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Cat Forum / General Topics / December 2003The myth of the Siamese cat?
Every time I visit my local shelter, the purebred I see the most by far is the Siamese cat. I have my suspicions as to why they seem to be available in abundance. I read they have a reputation for mischief and trouble. So a lot of them must be getting turned in because they knock things over, or are incorrigible. Is there anyone here who can attest for or against the Siamese cat? Surely not all of them are bad or have bad thoughts like the one depicted in the "Get Fuzzy" comic strips.  SignatureMy cat's job is to look pretty, smell good, sleep, eat, pee, & poop, in that order. > Every time I visit my local shelter, the purebred I see the most by > far is the Siamese cat. I have my suspicions as to why they seem to be [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > > Is there anyone here who can attest for or against the Siamese cat? Hey Ablang, I love Siamese Cats. The purebred one's can be a little strange, but then those Cats also sell for big bucks. I had three Siamese Cats at one time and I couldn't tell that they were anymore malevolent then any of my other Cats. Besides, I think Siamese are so beautiful, there like fine hand-painted china, no pun intended. Seeya, William Berry, author of "Do You Hear The Cat Voices Singing? ISBN# 1-59113-445-5 >Every time I visit my local shelter, the purebred I see the most by >far is the Siamese cat. I have my suspicions as to why they seem to be [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] >Surely not all of them are bad or have bad thoughts like the one depicted >in the "Get Fuzzy" comic strips. They appear to be available in abundance at shelters for two different reasons. One is that they are one of the older and more popular breeds so there are just more of them around than, for instance, Korats or Bengals. Persians are also a commonly available breed. Secondly, many people see a masked cat and assume it's a Siamese, when many masked cats have no Siamese blood at all. Siamese aren't bad, or incorrigible. They are just naturally active and inquisitive, and generally very smart. They like to be in the middle of things, and don't like to be ignored. They are also very vocal. These are common traits of the Siamese, but it doesn't mean they are all like that. I have one who is actually very timid, and hardly talks at all. Sherry <snip> > Secondly, many people see a masked cat > and assume it's a Siamese, when many masked cats have no Siamese blood at all. [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > > Sherry My little Luna is half Siamese but acts like Sherry describes a lot of pure Siamese cats: she's always in the middle of things. Every new object or person who comes in our apartment HAS to be inspected, which generally means he/she/it gets climbed all over, sniffed and often licked. If I'm on the computer and she wants attention, she gets it. Otherwise whatever I'm doing will never get done. She'll walk back and forth in front of the monitor, and if repeatedly placed on the floor will immediately jump back up. Luckily she's not very vocal, except when she's in heat....but then it's constant and LOUD. (And before anyone says anything, no, she's not spayed, and neither is Crackerjack. All our males are neutered and we live on the third floor of an apartment building so there's no way for them to get out. We regularly check the screens on the windows to make sure they're secure. If they get out the front door they're stuck in the hallway because there's a fire door that's always closed. So please, don't start on me about getting them spayed ^_^) Nikki >My little Luna is half Siamese but acts like Sherry describes a lot of pure >Siamese cats: she's always in the middle of things. Every new object or [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] >she's not very vocal, except when she's in heat....but then it's constant >and LOUD. They were once called "The Royal Cats of Siam." I don't think they've ever forgotten this. :-) Sherry >(And before anyone says anything, no, she's not spayed, and neither is >Crackerjack. All our males are neutered and we live on the third floor of [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] >that's always closed. So please, don't start on me about getting them spayed >^_^) I'm not going to jump on you, but I very much hope that you are keeping a close eye on them for developing pyometra due to the repeated, unsuccessful cycling. This can and most likely will kill them if not caught quickly enough. Orchid See Orchid's