The Siamese cat is one of the most renowned and popular breeds of cat in the world today. With their distinct dark coloured points, beautiful almond shaped blue eyes and elegant, sleek bodies along with friendly, charming and sociable personalities they can make an ideal pet and companion.

One of the earliest manuscripts to mention a cat with the appearance of a Siamese is found in the ‘Tamra Maew’:  the Cat Book Poems: a collection of ancient manuscripts from the Ayutthaya Kingdom (1351-1767 AD).

The author states that the breed is ‘pointed’, a reference to the distinct markings of darkened points: feet, tail, ears, and masked face. Within this sacred publication is asserted by the monks that the Siamese cat: ‘…. should be sought after as they would bring great honour and prosperity to their owner.’ Over a dozen of these manuscripts are now kept in the National Library of Thailand, the British Library and National Library of Australia.

Although the actual origin of the breed is difficult to prove, there are many stories mentioning that the first Siamese cats belonged to the Royal Family of Siam (now Thailand) and that the people of Siam believed their cats received their souls at death. These cats resided in the Temples and in the Royal Palace of Bangkok where they were closely guarded to keep the breed pure. At the time Siamese cats were used as guardians of the Temples and their blood lines were impeccably preserved. A Siamese cat was never sold and it was a great honour to be given one as a gift.

It was during the 19th Century, 1884 that a pair of these Royal Sacred Siamese or Seal Point (24) were given to the British Consul-General in Bangkok, Edward Blencowe Gould (1847–1916) by the King of Siam. The cat’s names were: Pho and Mai. He later gave them to his sister in England, Lilian Jane Gould, who in 1895 married and became Lilian Jane Veley. She formed the Siamese Cat Club in 1901, UK. In 1885, in England, Pho and Mia gave birth to three Siamese kittens: Duen Ngai, Kalohom, and Khromata. They were all shown at the first Cat Show at Crystal Palace in London the same year. Out of 480 entries in the show they became Best in Show winner.

With their unique appearance and distinct behaviour this new breed of cat created high interest but unfortunately all three of the kittens passed away shortly after the show although the cause of death remains unknown. This is the first known authentic record written about the Siamese cat that was in catalogues and journals. By the end of the 19th century the Siamese cat became well established in the UK, the number of these cats increased by breeding and imports from Bangkok.

As the popularity of the Siamese cat grew so did the enthusiasm for breeding this unique type of cat and this spread to America with two cats exported by Lady Marcus Beresford to Mrs Clinton Locke, the founder of the American Cat Fancy. These two seal point Siamese were exhibited at the Chicago Cat Show in 1902 taking out the Best in Show awards.

It was at the Holland House Cat Show in 1896 that the Judge: Louis Wain refused to judge a Siamese cat because it was blue and not seal as all Siamese up to then were seal. Very few Breeders at that time were interested in developing other colours although there were stories about ‘strange’ coloured kittens popping up in some litters. In the 1930’s a group of Breeders took up the challenge and in1936 the governing body granted the Blue Point Siamese its official number: 24A.

The chocolate point took longer to gain recognition with a male kitten born in 1931 being a much lighter seal colour although it wasn’t until 1950 that the Chocolate Point was officially recognised with the breed number 24B. The pioneer was Miss E Wentworth Fitzwilliam.

The Lilac Point 24C was produced by the combination of two genes: the blue and the chocolate dilutes. There are no records of how this fourth colour was developed although it had emerged by 1955 and was recognised by the Cat Fanciers Association (CFA) in the USA and known at the time as ‘frost points’.

In 1946 Mrs Hargraves commenced her ‘experimental’ breeding program and mated a seal point with a Russian blue with a further generation: Laurentide Mercury being born. Due to a controversy with this, a decision was made to have two Judges inspect Mercury with regards to his colour registration. Mercury was then placed on the supplementary register as a lilac point: with his progeny to be placed on a full register.

In the 1950’s and 1960’s, as the Siamese became extremely popular, many Breeders and Cat Show Judges began to favour the more slender, sleek type of look. As a result of selective breeding they created longer, fine-boned, narrow-headed cats which resulted in the modern show look of Siamese cat. A Siamese extremely elongated, with a lean, tubular body and long, slender legs plus a very long tail. The head wedge shaped with straight lines topped by extremely large, wide-set ears with the outline of the head and ears forming an equilateral triangle when viewed from the front. Neck long and slender.

By the mid 1980’s, cats of the original style had largely disappeared from Cat Shows but a few Breeders, particularly in the UK, continued to breed and register them, resulting in today's two types of Siamese: the modern, ‘show style’ Siamese, and the more ‘Traditional Siamese’ that are also known as ‘Old-style Siamese’, ‘Classic Siamese’, and ‘Apple head’.

The Siamese cat was also used to create other ‘man made’ breeds such as the Foreign White, the Oriental, the Burmese, the Balinese, the Himalayan Longhair, Ragdoll, Tonkinese, Snowshoe plus the Si Rex among others.

