Defining the laboratory animal: IV Symposium, International Committee on ...(1971) says this about the Siamese cat. I quote verbatim and claim fair use as it is educational and I am referring to a small part of the text while promoting the work. (link to original page)
"Siamese on the other hand have been bred extensively. For instance, the gene frequency of the cat population at large in Paris (France) is 10 percent. That means phenotype frequency is 1 percent of that seen in stray cats. In Bangkok, the gene frequency is only 29 percent, and that is where they come from originally."
Some definitions:
gene frequency -- the frequency or proportion of genotypes in a population. "Genotype" means "the genetic makeup of a cell, an organism, or an individual".
phenotype frequency -- "an organism's observable characteristics or traits".
Wednesday, 31 August 2011
Did the Siamese derive from a different species of wildcat?
Apparently scientists (Kratochvil and Kratochvil - 1976) produced a research document that suggests that the Siamese cat originated from a different species of wildcat than the other domestic cats except for the Persian.
They argue that the domestic cat is derived from the wildcat Felis silvestris lybica (true, the African wildcat and in fact the European wildcat) and that the Siamese derived from another subspecies of "Felis lybica". This is wrong it seems because they make reference to a subspecies of Felis lybica. There is no subspecies of Felis lybica. The full scientific name is as mentioned Felis silvestris lybica.
However the African wildcat is also bundled together as one species with the Asian wildcat (Felis silvestris ornata) and it is possible therefore that the Siamese cat derives from the Asian wildcat as the eastern boundary of the range of the Asian wild cat is nearer Siam now Thailand than that of the African or European wildcat. The Siamese cat comes originally from Siam as you no doubt know.
They argue that the domestic cat is derived from the wildcat Felis silvestris lybica (true, the African wildcat and in fact the European wildcat) and that the Siamese derived from another subspecies of "Felis lybica". This is wrong it seems because they make reference to a subspecies of Felis lybica. There is no subspecies of Felis lybica. The full scientific name is as mentioned Felis silvestris lybica.
However the African wildcat is also bundled together as one species with the Asian wildcat (Felis silvestris ornata) and it is possible therefore that the Siamese cat derives from the Asian wildcat as the eastern boundary of the range of the Asian wild cat is nearer Siam now Thailand than that of the African or European wildcat. The Siamese cat comes originally from Siam as you no doubt know.
Siamese Cats and France
It appears that the first Siamese cats were introduced to France by the French ambassador to Siam, Auguste Pavie. In 1885 he presented one to the Jardin des plantes (the main botanical garden in France). This has a similar flavor to the way the Siamese cat was imported into England (see Siamese cat history).
Source: The beast in the boudoir: petkeeping in nineteenth-century Paris By Kathleen Kete
Source: The beast in the boudoir: petkeeping in nineteenth-century Paris By Kathleen Kete
Siamese Cat Story
Here is just one Siamese cat story. There are tens of thousands I am sure. It is 1955 or thereabouts. A boy of 2 (Christopher Loss) is slow to learn to speak due to complications at child birth. The family is given a purebred Siamese cat. Things started to change for the boy from that moment onwards.
He learned to speak to the cat. The boy would grunt at the cat and the cat would purr in response. There is no doubt that the cat was content to receive the attention and company. Siamese cats are very sociable creatures.
Eventually, the boy learned his first word, "kitty". The rest is history. The boy caught up in speech. The Siamese cat was provided by Dayle Russell who works with disabled children.
Dayle said that cats are great with senior people and kids who have special needs and/or are ill. She said that cats can work better than medicine. Dayle bred pedigree purebred cats and used to give them away where appropriate. The story I have recounted is one example and a very successful one that supports what she said.
He learned to speak to the cat. The boy would grunt at the cat and the cat would purr in response. There is no doubt that the cat was content to receive the attention and company. Siamese cats are very sociable creatures.
Eventually, the boy learned his first word, "kitty". The rest is history. The boy caught up in speech. The Siamese cat was provided by Dayle Russell who works with disabled children.
Dayle said that cats are great with senior people and kids who have special needs and/or are ill. She said that cats can work better than medicine. Dayle bred pedigree purebred cats and used to give them away where appropriate. The story I have recounted is one example and a very successful one that supports what she said.
Altering the Color of Siamese Cats
We know that the pointing of Siamese cats is caused by heat sensitivity. The warmer the environment the paler the color. The extremities of a Siamese cat are cooler hence darker than the central part of the body.
Reason For Siamese Cat Pointing
To recap: at normal body temperatures the enzymes present in the Siamese cat are unable to produce melanin (a pigment) but at lower temperature the enzymes are able to perform their normal function and produce melanin. At the extremes of the cat the skin is cooler and so those areas have darker fur (pointing).
When the kitten in born they are white because they have been in the warmth of their mother's womb. The pointing develops and is then fixed for that cat.
On the basis that the paleness of body color and darkness of the pointing becomes fixed at a certain point in the kitten's development, it appears that it is possible to deliberately alter the color of an individual cat by adjusting the ambient temperature under which the cat is raised. Just a thought.
Personalized Siamese Cat
It has been suggested that you can create a personalised Siamese cat. I am not suggesting that you do this but it is interesting. You gently shave your initials into the Siamese cat's fur (remove the fur in the form of your initials) and while it grows back you cool the area you have shaved. The new fur should be darker and therefore your initials will be visible in the fur for the life of the cat. Obviously the area where you do this is the central (paler) part of the body.
It sounds strange and I don't want to start a fad or cult. But the science behind the Siamese cat pointing supports the idea that it is possible to create a personalized Siamese cat!
Reason For Siamese Cat Pointing
To recap: at normal body temperatures the enzymes present in the Siamese cat are unable to produce melanin (a pigment) but at lower temperature the enzymes are able to perform their normal function and produce melanin. At the extremes of the cat the skin is cooler and so those areas have darker fur (pointing).
When the kitten in born they are white because they have been in the warmth of their mother's womb. The pointing develops and is then fixed for that cat.
On the basis that the paleness of body color and darkness of the pointing becomes fixed at a certain point in the kitten's development, it appears that it is possible to deliberately alter the color of an individual cat by adjusting the ambient temperature under which the cat is raised. Just a thought.
Personalized Siamese Cat
It has been suggested that you can create a personalised Siamese cat. I am not suggesting that you do this but it is interesting. You gently shave your initials into the Siamese cat's fur (remove the fur in the form of your initials) and while it grows back you cool the area you have shaved. The new fur should be darker and therefore your initials will be visible in the fur for the life of the cat. Obviously the area where you do this is the central (paler) part of the body.
It sounds strange and I don't want to start a fad or cult. But the science behind the Siamese cat pointing supports the idea that it is possible to create a personalized Siamese cat!
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