by Michael
(London, UK)
Blue point traditional Siamese cat bred and photographed by Marie Clements
When we talk of Siamese cat personality we also need to talk of Balinese cat personality, Oriental Shorthair personality and Oriental Longhair personality. We should also differentiate between traditional, classic and modern body types. The classic or intermediate Siamese cat shape is the Thai cat, a new breed but for me a Siamese cat in all but name. They are all essentially the same cat. The differences coming in the type and colour of the coat and the body shape and head shape. The personality should be the same or similar across all the breeds.
Secondly, a major factor in the assessing or dictating a cat’s personality is its intelligence and the Siamese cat is in the top tier of intelligence of all the cat breeds. The Sphynx cat being the only breed above. We should, though be cautious when discussing cat intelligence because the assessments that have taken place are bound to be less than precise.
All that said, the Siamese cat personality is active, inquisitive, vocal and perhaps in a nice way, demanding of the human caretaker’s attention. These are considered attractive traits by the majority of people who keep cats as the Siamese is extremely popular, ranking currently third out of about 70+ breeds on this site as indicated in a long running poll.
This breeds popularity is not confined to “ordinary” people. The film stars had and still have a propensity to chose the Siamese cat. In the past it was a prestigious cat. Not so now but still exotic in an old fashioned way.
The Siamese cat personality extends to a fondness for being close to their human companion. This means that they will or should be lap cats and more. Some cats like to sleep with their humans and that can mean on or very close to them!
Yet, we also must remind ourselves that cats have individual personalities. A cat’s character depends on their genetic make up (genotype) and their experiences, particularly when kittens. Then there are differences in personality between the sexes just as is the case for people. These personality differences may well outshine the personality trait of the breed in question.
Bearing mind, therefore, that the Siamese cat’s intelligence leads to inquisitiveness and loud vocalisations when making demands, the best way to relate with a Siamese must be to respond, which should be easy if we love and like being with our cat as should be the case.
In short, the Siamese cat personality might place more demands on us relatively speaking in terms of contact, stroking and play. This is good for us! This is one reason why the Siamese is still after hundreds of years a top cat breed throughout the world.
One last point, Dr. Bruce Fogle, the author of The Encyclopedia of the Cat describes the temperament as, “energeticallly enterprising”.
Marie Clements who breeds traditional Siamese cats says,
Like a dog, they come when you call their name and even possess the ability to Recognize many words..They want to go everywhere you go…it is important to Be mindful of the dangers such curious cats might encounter…They are busy bodies with a sense of curiosity
Check out the Navbar and home page for links to Modern and Traditional Siamese cats plus the Thai cat and see:
Types of Siamese (image comparison)
Siamese cat personality to Siamese cat breeders
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