Nichelle Nichols has recently died at the age of 89. She was a very well-known actress from her portrayal of Nyota Uhura in Star Trek and its film sequels. It was a groundbreaking role for an African-American actress on American television. She used her celebrity to help promote NASA’s programs and recruit a more diverse cross-section of American society including women and ethnic minorities.
I’m one of those people who enjoyed her acting on Star Trek but she was multitalented being a singer and dancer as well. She was born in Chicago and her father became the town mayor of Robbins, a suburb of Chicago in 1929. He was also its chief magistrate.
But the reason for this short post is the picture on the Internet of her in her living room with three Siamese cats. And tellingly there is a large framed picture on the wall of a Siamese cat behind her. This all points to the inevitable conclusion that Nichelle Nichols was a cat lover with a particular fondness for Siamese cats.
She looks as though she was about 30 years old at the time which means it was taken around 60 years ago, in the 1960s perhaps. I mention this because the Siamese cats are what I would call traditional Siamese or old-style Siamese cats in appearance. What I mean is they are not contemporary or extreme-bred Siamese which is now the standard Siamese body conformation.
At the time, in the 1960s, the cat fancy had yet to selectively breed this extreme look which a lot of people including me don’t like. Back in the day there was only one choice of Siamese cat, the one you see in the photograph. Nowadays there is a whole range of Siamese cat appearances which you can read about by clicking on the link below.
RELATED: Types of Siamese Cat with Pictures
The large framed picture of what must have been a beloved Siamese cat companion on the wall behind her clearly indicates a deep attachment to her cats. Cat people are good people! And she is described by one neighbour as being “very nice and very friendly”.
She was a very attractive woman and she maintained her attractiveness deep into old age. I don’t know whether I’m allowed to mention that in a woke, politically correct world but I think I probably am. I think she was a very elegant woman who liked the elegance of Siamese cats and their loyalty. Siamese cats are famed for their sleek beauty which I think is very appropriate seeing as she was a sleek beauty as well.
Siamese cats are very close to their human caregiver and talkative. They are intelligent, inquisitive and nosy and can be quite demanding which isn’t a problem if you love them. All you have to do to please them is to interact, hold them, stroke them and talk. Just be a loving friend which, I am sure, is exactly what Nichelle Nichols was to her beautiful Siamese cats.
Below are some more pages on Siamese cats.
