Siamese cats are one of the most popular types of cats in the West today. They are also one of the most easily recognized cats, even by those who are not cat enthusiasts. They are believed to have come from Southeast Asia, as the name Siamese implies.

Of course, the history of Siamese cats must start with Thailand, or rather Siam as it was known when Siamese cats were introduced to western society. A British official reportedly brought the first Siamese cats back from Siam in the year 1884 to present as a gift to the Royal family.
Not much is known about the history of Siamese cats prior to 1884. However, there are depictions of cats in ancient Russia that look almost exactly like the Siamese cats. This has led many to believe that either the history of Siamese cats goes all of the way back to Russia prior to Siam, or that the Siamese breed has been in Siam a very long time and was taken to Russia long, long ago by traders.

One of the few items regarding the history of Siamese cats that was brought to the West from Siam were oral legends about the history of Siamese cats. For example, there are a variety of legends portending to explain why the traditional Siamese cat had a kink in its tail.

Siamese Cats Now

If you have never seen the Siamese cat of today, you may not understand why a kink in the tail would be related to the history of Siamese cats. That is because modern Siamese cats have had this kink bred out of the tail. Many cat shows discourage the showing of Siamese cats that have this trait that many controversially call a flaw now. However, there are many traditional Siamese cats still around that have not had this kink in the tail bred out of them. The traditional Siamese cats are bred to conform to their original form, rather than to appease cat show judges. Even though the traditional Siamese cats are not show cats anymore, there is a movement among breeders to restore the proud tradition of the history of Siamese cats to the show ring in their original form.

In general terms, the traditional Siamese cats as those found in the history of Siamese cats have strong, sturdy, round builds. The modern Siamese cats differ from those cats in that they tend to have a long, thin frame. Both the traditional and modern Siamese cat share a light, creamy base fur color with darker color points at the extremities to make up their distinctive Siamese coloring. They have soft, flat fur coats. Also, all of the pure breeds of Siamese have beautiful, blue, almond-shaped eyes. And finally, all of the Siamese cat breeds are renowned for being intelligent and affectionate family cats who will speak up when neglected.

One of the most beloved aspects of the Siamese cat is its unique temperament and personality. The resulting unique Siamese cat behavior is something that must be understood by even veteran cat owners when they get their first Siamese cats. Positive Siamese cat behavior around children is lauded by many, but to make this happen the Siamese cat must be socially well-adjusted and introduced properly to the children. Siamese cats are very particular about who will be their friends.

One thing that often goes unrecognized early on in the relationship with a Siamese cat is that Siamese cat behavior can be heavily tainted by jealousy tantrums if they feel they are not getting enough attention and another pet is getting that attention. The flip side to this is that it is inspired by the Siamese cat’s intense devotion to its owner. This aspect of Siamese cat behavior is not seen in all cat breeds. If you give your Siamese cat plenty of attention and even include the Siamese cat in activities with any other pet with whom the Siamese cat may become Jealous, the Siamese cat behavior will likely never include lashing out at you or the other pet.

It is important to note that the same temperament that may lead to jealous Siamese cat behavior is also what makes the Siamese cat a great choice of cats to have as a pet. The Siamese cat behavior is profoundly effected by its desire to be close to its owner and to spend time with its owner. While most cats respond very little to positive affection rewards during training, Siamese cat behavior can sometimes be influenced by these types of rewards. When a Siamese cat is given a lot of positive feedback, it will tend to behave very well even if it has not gone through any sort of rigorous house training or tricks training. One thing they do have in common with other cats is that Siamese cat behavior will tend to be intentionally bad if they are left alone in the house for several consecutive days.

If you have children, you do need to spend some time training out any bad Siamese cat behavior before introducing the cat to the children. This is particularly true if you adopt an adult Siamese cat. Because these cats are affectionate and attention starved, you can train them with a sturdy “no” when they misbehave. If behavior doesn’t improve immediately, give the cat a five minute timeout in a closet or bathroom. Then when you introduce the cat to your child, it should understand you quickly when you give it a firm “no” to any Siamese cat behavior that may not be appropriate with the child. Remember that cats will only learn so much without professional training, so limit your training to simple things like not biting, clawing, climbing people, or stealing your food.

