Siamese

Siamese
Siamese cat Lilac Point
Fur length:	Shorthair cat
Weight:	Male : 4.0–5.0 kg female: 3.0–4.0 kg
generally recognized colors:	Seal Point, Blue Point, Chocolate Point, Lilac Point
not generally recognized colors:	Red Point, Cream Point, Fawn Point, Cinnamon Point, Apricot Point, Caramel Point and Tortie Point
permitted coat pattern:	all fur drawings except ticked
List of cat breeds

Siamese cats (often used short form of name: Siamese , Thai : วิเชียร มา ศ , RTGS : wichian mat , that means 'moon diamond') are among the best-known and most widespread pedigree cats . As the name suggests, the ancestors of today's Siamese cats come from Southeast Asian Siam , today's Thailand , where they are mentioned in writing about 150-200 years ago. The first pair of Siamese cats came to Great Britain via English diplomats at the end of the 19th century and established the breed in Europe.

Siamese cats are part albinos . This form of mutation is characterized by a blue eye color and a white coat color with darker colored areas (badges, so-called " points ") on the body tips ( acra ) such as ears, tail and paws.

Intensive breeding work, especially in the 1980s and 1990s, resulted in a strong differentiation in the appearance of the Siamese cats. A distinction is now made between a “modern type”, which is still referred to as the Siamese cat, and a so-called “traditional type”, which is already recognized by some associations as a separate breed standard under the name Thai cat or “traditional Siamese cat” . Other closely related pedigree cats in the group of oriental cats are, for example, the Siamese cats with semi-long hair , recognized in the 1940s, the Balinese or Oriental Shorthair cats (OKH), which differ from the Siamese only in their eyes and coat color.

origin

Map of Southeast Asia

The ancestors of today's Siamese come from Southeast Asia . It is not known whether the long-tailed, long-legged type with the points typical for Siamese cats originally developed from the mixing of wild cats with already domesticated cats or whether there were outside influences. According to one hypothesis , cats from the Mediterranean and Asia Minor came to Southeast Asia via Arab and Indian seafarers and brought the slim shape often found in Mediterranean cats into the gene pool of their Southeast Asian predecessor cats .

history

Drawing of a Siamese cat in "Tamra Maew" (below)

Siamese cats, along with other cat species, have already been mentioned in tracts that are based on folklore from the Ayutthaya period , but were only written by unknown authors around 150-200 years ago. They are known today under the name Tamra Maew (about: Cats' textbook ); because they are written in verse, they are also called cat poems . The Tamra Maew are illustrated with paintings showing typical cat features.

Tiam O'Shian IV, Siam Seal Point tomcat (photo taken in 1902)

Isolated Siamese cats came to England and the USA in the 1870s , but quickly died there due to a lack of climatic adaptation and incorrect posture. In 1871 the first Siamese cats exhibited at London's Crystal Palace caused a sensation. In 1884 the Siamese King Chulalongkorn gave a male and a female animal to the British Consul General Sir Edward Blencowe Gould. Pho and Mia became the first breeding pair in England. Shortly after their arrival, Siamese cats finally began to be included in the breeding program and other animals were introduced to England. The first offspring of the Siamese cat couple Pho and Mia were exhibited at the large cat show in London's Crystal Palace in 1885.

In the first decades it was only possible to breed with a few animals, which probably led to the development of genetic defects that are present today through inbreeding . Siamese cats were either direct imports from Siam (until the 1930s) or came from European zoos, where they were kept as an attraction. In these early years of breeding, a distinction was made between the types “Siamese king cat” and “temple cat”, which differed in body structure, color and tail length.

The first breed standard for Siamese cats, which at the time was still called the Royal Cat of Siam , was created in 1892 and greatly expanded in 1902. In 1901 the "Siamese Cat Club" was founded in England. At the end of the 19th century, Siamese cats were being bred increasingly in England and France and the first Siamese cat breeders were also found in the USA at this time. Until 1927 began in Germany in the '1. German Angora Cats - Protection and Breeding Association "(today 1. DEKZV ) with two registered breeders a scheduled breeding. From the middle of the 20th century, Siamese cats were bred on a large scale worldwide. Beginning in the 1950s and 1960s, different color varieties such as Chocolate, Lilac or Red Point were specifically selected and further bred in breeding, which in the medium term led to the recognition of further independent color varieties by the large cat breeding associations.

