is likened to a hooman baby’s cry. Nevertheless, these cats are a joy to be around due to their affectionate and playful purrsonalities which make them excellent companion animals and family pets.
IS A SIAMESE CAT A GOOD PET?
Siamese cats make excellent pets, particularly for furmilies who want an adoptable floof. They meld well with families of all ages and sizes and also those with other fur babies. Siamese cats are highly people-orientated so don’t do well being left alone for long periods. Therefore if you are adopting a Siamese it is worth considering adopting another fur baby to keep them company if you’re a busy pawfessional.
HOW TO FEED A SIAMESE CAT
Unfortunately, Siamese cats are linked to some health problems and diseases including:
- Mediastinal Lymphoma: A form of cancer that causes breathing difficulties due to fluid accumulation around the lungs.
- Intestinal Tumours.
- Systemic Amyloidosis: This causes proteins to be deposited in organs and can lead to liver and kidney failure.
- Asthma: Like asthma in hoomans, causes breathing difficulties, coughing and wheezing.
- Progressive Retinal Atrophy: An inherited eye condition that can cause blindness.
Therefore it’s always impawtent to adopt your Siamese cat from a breeder that is registered with the GCCF and who can provide health guarantees as well as genetic testing.
Other than these conditions, healthy Siamese cats can live long and fruitful lives if they are fed a nutritionally dense diet. In fact, a Siamese cat named Scooter held the record for the oldest cat in 2016 at the ripe old age of 30 - that’s over 120 in hooman years!
Ensure that their food is rich in good quality animal protein to deliver them with the essential amino acids they need to keep them in ideal health. Their dinners should also be carefully balanced with 41 essential vitamins, minerals and nutrients to keep them purring. Look out for plant proteins that some sneaky brands use to bulk up the protein content of their cat food as these are poorly digested by cats and provide little nutritional benefit to them.
WHY SCRUMBLES IS THE PAWFECT FOOD FOR SIAMESE CATS
If you’re tired of your Siamese cat moaning about their sub-par cat food, make the switch to Scrumbles nutrient dense gut friendly cat food!
Here’s why Siamese cats go crazy for our scrummy cat dinners:
- High in Animal Protein - We use at least 60% human-grade fish or meat, purrfect for keeping Siamese cats satiated and providing them with all the essential amino acids they need.
- Recipes For Eye Health and Soft Coats - Siamese cats are prone to developing eye diseases. Check out our Chicken and Salmon Dry Cat Food for plenty of Omega 3’s, Zinc and Vitamin E, purrfect for maintaining general eye health as well as keeping their coat slick and silky.
- No Plant Proteins - Plant proteins like pea protein are poorly digested by cats and provide little nutritional benefit. That’s why you'll never see any of this fluff in our recipes!
- Added Digestive Health - We add powerful probiotics to all of our dry cat food recipes and gut-strengthening prebiotic slippery elm to our wet cat food, to improve healthy digestion, reduce tummy upsets and promote pretty poops for less stinky litter trays.
- Hypoallergenic Ingredients - We avoid common allergens, which some sensitive Siamese cats don’t agree with.
- Vet-Approved, Complete Recipes – Designed by nutritionists to FEDIAF standards and approved by vets, you can have the confidence that your Siamese cat is getting all the nutrients that they need from their daily meals.
- Plus, We’re Climate Conscious - We use eco-friendly packaging and we’re proud to be the second ever pet food brand to be certified B-Corp. We donate 1% of sales to environmental causes and reduce our food miles by sourcing locally wherever possible. Our meat is also ethically sourced and we only use natural ingredients to be kind to our Siamese cat’s tummies as well as the planet!
