SIAMESE CATS
The Siamese is one of the first distinctly recognised breeds of Oriental cat. The exact origins of the breed are unknown, but it is believed to be from Southeast Asia, and is said to be descended from the sacred temple cats of. In Thailand, where they are one of several native breeds, they are called Wichien-maat (a name meaning "Moon diamond"). In the twentieth century the Siamese cat became one of the most popular breeds in Europe and North America.
History
The pointed cat known in the West as "Siamese" is one of several breeds of cats from Siam described and illustrated in manuscripts called "Tamra Maew" (Cat Poems), estimated to have been written in the 1700s.
It is often said that the breed was first seen outside their Asian in 1884, when the British Consul-General in Bangkok, Edward Blencowe Gould (1847-1916), brought a breeding pair of the cats, Pho and Mia, back to Britain as a gift for his sister, Lilian Jane Veley (Veley went on to co-found the Siamese Cat Club in 1901). However, in 1878, U.S. President Rutherford B. Hayes received "Siam", a gift from the American Consul in Bangkok; this cat was also the first documented Siamese to reach the United States, and predates the Siamese´s arrival to the UK by 6 years.
In 1885, Veley´s UK cats Pho and Mia produced three Siamese kittens. These kittens- Duen Ngai, Kalohom and Khromata- and their parents were shown that same year at London´s Crystal Palace Show, where their unique appearance and distinct behavior made a huge impression. Unfortunately, all three of the kittens died soon after the show. The reason for their deaths is not documented.
In the 1950-1960s, as the Siamese was increasing in popularity, many breeders and cat show judges began to favor the more slender look and as a result of generations of selective breeding, created increasingly long, fine-boned, narrow-headed cats; eventually the modern show Siamese was breed to be extremely elongated, with thin, tubular bodies, long, slender legs, a very long, very thin tail tapers gradually into a point and long, narrow, wedge-shaped heads topped by extremely large, wide-set ears. The major cat organisations altered language and/or interpretation of their official breed to favor this never streamlined type of Siamese, and the minority of breeders who stayed with the original style found that their were no longer competitive in the show ring.
Appearance
The breed standard of the Modern Siamese indicates an elegant, slim, stylish, flexible and well muscled body. Its head is triangular shaped, with a thin snout. The eyes are almond-shaped and oblique, theears large and thin. It has a long neck, body and tail. The hair is short, glossy, fine, soft, tight and adhered to the body. The Siamese is characterized by its typical pointed color scheme.
The pointed pattern is a form partial albinism, resulting from a mutation in tyrosinase, an enzyme involved in melanin production. The mutated enzyme is heat-sensitive; it fails to work at normal body temperatures, but becomes active in cooler areas of the skin. This results in dark colouration in the coolest parts of the cat´s body, including the extremities and the face, which is cooled by the passage of air through the sinuses. All Siamese kittens, although pure cream or white at birth, develop visible points in the first few months of life in colder parts of their body. By the time a kitten is four weeks old points should be clearly distinguishable enough to recognise which colour they are. Siamese cats tend to darken with age, and generally adult Siamese living in warm climates have lighter coats than those in cool climates. Originally the vast majority of Siamese had