Appearance

2 full-grown Siam Seal Point males, modern type

Siam Seal Point cat, traditional type

The Siamese is a very slender, muscular, short-haired cat of medium size. The queens weigh between 3.0 and 4.0 kg, the male between 4.0 and 5.0 kg. The two typical characteristics of the Siamese consist of the consistently blue eyes and the pointed fur on protruding body parts such as the nose, ears, tail , paws and - in the case of tomcats - the scrotum .

Because of its long legs, like the Abyssinian cat , it is one of the long- legged cat breeds . The back legs are longer than the front legs. The paw shape is oval. The tail is longer than that of most other non-oriental cats, thin and tapering to a point.

The head of the Siamese cat is, depending on the distinction between modern and traditional type, wedge-shaped to slightly rounded. Ideally, the face and the large, diagonal ears form an isosceles triangle. The eyes of the Siamese are almond-shaped, widely spaced and slightly slanted. The nose of the Siamese cat is relatively long and runs straight down from the top of the head without stopping . The chin is not very pronounced, but not receding.

The younger the animals are, the lighter the fur of the Siamese is. A complete coloring of the points is usually completed in around six to nine months. The fur is very short, close-fitting and very soft. Due to its original origin, it has almost no undercoat.

character

Siamese cat together with its few weeks old litter

Due to the high number of litters , on average four to six kittens, and often more, Siamese cats usually show pronounced social behavior . Like all other oriental cats, they have an intense group life together. Mutual grooming, trapping and hunting games as well as hunting together and raising young animals together with several litters are part of it. Siamese cats should therefore never be kept as solitary cats.

Siamese cats are considered to be highly intelligent, headstrong and yet very people-oriented. With pedigree cats, they are among the most communicative cats, combined with an extremely loud voice. Their play instinct, especially in the company of other cats, is very pronounced and is still present in older cats. Their willingness to learn and their focus on people can be seen, for example, in their willingness to be carried out on a leash or harness. This is most pronounced in the Siamese of all pedigree cats. Because of the high degree of interaction with humans, Siamese cats are often referred to as the "dogs among the pedigree cats".

As part of animal-assisted therapy , in this case feline therapy , cats are used to improve the quality of life of disabled people, especially children. The Siamese cat is particularly preferred here for interacting with hyperactive children. With their very lively character and good nature, Siamese cats encourage disabled children, who suffer from forms of autism , for example , to increase their own activities.

Breed standard and breeding

The first breed standard for Siamese cats was formulated by Harrison Weir in England in 1892 . Just 10 years later, it was adapted by the English Siamese Cat Club, which was founded in 1901 and still exists today . In the 19th century France was also bred more intensively. Scheduled Siamese cat breeding with a stud book began in the USA in 1900. It was not until the mid-1920s that Siamese cat breeding took hold in Germany.

Modern Siamese cat type

The large national and international umbrella organizations of pedigree cat breeding associations later worked out further adjustments to the standard. There was also a different acceptance of individual types and colors, which is responsible for the widely differing standards and classifications of Siamese cats, especially in the USA and Europe. The F. I. Fe ( Fédération Internationale Féline ), one of the largest European umbrella organizations, tends to be conservative when it comes to the acceptance of colors and types. The largest American umbrella organization, C. F. A. (Cat Fanciers' Association), only recognizes the original colors (see the chapter on colors), all newer colors are designated and judged as Colourpoint Shorthair . As the only major governing body, the T. detects I. C. A. ( The International Cat Association , USA) together with many smaller independent breed cat breed associations Thai cats as their own breed standard as they are mitgerichtet with the other named confederations still considered Siamese cat.