Kitties! -- http://nik.ascendancy.net/bengalpage Want a Purebred Cat? Read This! -- http://nik.ascendancy.net/orchid > >(And before anyone says anything, no, she's not spayed, and neither is > >Crackerjack. All our males are neutered and we live on the third floor of [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] > repeated, unsuccessful cycling. This can and most likely will kill > them if not caught quickly enough. To be honesy, I've never heard of pyometra. Can you give me more info on it? Is it common in older cats, or does age not make a difference? For the record, Crackerjack is about 2 and a half years old old and had her first heat about a year and a half ago. Luna is just over a year old and had her first heat about 4 months ago. Nikki >To be honesy, I've never heard of pyometra. Can you give me more info on >it? Is it common in older cats, or does age not make a difference? For the >record, Crackerjack is about 2 and a half years old old and had her first >heat about a year and a half ago. Luna is just over a year old and had her >first heat about 4 months ago. If a queen cycles too many times without being bred, she is at high risk for pyometria. Pyometria (pyo) is an infection of the uterus that can kill a queen within a matter of days. The usual cure for it is an emergency spay, which costs a whole lot of money, and is very risky for the cat. If your cat cycles two or three times and develops any of the below symptoms, get her to a vet or she may die. Pyo symptoms: Vaginal Discharge. (dogs bleed when in heat, cats don't) Increased Thirst. Lack of Appetite. Swollen Abdomen. Apathy. Dulling of the fur. Pyo is a horrible thing, and a horrible way for a cat to die. Good luck, and feel free to do some more research on pyo. There are two commonly used spellings, pyometria and pyometra. A Google search on 'pyometra cats' will give you a lot of good info on the infection. You may also be unaware that the longer a cat is intact, the greater the risk becomes of mammary cancer (and obviously ovarian and uterine cancer). The longer an intact cat cycles without being bred the more likely the chance of a false pregnancy, which greatly increases the risk of ovarian and uterine cancer, as well as jacking the pyo risk up even further. HTH, Orchid See Orchid's Kitties! -- http://nik.ascendancy.net/bengalpage Want a Purebred Cat? Read This! -- http://nik.ascendancy.net/orchid > Every time I visit my local shelter, the purebred I see the most by >far is the Siamese cat. I have my suspicions as to why they seem to be [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] >Surely not all of them are bad or have bad thoughts like the one depicted >in the "Get Fuzzy" comic strips. We have only had one that was difficult. He needed to be an only pet as he was jealous of the other animals, both cats and dogs. Overall, though, they are awesome. We currently have 3, and we have had 5 others before, and my mom had a few more before I was born. Basically, Siamese cats are very friendly, very vocal, and very much want to be an active member of the family. They don't like to be ignored. They are a bit more like dogs in the respect that they will follow you around and participate in everything whether you want them to or not. They aren't as aloof as many other cats. Meghan & the Zoo Crew Equine and Pet Photography http://www.zoocrewphoto.com >On Mon, 8 Dec 2003 02:39:47 +0000 (UTC), Ablang ><CatLoverHilaryDuff@ablang-duff.com> wrote: [quoted text clipped - 20 lines] >follow you around and participate in everything whether you want them >to or not. They aren't as aloof as many other cats. We first got Ting RB when I was at school. Later I bought my mother Suk RB as a present - though she had to come to us for her last few years because of my mother's moves. My wife and I have had Tao MIA - we only had him for a few months. Then we got the twins, Pish RB and Tush RB. Tush RB died earlier, so we got Quango RB, and Nanki Poo when Pish RB went. A couple of years ago we lost Quango RB, and Minke came into our lives. Naturally, all of them are Siamese - we would not have any other cat. Nanki Poo is actually quiet. With Quango ageing so not too active we forgot how loud a Siamese can be, and when Minke arrived he was the most quiet sedate kitten imaginable. Now he is a year old he has forgotten all that, cranked up the volume, and "the yowl" is back! SignatureDavid Stevenson Storypage: http://blakjak.com/sty_menu.htm Liverpool, England, UK <cat2@blakjak.com> Emails welcome Nanki Poo: SI Bp+W B 10 Y L+ W++ C+ I T+ A- E H++ V- F Q P B+ PA+ PL+ SC Minke: SI W+Cp B 1 Y++ L-- W- C+ > Every time I visit my local shelter, the purebred I see the most by > far is the Siamese cat. I have my suspicions as to why they seem to be > available in abundance. I read they have a reputation for mischief and > trouble. So a lot of them must be getting turned in because they knock > things over, or are incorrigible. IME, usually, it is for medical problems, because they are "too vocal" or seen as "aggressive". Siamese are prone to 19 different genetic diseases. They are probably the most ill-bred breed available. > Is there anyone here who can attest for or against the Siamese cat? > Surely not all of them are bad or have bad thoughts like the one depicted > in the "Get Fuzzy" comic strips. I think Siamese are awsome cats, but again, the breed has become ill-bred. They also take a certain kind of person to understand their quirks. We see a lot of them in the shelters, but I think I, personally, have experienced more surrendered Persians than Siamese. Most of those are surrendered for behavioral issues, mainly secondary to declawing. -L. >IME, usually, it is for medical problems, because they are "too vocal" >or seen as "aggressive". Siamese are prone to 19 different genetic >diseases. They are probably the most ill-bred breed available. Do you have a list of those or know of any online references to them? I've had siamese cats all my life, and we have only had one with health problems. She got cancer when she was 13. My first lived to be 19, and she never had any problems. Our youngest siamese to die was the 13 year old with cancer. Do you know if this is more in the modern breed, the traditional breed, or common in both? I have never been into showing, so I really have never talked to breeders, just met people on occasion who love theirs as much as I love mine. I would love to learn more as I do plan to continue with the siamese and balinese cats. Meghan & the Zoo Crew Equine and Pet Photography http://www.zoocrewphoto.com A lot of people mistakenly consider any cat with points (darker feet, tail, ears, and face) to be Siamese, but Siamese is a distinct breed from other pointed varieties, such as Balinese, Birman, Burmese, Colorpoint Shorthair, and Himilayan. A lot of people just call any pointed long-haired cat a Himalayan and any pointed shorthair a Siamese. I suppose that only a purebred geek really cares about the distinction, since people typically say "Siamese" when they mean "pointed", but when you are talking about characteristics of the Siamese breed and genetic diseases to which they are prone, the distinction matters. Pointed, non-Siamese cats aren't necessarily any more likely to have these diseases than any other cat. When I was growing up, we had a calico who had a litter of two pointed kittens, one black one, one calico, one orange mackerel, and one grey tabby. We called the two pointed ones "Siamese", but they weren't significantly more Siamese than their four littermates. SignatureFerris Germane <ferris.germane@netzero.com> > >IME, usually, it is for medical problems, because they are "too vocal" > >or seen as "aggressive". Siamese are prone to 19 different genetic [quoted text clipped - 17 lines] > Equine and Pet Photography > http://www.zoocrewphoto.com >A lot of people mistakenly consider any cat with points (darker feet, tail, >ears, and face) to be Siamese, but Siamese is a distinct breed from other [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] >aren't necessarily any more likely to have these diseases than any other >cat. As far as I am concerned I think that anyone who refers to a cat as Siamese does so because he believes it is a Siamese. It is more likely to be ignorance when it is not than a belief that it does not matter. SignatureDavid Stevenson Storypage: http://blakjak.com/sty_menu.htm Liverpool, England, UK <cat2@blakjak.com> Emails welcome Nanki Poo: SI Bp+W B 10 Y L+ W++ C+ I T+ A- E H++ V- F Q P B+ PA+ PL+ SC Minke: SI W+Cp B 1 Y++ L-- W- C+ >As far as I am concerned I think that anyone who refers to a cat as >Siamese does so because he believes it is a Siamese. It is more likely >to be ignorance when it is not than a belief that it does not matter. If I'm reading the poster correctly, I think he is just saying that just because a cat *looks* like a Siamese, there's no reason to worry about specific diseases to which Siamese are genetically prone. Masked cats of unknown parentage are quite possibly not Siamese at all, or have enough good old moggie genes mixed in to offset any potential problems. Sherry >A lot of people mistakenly consider any cat with points (darker feet, tail, >ears, and face) to be