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It is also said that a Princess of
Royal house of Thailand used to use her cat’s tail as a ring
stand while bathing. The rings were protected from falling down
due to the kink in the cat’s tail. History also reveals the fact
that when all people of Thailand departed from their houses to
defend their kingdom just two Siamese cats remained in order to
guard Buddha’s golden chalice in the sacred temple. One was the
male Siamese cat, Tien and the other was a female Siamese cat,
Chula. The male cat after it was tired guarding the temple left
in search of a priest to look after the temple. The female cat
which was left alone was held so responsible that it used to
guard Buddha’s treasure by wrapping her long tail around its
stem to prevent any theft in case she falls asleep.The female
cat gave birth to kittens which all had the physical
characteristics same as the mother during her period as watch
guard. That is the origin of the kinked tail and crossed eye.
Even today the kittens are born with these features.
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Description of Siamese cats
Siamese cats have a creamy base with colored points on their
paws, tails, ears, lower legs and muzzles. These pointed
patterns are result of mutation of tyrosinase which is an enzyme
involved in melanin production. The points are of different
colours and noticeable in Siamese kittens when they are four
weeks old. Generally, the cats which live in warmer climates
usually have lighter coats compared to cats that live in cool
climates. The adult Siamese cats tend to darken with age.
Siamese cats originally had dark colored points like dark brown
or black but later were born with chocolate, blue or gray, lilac
points with which they could compete in cat shows. The chocolate
points cats had a creamy white body and milk chocolate legs,
tail, ears and mask. The blue pointed cats had a bluish white
body with slate blue points. The lilac pointed ones had pinkish
gray points with a white body. The cross breeds of Siamese cats
have red point, tortoise shell point and lynx point. Siamese
cats are characterized by almond shaped, bright blue eyes and
short flat lying coats.
During the early 1960’s the judges of the cat shows began to
favor for more modernized Siamese cats i.e. more slender look
cats. As a result of selective Siamese cats breeding the result
was increasingly long, thin, tubular bodies slender legs, whip
thin tail, triangular shaped heads with extremely large ears. By
mid 1980’s the cats of original origin had disappeared from cat
shows and only few breeders continued to breed and register
them. They were bred in two types one is the modern show Siamese
and the other is the traditional or “Apple Head” Siamese.
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The voices of adult Siamese cats are
unlike the other breed of cats. The voice is compared to the
cries of human babies. The loudness at which they meow is
compatible with fire and rescue equipments. They are able to
communicate like no other and speak both with their voice and as
well as body. They are believed to be intelligent and get along
with other cats, especially with Siamese or the related breeds.
They love human companionship and are described as “dog-like”
because of their loyalty. They can also be trained like dogs to
walk on leash and perform tricks.
By early twentieth century, Siamese cats had begun appearing in
cats show and in English movies. The most notable ones are Walt
Disney film, That Dammed Cat and cartoon film “The Lady and the
Tramp”.
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