Breed standard Siamese cats using the example of the Fédération Internationale Féline (Category IV - Siamese & Oriental)
body part	feature	description
General	Appearance	The ideal Siamese cat is slender, elegant, with long tapering streaks, lithe and muscular
	size	medium
head	shape	Medium size, in proportion to the body, well balanced; wedge-shaped with straight lines. The wedge starts at the nose and gradually widens on both sides in straight lines to the ears. There should be no break in the formation of the whiskers in these two lines. The skull is slightly convex when viewed in profile.
	nose	Long and straight, extending the line from the forehead without any interruption
	chin	Narrow
	snout	Medium in size. The tip of the chin forms a vertical line with the tip of the nose
Ears	shape	Large and pointed, broad at the base
	location	Extend the lines of the wedge
eyes	shape	Of medium size, neither protruding nor sunk. Almond-shaped and slightly sloping towards the nose in order to be in harmony with the lines of the wedge.
	colour	Clear and bright, with an intense blue glow
neck	shape	long and narrow
body	anatomy	long and slim, very muscular, but still petite and elegant. The shoulders do not protrude further than the hips.
legs		long and thin, in proportion to the body
	Paws	small and oval
tail	shape	Very long; thin, even at the top; ending in a thin point
hide	structure	very short, thin, shiny, silky soft and close to the body. Almost no undercoat.
	colour	• Points: face mask, points on the ears, legs and tail. The color at all points should be as even as possible. The face mask must not extend over the entire head, but should extend over traces of paint to the ears. • Body color: even, slight shading on the flanks is allowed, but there must be a clear difference between the points and the body color for the colors in the following tables.
body paint	hide	• Slight shading of the body that is in harmony with the color of the points is allowed. • A darker body color is allowed for older cats
error	hide	• Spots on the stomach and on the flank • Ribbons and stripes in the points with the exception of tabby points
Errors that preclude recognition	hide	Insufficient contrast between the points and the body color
Disqualification	eyes	any eye color other than blue

error

While the first breed standards of Siamese cats still required strabismus and a kinked tail, typical characteristics of the first animals to be found in the western world, this has long been considered a serious mistake. Animals with these obvious defects are no longer used as breeding animals. The Siamese has the tendency to squint in common with all point cats , as this error is causally related to partial albinism. A stop at the nose, i.e. an indentation of the bridge of the nose between the forehead and the tip of the nose, is also undesirable.

Further faults of the breed can be found mainly in the case of incorrectly colored fur and points. Stripes, bands or spots on the abdomen and flank are undesirable, as is the appearance of tabby markings in Red and Cream Point Siamese cats. This often occurs in the form of a ring-shaped drawing on the tail as well as stripes on the face mask and legs. Hair that is too long, too much undercoat or a too coarse texture of the coat are also undesirable. Few or unclearly demarcated points from the body fur and body fur that is too dark, especially with lighter colors, also lead to point deductions when judging a Siamese cat at a pedigree cat show.

breeding

A litter siamese kitten, modern type

The breeding of the Siamese is significantly influenced by the respective pedigree cat breed club and its umbrella organization. For example, in clubs affiliated to the CFA, only Siamese cats of the basic colors may be mated with one another. Crossing with other colors or foreign races is not permitted. In general, however, when breeding the Siamese cats, at least the oriental shorthair is recognized as a crossbreed partner and is also used in practice. In return, Siamese cats have been involved as breeding partners in the creation of numerous other pedigree cats. Usually through this "outcrossing" the slim shape and the point coloring should be brought into the breed. Genetic traits of the Siamese cats can be found, for example, in the Javanese cat , Colourpoint , Birman cat , Burma cat , Havana cat , Ocicat and the Tonkanese .

Siamese cats are sexually mature relatively early between four and six months at the latest. A female becomes “in heat” approximately every 14 days throughout the year ( oestrus , so is ready to mate). Since Siamese cats have 100% blood group A, there is no risk of feline neonatal isoerytholysis when mating Siamese cats due to the mixture of blood groups A, B and AB. Mating is followed by a gestation period of 63 to 69 days. As already mentioned, the litter size is four to six, sometimes more puppies. The young kittens usually develop faster than other breed pups. After a few days, due to the lower temperatures (during the gestation period, the temperature in the womb was a constant 39 ° C), the points begin to color. After a certain period of breeding pedigree can (English: pedigree ) be requested from the breed club. The official color of the animal is also noted there.

