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Siamese Cats by Kyung Hee Kim Introduction Is there anyone who loves cats that has not heard of the Siamese? Have you ever seen an exotic cat, which is called the Siamese with blue eyes peering from wedge shaped head and long, slim legs? I like the Siamese cat very much, so that I decided to add a little information at my homepage. In this paper, I will explain about the Siamese cat in my culture page: history, some characteristics of the breed, behavior and training, feeding and nutrition, disease and condition. History There are many legends and stories about the origin of the Siamese cat. The most probable theory is that the breed had its origins somewhere in Southeast Asia. According to "Siamese Breed Page" Casy Boomershine (1998) says that "Although no official records have been found, no doubt exists that the Siamese cat originated in the country of Siam which is now known as Thailand." This is the cat encyclopedia has to say about Siamese: "Although the Siamese is an ancient breed, its origins are obscure. It actually originated in Thailand (which used to be called Siam). . . Hundreds of years ago, a seal point cat appears in the manuscript Cat Book Poems between 1360 and 1767.When the Siamese reached the West is another debatable point. The first to arrive in England, according to some breed historians, were Pho and Mia, a pair presented by the king of Siam to Mr.Owen Gould, British consul-general in 1894.Yet the breed must have been known in England at least thirteen years prior to that date because the catalog of the 1871 London cat show indicates that two Siamese were exhibited. The first recorded American Siamese belonged to Mrs. Rutherford B. Hayes (wife of the 19th President the United States) in the late 1870s." Some characteristics of the breed When you look a Siamese cat in magazines, you attend cat's show; you often find a cat with large bat-like ears, blue eyes, and pencil thin legs. You might ask yourself, "Is this really a Siamese?" Here are answers. According to "Cats" magazine [UK], 27 September (1995) "What have they done to the Siamese Cat?? That is the question hundreds of people have asked me in the past couple of years." The standard for the Siamese is very specific: clear coat, long whippy tail with no visible tail fault (kink), long legs, head to be a nice wedge, ears flared and good size, eyes almond shaped-not round-eye color must be blue. Click here for the specific standard for the Siamese, where you can see with detail. Related Links: Siamese Breed Standard A Siamese cat lover in Denver,Tanya j. Seibert (1998), described his own experience about taking care of his cat: "He is (cat) extremely affectionate but shy with new people. He loves to go outside for a bit but never goes far and prefers to be inside most of the time. He is very cute with a bob-tail, beautiful blue eyes and flame-point markings and is a loving, cuddly, lap-cat. He needs lots of love and attention." Behavior and Training Do you know what a Siamese normal cat's behavior is, and why it may not follow your rules? Even though cat behavior always remain a mystery, I found information that tries to explain it. The article, "Holly Frisby -- Cat Behavior and Training", Dr. Foster & Smith (1999) provides the following explanation below: "Smell is an extremely important sense in cats, in some cases more than sight. Cats have scent glands on multiple places on their body including their faces and feet. . . . . By rubbing their face on various objects, they are leaving their scent. . .Many cat owners confuse urine spraying though they are quite different. Urine spraying is a normal, but if you want to control it,. . . Feed at the same time each day and keep its food, litter box, and bed in their respective places. When people visit, put your cat in a separate room." Another article, "Conquering kitty's urinary problems", Sandra l. Toney (1996) describes: "If you're a Pet Parent who has ever personally experienced a urinary tract infection (UTI), you can certainly sympathize with felines who suffer from this painful disorder. As with ALL illnesses that affect our cats, however, we have to be able to recognize the signs and symptoms of urinary tract infections in our furry friends before we can even begin to help them overcome it! It isn't always easy to note the signs, but it's imperative to take immediate action when you do, as your cat could become seriously ill and even die if no measures are taken!" Feeding and Nutrition It is true that we are what we eat whether we are humans or cats. I think that the Siamese cat is raised on a complete and balanced diet, its chances of living a healthier and longer life is greatly increased. Many people who want to know more about nutrition, so they seriously read about the cat food labels. There are two phases to keep an eye for: complete and balanced, and ages and stages. Fosters and Smith (1999), doctors from Pet Education Company, describe nutrition in the following way: "When your kitten reaches the age between eight and ten months, it is time to make the switch to adult cat food. Adult cats should become accustomed to twice daily feedings at a regular time and a kitten's caloric needs are twice those of an adult cat. At this stage, the amount of food should vary according to your cat's weight and level of activity" According to the magazine "Eating right" (2000), there are several points you should follow: "How to feed your cat?" 1.Always have fresh water available. 2. If your cat is at her appropriate weight, provide access to food all day. 3. Only feed a food made for cats. 4. Expect your cat's appetite to vary from day to day. 5. Don't worry about your cat's appetite unless a loss of appetite or reluctance to eat goes on longer than two days. 6. Expect your cat to show preferences for food. Disease and Condition According with the web site,"Sheelagh Le Cocq" (1995), the author says this about health problems: "Heart problems have become common with one breeder alone reporting a number of cats bought from different sources dying from heart failure before the age of six. Veterinary surgeons have reported eye problems caused by the exaggerated elongation of the nose and undershot jaws are frequently reported. Nervous cats were common." Other common problems are reported within "Best Loving Care for Your Pet" brochure sponsored by Dr.Ballard Company: "Previously known as Feline Urology Syndrome (FUS) or Feline Cystitis, FLUTD (Feline Lower Urinary Tract Disease) is a condition associated with the lower urinary tract." I think that taking cat to the veterinarians for yearly checkups is important to a cat's health and is also important scheduling the proper vaccines. Just like people, cats have a complex body mechanics, so a healthy coat, normal weight and good mobility are that you can see some of the barometers of good health easily. Conclusion While I was doing my paper, I found a lot of information about Siamese cat. Even though some information is not valuable for me, those Siamese pictures are enough to attract in my mind. Through this paper. I can distinguish between good and bad information in Internet. Otherwise , as you can see from my paper, Siamese cats are very charming, affectionate, and intelligent. So, many people love the Siamese cat. References Foster, S, & Smith, L (1999). Cats behavior and training. [Online]. Available: HTTP://pets.yahoo.com/pets/cats/behavior_and_training.html (1999, March 11). Toney, L. (1999). Conquering kitty's urinary problems. [Online]. Available: HTTP://www.petplanet.com/ppc/ContentSystem/article.html (1999, Feb 23). Boomershine, C. (1998). Siamese breed page. [Online]. Available: HTTP://www.breedlist.com/Siamese-breeders.html (1998, Feb 5). White, B. (2000). CFA breed profile: Siamese. [Online]. Available: HTTP://www.cfainc.org/breeds/profiles/Siamese.html (2000, May 2) Brllard, S. (2000). Best loving care for your pet. [Online]. Available: HTTP://www.friskypet.com/db/db_index.html (2000, March 7). Seibert, J. (1998). Free Siamese cat. [Online]. Available: HTTP://www.psd.k12.co.us/archive/k12/0161.html (1998. Feb. 10). kheek@hotmail.com Page created : July 11, 2000 Last updated : July 27, 2000 images on this web-site, copyright © (1999) A. Hoogesteger. Used with Permission back to homepage URL: HTTP://www.eslnetworld.com/mysite/kyunghee/culture.html