THE ENCHANTING ENIGMA OF THE ORIENTAL CAT

A shadow, a whisper, a creature carved from smoke and moonlight.

There exists a cat so otherworldly, so fine-boned and expressive, that one might believe it was conjured rather than born. The Oriental cat is that spectral being—grace wrapped in silk, eyes like verdant gemstones, and a voice like velvet thunder.

A BLOODLINE BORN IN MYSTERY

Though its roots reach back to ancient Siam (now Thailand), the Oriental is a more recent spell in the world of pedigree cats. Mid-20th-century breeders sought to capture the hypnotic elegance of the Siamese but clothe it in a thousand different cloaks—coal black, blood red, frost white, smoke grey. With over 300 colour and pattern combinations, the Oriental is a shape shifter, each one a singular vision.

This is not a breed that blends into the mundane. This is a cat that haunts your dreams.

A VOICE THAT ECHOES IN THE HALLS

The Oriental does not purr quietly in a corner. No, it announces itself—sharp, theatrical, sometimes accusing. It will hold conversations with the shadows, serenade the moon from the windowsill, and remind you (frequently) that you are not the master in this house—it is.

They bond deeply, obsessively, often choosing a favourite human to follow like a familiar. Alone time? The Oriental says no. Solitude is for mortals, not these celestial beings.

 BEAUTY IN BONE AND SILHOUETTE

Their aesthetic is stark, angular, and arresting: a long, sinuous body, fine as a wisp of smoke. Ears rise like cathedral spires, wide and alert. Their eyes—most often a haunting green—glow with intelligence and secrets.

There is a short-haired version, sleek as shadow, and a long-haired variety whose coat flows like enchanted mist. Both are bewitching.

FOR THOSE WHO DARE

These cats are not mere pets. They are guardians of thresholds, watchers in the dark, muses to those who seek beauty with a blade of wildness. They require stimulation, affection, and conversation. Puzzle toys, feathered offerings, and high places to observe the world below are all essential.

They are known to thrive in homes where there is movement, energy, and above all—presence.

NOT FOR THE FAINT OF HEART

Orientals are emotional creatures. They feel deeply, love fiercely, and expect devotion in return. If ignored, they may unravel into anxiety or mischief. But if adored, they will wrap themselves around your soul and never let go.

TO SUMMON AN ORIENTAL INTO YOUR WORLD

Prepare a place where beauty and madness intertwine. Offer love, mystery, and soft velvet beds. Expect your days to be filled with conversation, your nights with silent watching, and your heart forever claimed by something other.

The Oriental Shorthair cat is an elegant breed of cat that come in a beautiful ‘rainbow’ mix of over 300 colour variations. You could say that they are a remake of the original ‘black and white’ Siamese.

Oriental cats are very intelligent, athletic and they love human company. When you are sitting down, an Oriental will be generally on your lap, and at night they will be in bed with you, probably under the covers with their head on your pillow.

The breed was originally developed with Siamese as the foundation stock and then crossing them with other breeds. The original intent was to broaden the Siamese gene pool in Britain because so many breeding programs had been devastated during World War II. Crosses were made with Russian Blues, British Shorthairs, and Abyssinians along with domestic shorthairs which resulted in kittens without the darker pointed Siamese pattern. These were then bred back to Siamese.

Within a few generations, Breeders managed to produce cats that looked like Siamese but with a variety of colours and coat patterns along with the traditional pointed pattern of seal, blue, lilac and chocolate points.

When the cats were imported into the United States in the 1970s, crosses with American Shorthairs produced yet more colours and patterns. A longhaired variety was also developed.

The Oriental has a smooth, silky coat lying close to the body that should be well muscled and supple. They should have a ‘triangular face’, wide-set ears, and long legs with a good length of tail. Most Orientals have green eyes, white Orientals can have blue or odd coloured eyes and the pointed oriental cats have blue eyes.

Note: according to the CFA, ‘Orientals represent a diverse group of cats that have their foundation in the Siamese breed.’ The Siamese: both pointed (Siamese) and solid colours (Oriental) was imported to the UK from Siam (Thailand) in the latter half of the 1800s, and from there spread widely, becoming one of the most popular breeds. The actual gene that causes the colour to be restricted to the points is a recessive gene; therefore the general population of the cats of Siam were largely self-coloured (solid). When the cats from Siam were bred, the pointed cats were eventually registered as Siamese, while the others were referred to as ‘non-blue eyed Siamese’ or ‘foreign shorthair’ e.g. hence the Oriental breed come back after WW2.

Agresta, Bob; Kultala, Joann (27 July 2010). ‘Oriental Breed Profile’ CFA Inc.Org.Cat Fanciers' Association

‘Information Regarding the Oriental Shorthair Cat’. Cuddly Kittens. 16 October 2011.

Complied from: Shiloh Siamese & Orientals