Only members of a recognized pedigree cat breed club, which in turn can be affiliated to one of the larger umbrella organizations, can officially breed. There you register your kennel name ( breed name , English: prefix or cattery name ). This is a unique registered breed name, for example de la Chat . The breeder is solely responsible for selecting the kennel name as well as the names of the individual cats derived from them that result from the breeding in this kennel. The own association provides the Siamese cat breeder with the pedigree for the animals in his kennel. This means that cats can also be exhibited and awarded prizes in national and international pedigree cat shows.

The old type of Siamese cat: The Thai cat

Siamese cat Seal Point, traditional type / Thai cat

Thai cat Blue Tortie Point

As already mentioned, some umbrella organizations and the pedigree cat breeding associations organized in them recognize the Thai cat as their own pedigree cat. Thai cats, often also referred to as “traditional Siamese cats”, represent an older phenotype of the Siamese cat, which was usually found in Siamese cat breeding until the early 1990s. Since that time the breeding of the Siamese cats has mostly developed in the direction of today's so-called modern type, while some breeders continued to breed the previous old type. As a result, two different types of Siamese can be generally distinguished today: the traditional type (recognized as Siamese or Thai cats depending on the club or association) and the modern type (only Siamese). In breeding there are always cats that are phenotypically between the two types mentioned above.

A purely bred Thai cat has the same genetic characteristics in genotype as a Siamese of the modern type. There are striking visual differences in appearance, especially in the head area. The ears of the Thai cats are set much higher, while the modern Siamese cats are bred for large, clearly vertically set ears. Also the whole head shape, depending on the individual characteristics of the individual animal, in the Thai cats is clearly more round and less strongly wedge-shaped to triangular. In the USA, Siamese cats of the old type are therefore also called "Appleheads". Overall, the Thai cat's physique is more rounded, while the extreme type of the modern Siamese cat has a very slim and almost tubular body.

Colours

Siamese cats can come in over 100 different colors and patterns. Based on four classic basic colors, which already occurred naturally in the genome of the Siamese cats and can be traced back to mutation, further color variations have emerged through crossing and hybridization. There are also respective combinations with “tortie” (English name for tortoiseshell, genetic color red) and the tabby pattern.

Genetic background

Crossing table of the four basic colors

The colors of the Siamese cat are decisively influenced by a mutation found in this breed . This is known as oculocutaneous albinism type 1 and leads to partial albinism . The enzyme tyrosinase , which is responsible for the formation of the dark pigment melanin , does not function at higher temperatures. Genetically, this effect is based on the so-called coloration gene. Its allele c ^a leads to white fur with blue eyes, the allele c ^s causes the typical point color of the Siamese cat. The genotype of a Siam Seal-Point cat is aaB-c ^s c ^s D-, the allele c ^s is often referred to as the "Siam gene".

As a result, in addition to the blue eye color already mentioned, the fur color of newborn Siamese kittens is basically white. Only after a few days do the points, darker colored areas, develop in the body periphery. This is a form of acromelanism . Complete coloration can take up to 6 months. The rest of the body remains white to creamy white, depending on the point color. Seal-Point Siamese have the darkest colored fur, Cream-Point Siamese an almost pure white. However, each individual can react differently in terms of color to the surrounding temperature.

A special feature are the continuously white colored Siamese cats, which are called " Foreign White ". The white coat color of the Foreign White as well as its blue eye color go back to the partial albinism described above and the additional gene for " epistatic white". However, it lacks the point coloring, so these animals keep a pure white coat. White fur and blue eyes in other cat breeds are due to a different genetic combination (coat color is determined by the W gene), which in these animals is often linked to deafness . This is not necessarily the case with the Foreign White due to the different genetic constitution, but it must generally be taken into account in breeding. For this purpose, according to the Animal Welfare Act (Animal Welfare Act § 11b as well as expert opinions on the interpretation of § 11b of the Animal Welfare Act [prohibition of torture breeding]), appropriate measures and investigations are prescribed, some of which also apply to the Foreign White.

