Breed Spotlight- The Blue Eyed Siamese Cat

THE BLUE EYED SIAMESE IS ELEGANT

 

 

The blue eyed Siamese cat is one of the most popular cats in the United States and perhaps the world. The Siamese cat is an oriental cat.  We have all heard of the Broadway show known as “The King of Siam” which initially starred with Yul Brenner.  Siam is the old name for the country of Thailand.  This is where the Siamese originated.

Talk about those dark blue eyes!  Steel blue eyes that can cut right through you.  Animals with blue eyes always have peculiar things about their personality or lack of some important anatomical feature.  In the Siamese cat no tapetum lucidum is present.  YOU SAID WHAT!!  That is the name of the part of the retina that is associated with low light vision.  It is a superb reflector of light.  Most people may not be familiar with the name but they are familiar with seeing people in flash photographs with the characteristic red dot in the eye.  In dogs and cats it is green.  That is the tapetum lucidum.  This may be one of the reasons why Siamese cats tend to cling to people.   Their low light vision capabilities are limited.  The other peculiar thing about the Siamese cat’s eye is that it is the only cat where nystagmus is normal.  Nystagmus is the quick flitting or jerking movement of the eye to the left or to the right.  In all other animals it is pathological; indicative of an inner ear infection or cerebral tumor among other causes.

 

 

THE PERSONALITY TRAITS OF THE SIAMESE

The blue eyed Siamese cat can be described as your personal feline concierge.  It will do about anything for you. They love to follow you around the house all day telling you how to do this or that in the most condescending way possible.  While they put you down they want to tell you all their troubles.  The blue eyed Siamese is one of the most talkative cats around.  That Siamese cackle is unmistakable.

Siamese cats come in about four different flavors that are common in most American homes. Like people they come in all different types of shapes and sizes.  From the petite 6 pound females to the robust, macho 13 pound males.  They are defined by the color of their ears points.  The most common types are:

• Chocolate Point-  The ears are a mocha or dark brown color.  To die for.
• Lilac Point-  The ears have a light gray hue to them.  Very classy.
• Seal Point-  Very similar to the chocolate point with a dark brown color.  Very mysterious.
• Blue Point-  A slight blue hue to the ear color which looks more blue gray then anything else.  Extremely elegant.

Siamese cats do not do well by themselves.  They would not be the pet to have if you work all day and the animal is alone. Left alone or without any social activity the blue eyed Siamese can become moody and quite temperamental.  Call it pouting.  They need almost constant companionship, be it with people or other family pets.  If your home is empty during the day and you really want a Siamese cat, get TWO of them.  Trust me on that.  They revel in companionship and their true colors really shine.  If their social life is figured out you can enjoy the many hours of fun that they provide.

Siamese cats are true acrobats thanks to their long, slender muscular bodies. They can act like a dog and play fetch better than the majority of the canine world.  They love to play and have fun.  Just make sure they have plenty of companionship throughout the day.  The blue eyed Siamese loves the creature comforts of home and prefers to spend its evenings during a cold winter night underneath the down comforter with their special human.

From a medical perspective they appear to be healthy animals.  As they get older they are prone to kidney disease but so are a lot of other senior cats.  If there is one condition I have seen more often in Siamese cats it is mammary masses (breast cancer). All breast cancer in cats is malignant.  The solution to that is to get the cat spayed before its first heat cycle.  If you choose to breed the female get her spayed as soon as the milk from her last litter has dried up.  That takes just a few weeks once the youngsters are weaned and kept AWAY from her nipples.

Almost all animals were never too thrilled to see me.  They never associated me with healing them or saving their lives.  The owners did but most of my patients had very little patience when I was around.  Siamese included.  Many a Siamese cat hissed or swatted at me through their carrier.  They are very loving and intelligent and make fabulous pets- if you can tolerate all the doting!