The Modern Siamese Cat

The Modern Siamese cat has an exotic and dramatic appearance that was created through a concentrated effort by image-conscious breeders during the late 1960's to 1980's. They changed the general appearance of the Traditional Siamese cat from a rounded, typical profile to the exaggerated and elongated cat you see on this page. The appearance of the Siamese cat changed so completely from the ancient breed of Siam that the entire breed standard was tossed out and re-written. The Modern Siamese cat has become the norm, and is simply referred to as the Siamese cat, but the cats depicted in centuries old Russian works look nothing like them. The Modern Siamese retains the same delightful and somewhat eccentric personality that the Traditional Siamese displays.  Loud, demanding, possessive, yes- absolutely irresistible to true cat lovers-totally.

 Cool Cat Facts...
Siamese cat kittens are born all one color without dark points, and with cloudy grey eyes. Slowly, over the first four weeks of life, the points appear, the eyes turn deep blue, and the cat reveals its true and remarkable character.                                                                        

Is A Modern Siamese Cat Right For You?

The Modern Siamese cat is recognized by the Cat Fanciers Association (CFA), the world's largest cat organization. It is a very popular pure-bred or "pedigreed" domestic cat breed. The Siamese is remarkably long-legged, slim and sleek, with an elongated, triangular head, and almond shaped eyes. The ears are very large and the face has a convex, "Roman" style nose. The coat is cream colored with darker points of chocolate, seal, lilac, blue and even red. The coat is short and smooth with limited undercoat, and not much grooming is required. These are graceful, slender, medium-sized cats that have few breed-related health issues. Unique in the cat world, the Siamese personality needs to be experienced to be appreciated and may ultimately be one of those "love 'em or hate 'em" situations. Become familiar before taking the plunge with this breed. Because it is active and demands attention, the  Siamese cat can be a terrific family cat for folks who can give them lots of attention.

Modern Siamese Cat Breed Standards

Head Shape: The head should be a long, evenly proportioned, tapering wedge with straight lines, to a fine muzzle. A wedge, as viewed from the top or front, is created by straight lines from outer ear bases along sides of muzzle. The total wedge starts at the nose and flares out in straight lines to the ears forming a triangle, without a break in jaw line at the whiskers. When the whiskers are smoothed back, the underlying bone structure is apparent. In profile, a straight line, without a dip or a rise, is seen from the center of the forehead to the tip of the nose and from the tip of the nose to the bottom of the chin. Ears: Large, pointed, wide at the base, continuing the line of the triangle formed by the head. Eyes: The eye aperture should be almond shaped with an Oriental slant toward the nose, so that a projection of the line, from the lower eye corner to the upper eye corner, would extend to the center of the ear base. Eye color clear, deep vivid blue. Deeper colors preferred. Dilute body colors may have a slightly lighter eye color, this is allowed.
Body and Tail: Medium in size, long, lithe and svelte Overall body structure to be fine boned, firm and muscular The neck should be long and slender and carried to display length, not telescoped between the shoulders. The legs are long and proportionately slim, hind legs longer than front; proportioned to carry body length and weight gracefully. Feet: Proportionately small and oval in shape.Tail: The tail should be narrow at the base, long, tapering and whippy, giving the effect of slenderness and length  without visible kink or visible abnormality or any joint. Tail to be in balance with size of cat.
Coat: Short in length. Accepted colors are Seal or Blue Points with a body color of  cream, tan, beige, or near white in Blue Pointed cats.
Pattern: The body color should be even with slightly darker shadings across the shoulders, back and top of hips shading gradually into lighter color on the chest and belly. Allowance will be made for darker color in older cats, as Siamese darken with age. The mask, ears, legs, feet and tail should be clearly defined in darker shades, but merge gently into body on legs [except Red, Cream, Red Lynx and Cream Lynx Points. See those colors for allowances]. The mask covers the entire face and is connected to the ears by tracings. Allow for color development in kittens and young adults in the dilute and red genes. Paw pads and nose leather to be included in the point colors, as described in the color standard.
Overall Appearance: This should be a hard-bodied and lean cat with a long, lean torso, and fine boned limbs.  They should feel rather heavy when lifted and be neither soft nor thin.  Exceedingly exotic in appearance, very bold in personality.

Inside Cat or Outside Cat?

Wondering if you should allow your cat to go outside unsupervised? Well there are definitely some pure breeds that should never be outside cats. Hairless breeds like the Sphynx are extremely vulnerable and should always be supervised outdoors. Docile breeds like the Burmese may not be able to defend themselves. All cats allowed outdoors are exposed to diseases and parasites that they would not otherwise encounter. Fred Flintstone put his saber-tooth out every night, but the cat jumped right back in the window - and he was a saber-tooth! Still, most of us feel a little envy when we see our domestic companion out on some high perch, sniffing the breeze of liberty, and there is no doubt that cats love their freedom. So what do YOU think ....Inside Cat or Outside Cat? Comment Here...

             Back from Modern Siamese Cat to Cat Breeds Encyclopedia.com