Siamese, but Siamese is a distinct breed from other >pointed varieties, such as Balinese, Birman, Burmese, Colorpoint Shorthair, >and Himilayan. A lot of people just call any pointed long-haired cat a >Himalayan and any pointed shorthair a Siamese. I am not the one to bring up health problems, so I was quite curious as to where this information came from. I never said that all pointed cats were siamese. There are many different pointed breeds as you pointed out. And there are also two different siamese breeds since the breeding goals changed. We have the older style (traditional) and the modern style. They are judged seperately at shows. I have only had one modern, and while he was a bit different, I don't know if that was characteristic of the modern style, of he was just unusual as an individual. As far as Balinese. While it technically is a seperate breed, it is a natural mutation from the siamese breed. If you breed two siamese cats with the recessive gene, you have a one in four chance of getting a balinese. So, while it is a seperate breed classification, it is really just a long-haired siamese and any personality and breed issues would be the same as the normal siamese. My own balinese came from two siamese with the recessive gene. I had never heard of a balinese before, and I thought I was getting another siamese. She just continued to get fluffier. When I described her on one of these newsgroups, somebody told me about the balinese. That was 10 years ago. She has the classic siamese personality and the lovely hair of the balinese. Meghan & the Zoo Crew Equine and Pet Photography http://www.zoocrewphoto.com >My own balinese came from two siamese with the recessive gene. I had >never heard of a balinese before, and I thought I was getting another >siamese. She just continued to get fluffier. When I described her on >one of these newsgroups, somebody told me about the balinese. That was >10 years ago. She has the classic siamese personality and the lovely >hair of the balinese. I also have a Balinese. What I think is so unusual about him is how fine and silky his fur is, yet he never, ever matts. He's a rescue from a Siamese kitten mill. I didn't know about the Balinese either, but there was a bathtub in the house full of dirty little Siamese kittenss, with one longhaired one. I don't know anything about genetics, and for the longest just assumed he was a mix of some sort. Here's a pic of him, but it's a summer pic so his coat was pretty short. In the winter he looks much like a Himmie. http://members.aol.com/gladyss5/frankgarden.jpg Sherry Sherry You forgot Tonkinese....a wonderful dispositioned pointed breed. > A lot of people mistakenly consider any cat with points (darker feet, tail, > ears, and face) to be Siamese, but Siamese is a distinct breed from other [quoted text clipped - 38 lines] > > Equine and Pet Photography > > http://www.zoocrewphoto.com >Do you know if this is more in the modern breed, the traditional breed, >or common in both? I have never been into showing, so I really have never >talked to breeders, just met people on occasion who love theirs as much >as I love mine. Traditional Siamese are generally healthy. Alan Signature--------------------------------------------------------------------- **** Please use address alanh(at)min.net to reply via e-mail. **** Posted using registered MR/2 ICE Newsreader #564 and eComStation 1.1 --------------------------------------------------------------------- >>Do you know if this is more in the modern breed, the traditional breed, >>or common in both? I have never been into showing, so I really have never >>talked to breeders, just met people on occasion who love theirs as much >>as I love mine. > >Traditional Siamese are generally healthy. In my experience, that has clearly been true. As I said, I have never had any real problems. I have never found any reason to not have a siamese. Meghan & the Zoo Crew Equine and Pet Photography http://www.zoocrewphoto.com > Every time I visit my local shelter, the purebred I see the most by > far is the Siamese cat. I have my suspicions as to why they seem to be [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > Surely not all of them are bad or have bad thoughts like the one depicted > in the "Get Fuzzy" comic strips. Go to private breeders and get tradition, "applehead" Siamese. These are the best of the breed. wonderful, loving cats,but very quirky. I love them. Have 4 right now - 2 tortie points, one flame point kitten found in a parking lot. Have had 8 over the years.. (I also have 4 other DSH) LT |
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