I don’t believe Siamese cats are necessarily clingy. For ‘clingy’ you might, instead, describe the Siamese as liking human company. Clingy is being a bit critical whereas a cat who likes to be around people is desirable. There are other considerations too.
Gloria Stephens (Legacy of the Cat) writes about the Siamese character:
“They want to be as close as possible, and their need for closeness verges on the desperate”.
Is that clingy? Maybe it is 😉 .
Gloria, though, is generalising. You can’t claim all Siamese cats have the same character. Cats aren’t manufactured in a factory like like nuts and bolts. There will be individual variations.
I’d expect Siamese cat breeders deliberately select breeding cats who are very friendly because this is what people normally like.
Gloria goes on to write, “Indeed these are demanding cats”. This is a hint at the clinginess (friendliness) of the Siamese.
Dr Bruce Fogle describes the Siamese as “gregarious” (Encyclopaedia of the Cat), a word which hints at the fact that cats of this breed like human companionship. To be honest, I think this characteristic is overstated. Breeders like to create clear demarkations between the breeds on character and appearance.
If a person’s Siamese cat is genuinely clingy, there will most likely be a reason for it other than the cat’s personality or in addition to personality. It may be a sign that the cat is feeling insecure and/or is bored and wants attention, such as play and general interaction.
The cure for an insecure cat is to make her feel secure. Perhaps the answer for a cat who is clingy is to interact more with her. That should remove the need for her to make demands which is a feature of clinginess.
Let’s not forget, too, that for one person a cat might be clingy but for another person the same cat might be delightfully friendly. The cat caretaker may really like the demands for a highly interactive companionship. Some cats might be addicted to a person’s lap – great for a lot of people. Perceptions depend on the person. Clinginess is subjective. We have to analyse the person’s character as well as the cat’s.
The Siamese family of cats is large and includes the Oriental SH, to name one. Cats of this breed should have similar personalities.
Associated: Siamese personality.
[weaver_breadcrumbs class=’alt-class’ style=’inline-style’]
[weaver_show_posts cats=”” tags=”siamese-cat” author=”” author_id=”” single_post=”” post_type=” orderby=”date” sort=”ASC” number=”2″ show=”full” hide_title=”” hide_top_info=”” hide_bottom_info=”” show_featured_image=”” hide_featured_image=”” show_avatar=”” show_bio=”” excerpt_length=”” style=”” class=”” header=”” header_style=”” header_class=”” more_msg=”” left=0 right=0 clear=0]
I think they are too. Then the new owners who are gullible enough to believe that Fluffy or Fido should behave only in a certain way are pretty surprised when their new companion’s personality comes out once they get comfortable in their new home.
I’ve never gotten any of my furkids from breeders. Once I ‘bought’ a kitten from a hustler kid on a shopping mall parking lot. I rescued the majority of my cats from shelters, and I always meet with the little furballs so that I can get an idea what I’m getting into. When I adopted Samirah the shelter tried to convince me that she was all sweetness and light. She is, but she’s also cranky too. I guess they thought cranky would scare me off. It didn’t.
To be honest I think the breeders do people a disservice in constantly promoting the idea that breeds have certain distinct personalities. They are misleading the public.
You’re absolutely right. My family loves German Shepherds. As a breed they are regarded as incredibly loyal and smart. The dogs we had were, but each one had his own distinct personality and his own particular quirks. Snoopy would climb the eight foot tall fence around his kennel so he could get out and roam. That’s supposed to be very unusual for a large dog.
It seems that your experiences support what I have said before. There is a tendency for there to be an underlying character for a breed but individual characters are what we mainly experience.
I’ve never had a Siamese, but from the description that doesn’t sound clingy to me. Some of the cats I’ve had were true lap cats, others were aloof but I loved them all. I admit I talk to them like they were human, and since they all seem to understand and to talk back, I’m the type of person who would encourage a Siamese to talk.
Michael, you’re right, you can’t generalize. I once had three Manx cat females who were as different as night and day. The oldest, Cujo, hated cuddling and tolerated my affection. The youngest, Maya, preferred to hang out in my bedroom all the time. She didn’t mind a head scratch or two sometimes. The middle cat, Moo, was a couch potato when she wasn’t tearing around the house doing the kitten crazies even as an adult. Moo would sit on the couch and watch tv with me. Manx are a very dog-like cat. They love to be with their humans, or so they say.
I’ve never had a Siamese cat, and after hearing one cry many years ago, I decided that I wouldn’t get one, even from a shelter.
I did have a cat that was a true lap cat. Every time I sat down, she was on my lap. I considered getting a baby sling for her, so I could get up and down without disturbing her, but I never did.
She was also a talker, and very friendly with strangers.
She was part Persian, but I didn’t know about the other part.