Just as people are essentially the same all over the world but come in a variety of shapes, temperaments, and colors to which we apply race names, cats also come in variety to which we apply breed names. In fact, with cats it is politically correct to segregate the breeding of each cat breed to maintain its purity. It’s fun too. We love these cats for their pronounced and distinctive differences. For each type of cat-loving person or household, there is an accompanying cat breed that will fit right into the family.

Persians

If you would like to own a cat breed with a long history and a unique look, a Persian cat may be right for you. In fact, hieroglyphics dated back more than 3500 years in the region of present-day Iran depict this animal! The Persian cat breed features a thick fur coat and a unique, beautiful color scheme. Best of all, these cats are excellent indoor family members who enjoy affection and generally stay out of trouble, relative to many other domestic felines.

Siamese

Another beautifully designed cat breed is the Siamese. As with most cat breeds, the Siamese are named after the country in which the breed is believed to originate. In this case of course Siam, or Thailand. Siamese are just as affectionate as Persians, but cats of this cat breed has a well- deserved reputation for meowing their heads off if they don’t get attention.

Burmese

The Burmese cat breed features short hair for which it is easy to care. Yet it is also a great family cat as this cat breed bonds easily with people. But, like the Siamese, this cat breed will let you know if it feels neglected, albeit in softer tones of agony.

Maine Coons

Having a reputation as the oldest American cat breed, the Main Coon is a very large cat that can tolerate colder weather with its dense body and dense fur coat. Maine Coons are playful cats that usually tolerate children and other pets well.

Ragdolls

Ragdolls are a bit lesser known as a cat breed than the other cats here, but this cat breed has an appealingly unique personality among cats. Ragdolls tend to be calm and adaptive. They can be trained to play fetch like a dog. In fact, this cat breed is often prone to waiting at the door to cheerfully greet you each day when you come home from work. You might think you own a dog that doesn’t bark. But Ragdolls really are more feline than canine. This cat is loads of fun as an indoor family pet.

If you’re a first-time cat owner, or you’ve had problems with potty training your cat in the past, it may seem like a difficult task lies ahead. However, potty training your cat is actually quite simple if you follow the proper procedure. In fact, your cat’s mother most likely started the potty training before your cat was even weaned. This is why it is so easy for you to finish it. Even without a good mother cat’s training, potty training your cat for litter box usage only takes a short amount of time and patience. So, enough talk; lets get set up for the training.

The Preparation Procedure

Before you can begin potty training your cat, you need to own a cat litter box and cat litter. A well-constructed, plastic litter box will do. If you have a small kitten, start with a cat box that is low enough on at least one side as to make the cat litter inside readily apparent to the kitten. If you cannot find a box small enough, use a thick phone book as a step for your kitten to see into the cat box and get into it easily while you are in the process of potty training.

The litter you choose is not really important, but you should know that you have a couple of choices. Litter basically comes in either clumping cat litter or non-clumping cat litter. Both work fine. The main difference is that clumping litter is easier to handle if you want to just siphon out the clumps to clean your cat litter box. As far as potty training your cat, it doesn’t matter which type you use. If you get the clumping kind, get a sifting scooper to pull the clumps out without the rest of the cat litter. You can generally find the sifting scoops near the litter boxes in pet and grocery stores. Don’t forget that before potty training your cat, you must fill your cat litter box about 1/3 full of cat litter.

The Basics of Potty Training Your Cat

To begin potty training, just put your cat in the litter box five minutes after each meal. Typically, your cat will be able to use the cat litter after each meal. If your cat quickly jumps out of the box, try again; this time scratching the cat litter surface slightly as you place the cat. Cats have a natural instinct to try to drown out the smell after they potty, so they will get the idea that this is a good place to potty and then cover up their potty. They may have also learned some of this behavior already when they were with their mothers. For most cats, you will find that at this point you are done potty training.