Classic basic colors

The characteristics of the four classic basic colors of the Siamese are described as follows:

Seal-Point (color code 24)

• Body color: darkening cream to warm light brown tone
• Badge: deep black brown (= seal)
• Nasal mirror: deep black brown (= seal)
• Color of the pads of the paws: black-brown

Blue Point (24a)

• Body color: ice-colored white, cold dark blue allowed on the back
• Badge: blue-gray
• Nose mirror: slate-colored
• Paw pads color: slate color

Chocolate Point (24b)

• Body color: ivory
• Badge: milk chocolate color
• Nose mirror: chocolate-colored
• Paw pads color: cinnamon to milk chocolate

Lilac Point (24c)

• Body color: off-white, possibly with a pale purple shade
• Marks: light gray with a pink sheen
• Nasal mirror: pale purple
• Paw pads color: pale purple

• 

  Siamese cat Seal Point , modern type

• 

  Siamese cat Blue Point , traditional type / Thai

• 

  Chocolate Point Siamese cat , modern type

• 

  Siamese cat Lilac Point , moderately modern type

More shades of color

Siamese cat Red Tabby Point

In addition to the four basic colors, there are also the red shades Red Point and its dilution Cream Point. Other colors that have only recently emerged in Siamese cat breeding are Cinnamon Point (about the crossing of Abyssinian cats in the 1960s) and Fawn Point.

Caramel Point and Apricot Point are newer shades of color that were created by the gene for modified dilution ( Dilute Modifier , Dm). Cream Point and the Dilute Modifier create the apricot color of the points. From Blue, Fawn and Lilac Point and the Dilute Modifier, the color Caramel is created, each subdivided into blue-based, fawn-based or lilac-based caramel.

Tortie

Siamese cat Seal Tortie Point

Every color except red and cream (non-genetic red) can occur in combination with the second color red in the form of tortoiseshell (common English name: tortie). A color combination with tortie as an additional color is only available in females due to the sex-linked inheritance of this property via the orange gene. A tortie coloring of the point color is characterized by clearly recognizable red-orange color components in the point coloring. The cat is then referred to as the Siam Seal-Tortie Point, for example. A combination of tortie coloring with other modifying factors such as tabby, silver, etc. is possible. If the characteristics tortie and tabby appear together, they are also abbreviated as torbie in the color name .

Modifications of the individual colors

In addition to the different colors, there are other factors that influence the color scheme and characteristics.

Tabby pattern

The basically uniform point coloring can be modified by a crossed tabby pattern . In a Siam Seal-Tabby Point cat (32SP), the point color is interspersed with lighter stripes of the normal coat color. The tabby pattern can occur with all shades of color and in combination with all other modifying factors.

Silver coloring

Siamese tomcat Seal Tabby Silver

In Siamese with the modification "Silver" a suppressed melanin - inhibitor gene (in the genotype as I or i denotes, Polygen ) the full coloration of the individual hair by suppressing the formation of pigment . Depending on the intensity of this factor, only the upper hair areas, in extreme cases only the tip of the hair, are colored. This leads to a silver coloration, which can also be combined with all other modifying factors. A Seal-Point cat with a corresponding Silver modification is called a Siam Seal-Silver Point (24Sv).

White (bicolor, tricolor)

Siamese cat seal tortie point / white (tricolor)

The point coloring of the Siamese can be covered almost completely or partially with white by spotting. A distinction is made here between bicolor and tricolor Siamese cats. In the former, the point color, as well as any other color modifications that may be present, is combined with white spotting and is then referred to, for example, as Siam Seal Point white (24w). With the tricolor Siamese cats the combination consists of the point color, tortie and white piebald. If the example just mentioned with Bicolor is retained, it would now be a Siam Seal-Tortie Point white (32bSPw). However, this is not the Piebald-White-Spotting , also known as white spotting , as occurs in other cat breeds.

In extreme cases, only the slightest traces of coloration remain in the fur from the point coloring on the body. A complete white coloration of all points still present on the body and thus a completely white Siamese cat is called foreign white .

Due to the variety of colors, color combinations (tortie), color modifications (tabby, silver) and a possible spotting, there are well over 100 different combinations and individual different-looking phenotypes in Siamese cats. For example, a Siam Seal Silver Tortie Tabby Point white (key code 32STPSvw) combines all possible color-influencing parameters in one phenotype.

