Characteristics

This is a thin or delicate animal. Though slim and elegant, it is important that the Siamese cat should be well muscled with a firm body tone. Slimness comes with breeding, not with eating - or the lack of it. The standard calls for a cat that is ‘medium in size’ (although in practice Siamese can be quite large or even small) with fine-boned legs slightly higher at the back and small oval paws. The tail should be long and tapering gradually, becoming pointed at the tip – often described by the experts as ‘whippy’.

Head

T he Siamese head is distinctly wedge-shaped, forming a long elongated triangle from the top of the head narrowing gradually to a fine pointed muzzle. The precise form of the triangular head is very much open to interpretation worldwide with the American style forming an extreme head type, very narrow muzzle, gigantic ears, and eyes like slits. Most

breeders are more conservative and prefer their Siamese not quite so extreme but with a classic look forming an equilateral triangle. Whatever your taste, the side profile should be straight with no dip at the nose and the chin should be firm and strong with a level bite. The outline to the face should be smooth and straight and should not curve in towards the muzzle to produce a ‘pinch’. The head should be set on a long graceful, almost
swan-like, neck.

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	Characteristics >Body This is a thin or delicate animal. Though slim and elegant, it is important that the Siamese cat should be well muscled with a firm body tone. Slimness comes with breeding, not with eating - or the lack of it. The standard calls for a cat that is ‘medium in size’ (although in practice Siamese can be quite large or even small) with fine-boned legs slightly higher at the back and small oval paws. The tail should be long and tapering gradually, becoming pointed at the tip – often described by the experts as ‘whippy’.
	Head T he Siamese head is distinctly wedge-shaped, forming a long elongated triangle from the top of the head narrowing gradually to a fine pointed muzzle. The precise form of the triangular head is very much open to interpretation worldwide with the American style forming an extreme head type, very narrow muzzle, gigantic ears, and eyes like slits. Most UK breeders are more conservative and prefer their Siamese not quite so extreme but with a classic look forming an equilateral triangle. Whatever your taste, the side profile should be straight with no dip at the nose and the chin should be firm and strong with a level bite. The outline to the face should be smooth and straight and should not curve in towards the muzzle to produce a ‘pinch’. The head should be set on a long graceful, almost swan-like, neck.
	<>Ears T hese are definitely large, wide at the base, spaced well apart and held well pricked - so as not to miss anything! They should follow the smooth lines of the triangular face, fitting in with the wedge shape.
	Eyes D istinctly oriental in shape and set slanting pointing towards the nose, the eyes of the Siamese should not be too lose together or too deep-set. Stupendous sparkling blue eyes are the hallmark of every Siamese cat in the land. Shades of blue will vary.
	Coat Very, very short and very fine, the Siamese oriental coat has a quality all of its own. Lying close to the body it is glossy and glowing with health, requiring only the minimum of maintenance. The basic coat pattern found in all Siamese is the one geneticists refer to as ‘Himalayan’. The body is coloured but has darker contrasting ‘points’, or extremities, so that the mask (face), ears, feet and tail are clearly defined or ‘pointed’. The points are temperature controlled so that the coldest parts of the body (at the extremities) are the darkest. Colour on the points gradually intensifies up to around a year of age. Siamese that live in an outdoor or cold environment have the tendency to be darker than ones living in controlled heated conditions. Body colouring will darken with age and sometimes there is less contrast with the points. Generally the darker the points, the darker the body tone. Like all pointed cats, Siamese kittens are born without colour and remain a shade of white for days or weeks waiting for the pigmentation to come through. Exciting yet tantalizing! Home Top Next