Apologies in advance for a long and rambling post!

It's no good, I can't hold out much longer, having returned from a
recent holiday in a Bed and Breakfast I was privileged to share with
the owner's four cats I've just got to have a feline friend to take
over my life! The only thing that worries me is that I live alone and
I'm out at work for the normal working day and I don't want for kitty
to get bored.

Now what I'd really love is a Siamese. I have to confess I've never
owned (sorry, been owned by) a Siamese; the only cat I ever shared my
life with, and it was a long time back, was very definitely in the
'moggie' category, though none the less delightful for that. But I do
so love the intelligent, playfull personality of the Siamese. It
doesn't hurt that they are just so beautiful too. What I'd want is a
traditional, or so-called applehead,  Siamese, rather than the rather
extreme 'show cat' style.

So, how is a Siamese going to get on if left alone all day? A lot of
advice I've read is that two cats are always better than one under
these circumstances. Is two Siamese a good idea? Or should I stick to
less extrovert non-pedigree cats? Even so, would I be better with two?
Kittens or adult cats? If I go for the Siamese I guess it's going to
have to be kittens. Or should I get in touch with the local Cats
Protection shelter (I'm UK based). I can see all the arguments for
providing a home to a cat from a shelter, but I do worry that I could
end up with some poor, semi-feral or abused creature who's never going
to settle with me. I've the greatest respect for those who take on cats
in this state, I'm just not sure it's for me.

John