Recognition of individual color varieties and alternative breed names

The recognition of individual colors and all possible genetic phenotype variants lies with the individual umbrella organizations or clubs. The classic four basic colors are recognized worldwide. At the largest American umbrella organization, the CFA , all other color varieties are listed as a separate breed called Colorpoint Shorthair . The largest European umbrella organization, the FIFé , recognizes far more color varieties, but has, for example, the bicolor and tricolor Siamese cats as a separate breed called Seychellois . Umbrella associations such as the British GCCF , the German WCF or the American TICA are more liberal when it comes to recognizing individual phenotype variants and even recognize the Thai cat as an independent pedigree cat. Many German cat breeding associations base their recognition on the standards of the WCF and TICA

Related pedigree cats

The Siamese is the best-known representative of a group of pedigree cats that have features similar to those of the Siamese in terms of body structure and color. This group is called “Oriental cats” or “Orientals” for short. This group includes the Balinese, the semi-long- haired Siamese, and the Oriental Shorthair . Both pedigree cats were created through selection and further breeding as well as crossbreeding of Siamese cats with other pedigree cats. Another pedigree cat that belongs to the group of oriental cats is the Javanese cat , also known as the oriental longhair or mandarin.

While Siamese and Balinese are point cats , the Oriental Shorthair and Javanese have green eyes and a point color that goes over the entire body fur. In a broader sense, Burmese cats (Burmese), Tonkanese and Peterbald , the nude variant of the Siamese cat, are also sometimes included in this group.

• 

  Balinese cat Blue Tabby Point

• 

  Javanese male Red Classic Tabby

• 

  Young oriental shorthair cat Black Tabby Spotted / white

• 

  Tonkanese Cat Natural Mink

• 

  Peterbald Cat Lilac Tabby

Diseases and genetic defects

In addition to the common cat diseases (→ diseases ), there are special diseases and malformations in the Siamese cats that can occur more frequently in this breed of cats.

Malformations

The already mentioned kink tail in Siamese cats is one of the original features of the predecessor of the Siamese cats. This malformation is an autosomal - recessive inherited. There is a more or less slight kinking of the otherwise straight tail of the cat. A bony thickening can often be felt. However, due to the selection of breeding animals that has been taking place for a long time, the occurrence of a kinked tail in Siamese cat breeding has decreased significantly.

The formation of a hydrocephalus or hydrocephalus is a hereditary malformation that is fatal . It is observed more frequently in Siamese cats than in other pedigree cats. If Siamese kittens are born with this malformation, they usually die immediately after birth. The inheritance of this malformation is also autosomal recessive, but parts of the inheritance mechanism are still unknown.

Hereditary diseases of the eye system

Female Balinese cat with strabismus

Just like Abyssinian cats , Siamese cats are also affected by progressive retinal atrophy ("retinal atrophy", PRA). This is to be understood as a collective clinical term for degenerative retinal anomalies. It is understood to be a genetically determined, recessively inherited rod - cone - degeneration . The retina of the eye (retina) is continuously and progressively destroyed by local metabolic disorders in the tissue of the retina. A common first symptom of PRA is the onset of night blindness .

Strabismus ( squinting ) and nystagmus (eye tremors) are very common in Siamese cats, as with all other point cats , but, unlike normal colored cats, do not represent independent hereditary diseases with their own inheritance. The squinting and eye tremors In addition to the lightening of the fur and the blue color of the eyes, point cats are further direct consequences of the melanin deficiency which is the cause of albinism , since melanin is of great importance in the differentiation of the visual system . Because of the causal relationship between the desired point coloring and undesirable visual defects, there are limits to the ability to be influenced by breeding, despite appropriate selection. Although the Siamese have problems with fixation and are likely to have impaired binocular vision, this does not significantly affect their ability to hunt.

Cardiovascular system diseases

There are also two inheritable diseases in the heart and vascular system of the Siamese cat. In endocardial fibroelastosis , the inheritance of which is still unknown, there is a significant thickening of the inner heart wall , which can also spread to the heart valves. This can lead to heart murmurs, stunted growth and heart failure. Besides the Siamese cats, only Burmese cats are affected to a significant extent.

