The Known History of Siamese Cats

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.