The First Siamese Cats of the Cat Fancy

Cat history is often annoyingly vague unless the cat breed was created through selective breeding on the back of hybridization. The Siamese cat, though is a naturally occurring type of cat with dark fur at the extremities of its body and which was found in Siam (Thailand) for centuries. Of course it may have occurred elsewhere in the Orient. But we know that someone from the West saw the cat and wanted to import it to Europe, specifically England. We are talking about the 1880s.

1889 Siamese cat - Illustration by Harrison Weir.

The first person or one of the first people to import the Siamese cat to the West was Mrs Vyvyan. She lived in Dover, Kent, on the south coast of England. We can say this with some certainty because she is quoted directly by the founder of the world cat fancy, Harrison Weir, in his book Our Cats and all about them (that is how the title looks by the way. I have shortened it a bit). You won't get a better authority than that because the book's author was the number one authority about cat breeds at the time and the date the book was published was 1889. He wrote about something that had just happened. It was fresh news and the section on the Siamese cat in his book features the Siamese and its history to a greater extent than the other breeds he refers to. The Siamese was a novelty at the time and was considered rather exotic.

Mrs Vyvyan says that she believes that the Siamese cats that she acquired came from the King's Palace (the King of Siam - hence the "Royal Siamese cat"). The fact that the King kept Siamese cats indicates that these cats were looked upon as special in Siam. They may have been quite a rare mutation to the ordinary domestic cat in that country.

There are a number of Siamese cat history stories one of which I mention on my Siamese cat history page about the British Consular General who was departing to England and who was given Siamese cats by the King. I don't know how this squares up with Mrs Vyvyan's account of the matter as referred to in Harrison Weir's book. Perhaps someone can leave a comment and clarify the matter.

Let's say that Mrs Vyvyan was one of the first importers if not the first. Her words therefore about the breed carry weight and provide an insight into the health, character and appearance of the original Siamese cats in Siam.

In summary - you can read more on this page - she says that they were loyal and dog-like of character. This reflects the modern assessment of this breeds character. As to health she confirms what Lady Neville says (is Mrs Vyvyan, lady Neville?) that the early Siamese cats had a bad attack of intestinal parasites  - worms. This was a particular and concerning problem. A number of cats died of worms and at the time there was no cure but John Jennings in his book, Domestic Cats and Fancy Cats mentions that there were several treatments one of which was something called "santonine". "One to three grains should be given in milk after fasting for six hours". Mrs Vyvyan feed her cas chicken heads with feathers as a panacea.

So health was a concern for the Siamese cat owner (caretaker) of that era. In fact Mrs Vyvyan says they were delicate in respect of health. As to the all important appearance, Mr Weir, who was a very accomplished artist, illustrates his book with a drawing of the head of a Siamese cat, probably one of Mrs Vyvyan's Siamese cats. It heads this page -  a classic applehead Siamese cat. The pointing is rather odd however as it appears to have a clear demarcation over the eyes in an arch. This may just be a quirky way of drawing the face.

Whatever; as I have mentioned before, the original Siamese was the what is today called the traditional or applehead Siamese. The pointing was almost black in colour (seal point in modern parlance). Ironically, the modern, over-bred Siamese cat with the oriental body shape is one of the least healthy cats, if not the most unhealthy cat of the cat fancy. I wonder if this is an inheritance from the founding cats or due to inbreeding to create to the modern idea of what the Siamese cat should look like, which is incorrect!

Siamese Cat Health Screening

Here is a list of health screening tests on various cat health problems and in respect of various cat breeds with specific health problems including the Siamese cat:



The organisations carrying out the screening usually provide certificates. Sometimes genetic testing is specific to the breed as different genes cause the same problem in different breeds.

The source of the information is the Cat Owner's Home Veterinary Handbook. If you buy one cat book, buy this one!

Feline hyperesthesia is more commonly seen in Siamese cats

You can read about feline hyperesthesia on this page. In short cats have times when their skin twitches, their tail whips. Their skin seems sensitive and they don't like being touched. Another symptom is dilated pupils.

The cause could be behavioral or neurological. Science has not yet decided.