Siamese cats are also hereditary predisposed to developing what is known as a persistent ductus arteriosus immediately after birth . This is a lack of closure of the fetal short-circuit connection between aorta and pulmonary vascular trunk in newborn kittens, which can lead to rather unspecific symptoms such as weakness or heart failure. Here, too, the inheritance mechanism is still unknown.

Blood cell defects

Siamese cats are more prone to porphyria and amyloidosis than most other pedigree cats . For both hereditary diseases, the inheritance pattern is not yet known. Porphyrias are a group of hereditary metabolic diseases that lead to a disruption of the structure of the red blood pigment heme . In Siamese cats this leads to very severe anemia , photosensitivity and other manifestations of the disease.

Siamese cats share the predisposition for so-called familial reactive systemic (or renal) amyloidosis with the oriental shorthair cats and the Abyssinian cats. The cause is suspected to be a defect in the leukocytes . Amyloidosis leads to a continuous deposition of the insoluble protein amyloid in the internal organs, the function of which is thereby permanently restricted. The kidneys or liver are primarily affected, which can lead to chronic kidney or liver failure in middle-aged Siamese cats.

Metabolic disorders

In the metabolism of organic acids, isovaleric aciduria occurs as a hereditary disorder in Siamese cats . The inheritance is also unknown here, but an autosomal recessive inheritance is assumed. In sick cats there is a defect in the enzyme isovaleryl-CoA dehydrogenase, which leads to disturbances in the breakdown of the amino acid leucine . As a result, affected cats suffer from metabolic acidosis .

Hereditary storage diseases

Here, too, there are frequent inheritable disorders specifically in Siamese cats. These lead to an accumulation and storage of metabolic products that have not been broken down, such as amino acids or polysaccharides . The most important disease for Siamese cats is gangliosidosis of type GM1 (more rarely GM2), which can also occur in Korat cats . The genetic defect is triggered by a previously unknown gene mutation ; the inheritance is autosomal recessive. From the age of about six months, infected cats suffer from increasing brain damage due to the accumulation of gangliosides (fat-sugar compounds) in the brain. This leads to a progressive degeneration of the central nervous system . For Siamese cats there is a genetic test with which gangliosidosis GM1 and GM2 can be detected in puppies or, regardless of age, in adult animals. The detection can also be carried out in heterozygous carrier animals, which can be excluded from breeding if the test result is positive.

Cancers

Two types of cancer can be observed in Siamese cats . In studies on Siamese cats, mammary tumors were found to be about twice as common as in other breeds. Cancer, which occurs very rarely in male cats, mainly affects Siamese male cats. In the case of adenocarcinoma , the second most common type of tumor in small bowel cancer, there is a clear breed preference for the Siamese. Here the incidence is even 8 times higher than in other pedigree cats.

Behavior disorders

Siamese cats also show a certain prevalence of the so-called pica syndrome . In studies from 2002, 55% of the pedigree cats examined that suffered from pica syndrome were Siamese cats. The pica syndrome is one of the behavioral disorders and is characterized by eating and gnawing on indigestible substances such as wool.

Filmography

A pair of Siamese cats make a striking appearance in Walt Disney's 15th full-length cartoon " Lady and the Tramp ". As a character, they are negative.

Personalities

• Mouni - The Siamese cat by the French composer Maurice Ravel

literature

• Eva-Maria Götz, Gesine Wolf: Siam & Co. Oriental cats. Eugen-Ulmer-Verlag, Stuttgart 1999, ISBN 3-8001-7441-3 .
• Maia Beltrame: Siamese cat. Moewig Verlag, Rastatt 1989, ISBN 3-8118-1111-8 .
• Esther Verhoeff: Illustrated cat encyclopedia. Nebel Verlag, Eggolsheim, ISBN 3-89555-347-6 .
• Candida Frith-Macdonald: The cat. Parragon Books, Bath 2007, ISBN 978-1-4075-6235-3 .
• Marian C. Horzinek, Vera Schmidt, Hans Lutz (Ed.): Diseases of the cat . 4th, revised edition. Enke Verlag, Stuttgart 2005, ISBN 3-8304-1049-2 .
• Alex Gough, Alison Thomas: Breed Dispositions in Dogs and Cats. Elsevier, Munich 2008, ISBN 3-437-58390-5 .
• Sandra Storch: Inherited Design: Breeding, Genetics, Health and Colors of the Cat. Books on Demand, 2006, ISBN 3-8334-6766-5 .
• Claudia Ricken: Genetics for Point Cat Breeders: Siam, Ragdoll, Colourpoint & Co. Books on Demand, 2005, ISBN 3-8334-3167-9 .
• Roy Robinson: Genetics for Cat Breeders. 2nd Edition. Pergamon Press, Oxford 1983, ISBN 3-924975-00-0 .