The Maine Coone is best known for being an enormous domestic cat. However, there is a lot more to this big cat than just being big. It is known as a very intelligent cat. It makes for a very playful pet. But, in spite of its playfulness, it is also a good family cat, having the reputation among domestic cat breeds of being the "Gentle Giant." In spite of its name, the Maine Coone is believed to originate in New England. It is among the first breeds of domestic cat to have originated in North America.

The Maine Coone has had some incorrect stories told about how it became one of America’s domestic cat breeds. For example, one story says that the cat is the result of years of living on its own in the harsh winters of Maine, mostly dying off except for the strongest few that continued to breed and created the sturdy outdoors, winter-tolerant Maine Coone we have of today. The reality is actually that some robust cats brought over from the northern regions of Europe by sea traders bred with the domestic cats already in New England to create the Maine Coone as one of the largest, and most durable of domestic cat breeds.

Contrary to the world of canines, where bigger is usually associated with less energy, the feline Maine Coone demonstrates that large domestic cat breeds can be packed full of energy. This energetic giant among domestic cat breeds can be as heavy as 12 kilograms, though typically the females will only be about half of that. It is recorded in more than one place that the male Maine Coone has reached lengths greater than one meter.

The Maine Coone has other interesting physical traits beyond just being big. This cat features a square muzzle, large ears, and a thick neck. It also has big round eyes. The cat isn’t just large, but actually quite muscular among domestic cat breeds. It has a long bushy tail.

In addition to being a gentle giant among domestic cat breeds, the Maine Coone has some other personality traits worth noting. It is an extremely social cat. In fact, it is unique among domestic cats in that it wants to be friends with everyone, from your dog to your infant child to you to your other cats. But don’t expect it to be friends with your pet mouse, hamster, or squirrel! They are also quite easily trained compared to other domestic cat breeds.

Comparing Random Cat Breeds to Pure Cat Breeds

While people who like cat shows and cliché cats tend to go exclusively with ownership of purebreds, pet owners are generally just as happy with cat breeds that pop up in the streets of their local neighborhoods. Whether you go with a purebred or a street kitten, you can generally find the traits in cat breeds that best suit your household. Either way, you still have the great feline domestic pet that is relatively self-sufficient and easy to care for. Give your cat some food, water, a toy, clean cat litter, and a few minutes of daily affection and you’ll have yourself a low-maintenance little family member.

In spite of what your local cat breeders would like you to think, most cat lovers don’t own pure cat breeds. They adopt a kitten or adult cat from the local shelter. Only a few among the wealthy classes of society really go for pure cat breeds because of the high costs of purchasing one of these cats. Having pure cat breeds doesn’t serve much purpose beyond making your cat more of a show piece. As far as being a quality pet, the cat’s health and personality are far more important considerations than choosing between pure cat breeds.

That is not to say that there isn’t a certain satisfaction for enthusiasts of certain cat breeds in owning a purebred cat. When you purchase pure cat breeds you have the advantage of knowing exactly what to expect in terms of how your kitten will look and behave when it grows up. Pure cat breeds have consistent body sizes, fur coats, and body shapes. Cat breeds also tend to have pretty much the same mental and emotional traits from one cat to the next.

Whether your are going with pure cat breeds or going for the random cat breeds you find in the local shelter, the main distinguishing feature in how the cats must be cared for is the length of their fur. If you like having a cat to bathe regularly and brush daily, you may be a candidate to own one of the cat breeds with longer fur. But you must also be willing to deal with more hairballs and flea problems. If you are more into a simple cat to care for, you will probably be happy with the much more common cat breeds that have short fur.

It is important to remember that pure cat breeds are mostly man-made manipulations of breeding. That doesn’t make these cat breeds lesser cats, as they are still cats. But just because a cat doesn’t fall into any particular cat breeds doesn’t make it any less worthy of being a pet. Currently there are about seventy registered cat breeds in the United States, but there are thousands of random cat breeds that have formed on their own which receive no official classification recognition.