It is reported in Cat Owner's Home Veterinary Handbook that Siamese cats suffer from this condition more commonly than average. So do Burmese and Himalayan cat breeds, both of which are related to the Siamese.

Siamese Cats Wool Chewing

A condition called Pica (eating non-nutritional items) and which includes wool sucking is said to be more prevalent in Siamese and Burmese cats.

Read more about Pica.

Siamese Cat Genetic Anomalies

I have an extensive page on genetic diseases in purebred cats. But on this page I would like to refer to page 91 of The Cat, Its Behavior, Nutrition and Health where it mentions that the Siamese cat as a cat breed, has the following "associated disorders":

• Hyperesthesia syndrome - rolling skin disease and possible seizures and self mutilation.


• Intestinal adenocarcinomas: mammary tumors - forms of cancer, unusually high in Siamese.


• Hydrocephalus - excessive spinal fluid accumulation - autosomal recessive gene causes it.


• Congenital heart defects  - more common in Siamese than other breeds.

See more at Siamese Cat Health Problems.

Siamese Cats and Feline Diabetes

Linda P. Case in her book The Cat, Its Behavior, Nutrition and Health

 

says on page 350 that "there is some evidence that Siamese and Burmese cats might be at a higher risk for diabetes..."

She qualifies that by saying this figures might be distorted by the popularity of the Siamese cat and therefore more Siamese being treated for the disease.

Feral Cross-eyed Blue Pointed Bobtail Cat

Siamese Bobtailed Cat, a photo by KaCey97007 on Flickr.

Wow....this cat that looks like a feral Siamese cat that has blue pointing and a bob tail.

Both cross-eyes (squint) and a shortened tail (or a kinked tail) are known to exist in the Siamese cat. See Siamese cat kinked tail.

Siamese Cat Squint

Pointed Cat with squint - photo by johnnyalive

The Siamese cat is known for its squint (cross-eyed appearance) almost as much as it is famous for its pointed coat. Or am I being unfair? The squint is considered by some as a breed characteristic. You will rarely see it, I suspect, in purebred cats because of careful selective breeding but you will probably see it in feral Siamese cats.

The cause of the squint has been extensively researched by scientists judging by the number of published research studies listed under a Google Scholar search enquiry.

The first one listed is entitled: Aberrant visual projections in the Siamese cat. This article says that there is a "neuroanatomical defect in the primary visual pathways" of the Siamese cat.

Robinson's Genetics says that the cross-eyed problem is caused by "a disrupted visual pathway in some strains of Siamese". However, the authors say there is no solid evidence that establishes that the Siamese as a breed carries this defect.

As I understand it, the squint does not adversely affect binocular vision as it is a compensation for another problem. There are two anatomical problems one cancelling out the other. I may have that  wrong however.

Apparently a kitten may have a "mild squint" that corrects itself when older. Older cats might therefore be asymptomatic carriers of the gene that causes the squint. This must make it harder to remove from breeding lines I would have thought.

More research is needed to establish the way this condition is inherited. It may be caused by two or more genes.

See Feline Eye Disease

Here is another Siamese cat squint:



Read a lot about Siamese Cat Health generally.

Do Siamese cats have thyroid problems?

Inquisitive Siamese cat - Photo by Tobyotter
See what he/she is looking at

There is a search term "thyroid Siamese cat". People perhaps want to know if the Siamese cat has a genetic predisposition to thyroid problems.

There is nothing that I can find using the best source on genetic diseases in purebred cats that suggests that Siamese cats have a predisposition to thyroid problems.

In fact the opposite seems to be the case. A malfunction of the thyroid gland causing an excess production of the thyroid hormone is called feline hyperthyroidism. "It is often associated with a cancer" (Cat Owner's Home Veterinary Handbook - page 529 updated edition at the time of this post).

This well respected source says that Himalayans (pointed Persian purebred cats) and Siamese "have a lower risk for this problem".

Siamese Cat -- Asthma

Some people search for "Siamese cat asthma". Clearly these people (it is you if you are reading this!) have heard somewhere that Siamese purebred cats might have a predisposition to asthma.

Well you are correct. Check out this page: Genetic Diseases in Purebred Cats and then go to this page: Feline Asthma.

You might wish to go a step further and study Siamese cat health.