Web links

Commons : Siamese Cat  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

• Fédération Internationale Féline (PDF; 187 kB) - Siamese cat breed standard (engl.)
• http://rassekatze.eu/kurzhaarrassen/siam/ - Information portal & website about the Siamese cat

References and comments

1. ↑ Eva-Maria Götz, Gesine Wolf: Siam & Co. Oriental cats. P. 9 ff.
2. ↑ Candida Frith-Macdonald: The cat. P. 221
3. ↑ Siamese Descriptions & Standards 1889-2006
4. ↑ Maia Beltrame: Siamese cat. P. 76
5. ↑ ^{a b c} Eva-Maria Götz, Gesine Wolf, p. 15
6. ↑ ^{a b} Maia Beltrame, p. 58 ff.
7. ↑ see for example Franziska Lehne: Improving the quality of life of disabled people through interaction with animals. (PDF; 4.2 MB) In: Contributions to Social Aesthetics , Volume 3. Series of publications by the Carl Richard Montag Foundation for Youth and Society, Projektverlag, Bochum 2003, ISBN 3-89733-087-3
8. ↑ see in detail: Candida Frith-Macdonald: The cat. Chapter "Breeding associations around the world" p. 142 ff.
9. ↑ CFA - Breed Profile: Colorpoint Shorthair
10. ↑ Candida Frith-Macdonald, p. 222
11. ↑ With body color is correct, the body fell meant color. The color of the body skin is pink, more or less strongly colored in the area of ​​the points in correlation to the point color.
12. ↑ Esther Verhoeff: Illustrated Katzenenzyklopädie. P. 92
13. ↑ Blood groups in cats
14. ↑ Maia Beltrame, p. 76
15. ↑ see color codes of the Siamese cat (PDF), website WCF ( Memento from November 20, 2011 in the Internet Archive )
16. ↑ Overview of the Siamese cats "Pointed" (with Siamese badge)
17. ↑ Roy Robinson: Genetics for Cat Breeders. P. 106 ff.
18. ^ Roy Robinson: p. 140
19. ^ Roy Robinson: p. 139
20. ↑ see in detail Foreign White - Balsiamanori.de
21. ↑ Robinson, pp. 133 ff., P. 140
22. ↑ General selection and priority description according to Urs Giger and Mark Haskins in: The diseases of the cat. S. 589 ff. More specific literature on individual sub-chapters is listed and referenced separately in the literature.
23. ↑ B. Käsmann-Kellner, B. Seitz: Phenotype of the visual system in oculocutaneous and ocular albinism . In: Ophthalmologe , 2007, p. 649, doi: 10.1007 / s00347-007-1571-4 .
24. ↑ Alex Gough, Alison Thomas: Breed Dispositions in Dog and Cat. P. 269
25. ↑ Alex Gough, Alison Thomas, p. 271
26. ↑ Michael J. Day, p. 221
27. ↑ Hereditary diseases Laboklin
28. ↑ Martin Kessler: Small animal oncology: diagnosis and therapy of tumor diseases in dogs and cats. P. 248., p. 287
29. ↑ Wolf-Dieter Schmidt: Behavioral Therapy of the Cat. P. 119
30. ↑ youtube.com
31. ↑ https://mimimatthews.com/2016/04/07/classical-cats-the-feline-muses-of-claude-debussy-and-maurice-ravel/

This article was added to the list of excellent articles on December 10, 2009 in this version .