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Siamese Cat Breeders Traditional
Siamese ©Stockxpert
Siamese
Cat Breeders
continue to have
diverging viewpoints as to what is the true appearance of a Siamese
Cat. For the public, however, it seems that there is no such
polarization of views. The vast majority consider the Traditional
Siamese a Siamese Cat and possibly have little knowledge of the Modern
Siamese.
This page discusses the history of this cat and lists some
Traditional
Siamese Cat Breeders (this
takes you to the bottom of the page). But there are quite a few
Siamese
cat rescue centers
(opens a
new page), particularly in the
States.
In terms of
availability of pictures of Siamese cats there are few professional
photographs of Traditional Siamese cats for the obvious reason that the
associations for decades have not accepted the Traditional
Siamese cat (except recently TICA). That means less
Traditional Siamese cat breeders. It is also why I have
used mainly Flickr photographers
(nearly always amateurs) and some stock photos. Here is a little slide
show of some
traditional Siamese cats. The first one is by Helmi Flick.
It could be argued that the phrase, "Traditional Siamese" is inadequate to describe this cat breed. The word "traditional" implies old and boring. But these concepts relate to inanimate objects and some people see cats as objects to be bought and possessed. In my opinion this cat is the Siamese cat. Read my supporting arguments. Siamese Cat Breeders are today more often
concerned with breeding the Modern Siamese. But before looking at the
Modern it is worthwhile to look at the Traditional Siamese.
Siamese cats are referred
to as "Meezers" by some Siamese cat breeders. Between the Modern and
the Traditional
there is a wide spectrum including the "Classic" Siamese Cat. There is
a wide range of Siamese cat appearances from the Modern to the
Traditional.
Some Modern Siamese Cat Breeders apparently say that the Traditional
Siamese is not really a pure breed as early breeders of the Traditional
crossed the cat with non-Siamese to develop a bigger frame.
 Traditional Siamese Cat photo ©copyright Klodjana Dervishi Photography Recently the TICA has
accepted the Traditional Siamese. The name however was changed to the Thai in order, I believe, to
placate the Modern Siamese Cat Breeders who wanted to stake claim to
the claim that their cat is the true Siamese cat appearance.
This is obviously great progress for the Traditional Siamese Cat
Fanciers. It's a bit of shame, perhaps that the name had to be changed.
This demonstrates the polarized positions that are sometimes taken in
the cat fancy.
Vote on whether you prefer the Traditional or Modern Siamese and when you do you see the results so far. Read my thoughts on how the change from Trad. to Mod. happened: If you get up close to a Modern Siamese cat the appearance is (for me at least) a little artificial and man made looking. I for one cannot see the Modern Siamese as anything other than a man made version of the original (sorry) and a demonstration of breeding gone too far (extreme ultra-typing). This of course is a personal view and there are those though who prefer the Modern, however. You can click through to some pictures on the various types of pointing (i.e. on cat breeds generally) by clicking on this link. Here is some basic information and a coat color chart.
The
CFA
restrict pointing to 4 colors (see below - but this of course only
applies to the Modern Siamese as they do not recognize this cat. TICA
does and their breed standard does not restrict pointing color).
Lynx
pointing on a Siamese cat is interesting.
And by clicking on the link you can see the most beautiful Flame
point Siamese (plus a brief discussion on how this cat
obtained his color). TICA have a clear breed standard for the Thai,
that refers to the cats of Thailand, the original Siamese cats, well
balanced and not extreme in any way. Siamese cat breeders of the
Traditional cat should be very pleased.
The
Traditional
("Applehead")
Siamese is
defined
by its history and also by comparing its history with that of the
"Modern" Siamese. (a thought - don't you think the term "applehead" is
slightly derogatory?). The Modern and the Traditional have similar
characters, it's the appearance that is markedly different.
Other terms for the Modern are "show-style", "extreme" or “wedgie" or "wedgehead”.  Traditional Siamese Cat ©Stockxpert The
Traditional Siamese (see
slide show above) has a robust "normal" shape and weight, while
the Modern has
a long, small head, large ears and a light frame with long, thin legs.
The look of the Modern Siamese
resembles the appearance of original Egyptian cats as depicted by the
ancient Egyptians (Shynx like).
The appearance of these two groups of Siamese cats has polarized opinion. Of course, there is no right and wrong. The only important consideration is the health of the cat. Siamese cat breeders are of course concerned with the health of their cats. There would appear, though, to be some health issues with some Modern Siamese cats in respect of their immune system and life span. What follows is a brief look at the history of this cat breed. You can see an read more by clicking on Siamese Cat History. The 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica provides useful reading on what it describes as the Siamese cat. In 1911 there was only one official type (the traditional type).  Traditional Siamese
photo ©Barb Henry
It remained that way until the 1950s-1960s. The Encyclopedia describes the cat as "by far the most remarkable of all the Old World domesticated breeds1.....the royal Siamese cat, which almost certainly has an origin quite distinct from that of the ordinary European breeds; this being rendered evident not only by the peculiar type of colouring, but likewise by the cry, which is quite unmistakable." The "Old World" in this context refers to the Malay Peninsula (Burma, Thailand and Malaysia). Siam is now Thailand (changed 1939). As mentioned the "Modern" has a long and pointed face, the body being elongated with slender limbs. Interestingly this description would be seem to be accurate if describing the royal Siamese of all those years ago. Perhaps Siamese cat breeders have realized this and sought to replicate what they may consider to be a more original look. This thought is re-enforced when the author in the Encyclopedia says this about the Siamese of 1911 "In constitution these cats are extremely delicate". This runs counter to the reports of a robust cat that is not delicate. However, it is my view that the obervation of "delicate" is a relative one.  Siamese Cat
Breeders - Not a
very good looking Traditional Siamese Cat but a cat that is just the
same, needing the same love and attention and rewarding you in the same
way. We must pay less attention to "looks" and more to the true
character. There is lots of beauty hidden away. Photo
©BabyDinosaur under CC.
As is the case currently, reference is made in the 1911 Encyclopedia to kittens being born "absolutely white". The points developing gradually from a week onwards. "The blue eyes and the white coat of the kitten indicate that the Siamese breed is a semi-albino, which when adult tends towards melanism". Melanism is an increased amount of black or nearly black pigmentation in skin, feathers, hair etc. of an organism. It is the "pointing" gene creates the distinct color pattern.
Here's some more on the
history - this was written before the above and is an outline:
1884 the
departing British
Consul-General (CG) in the Malay peninsula was given a Siamese cat by
the Siamese king.
1885 The sister of the CG exhibits the offspring of her brother's gift at Crystal Palace show. The cats were round-headed, solid and muscular. 1902 England founded its first Siamese cat fancier's club. 
1909 The Siamese Cat Society of America was founded. Standard drafted. 1950 Body type remained unchanged from imported Siamese. 1960-1980s 1990-present A trend back to the Traditional look, driven by Siamese cat breeders who favor the Traditional appearance and who have been shut out of competition as the Traditional no longer conforms to the new breed standard. Associations - Traditional and Classic Cat International (TCCI) - and shows for the Traditional are set up. Appearance changes. Why? I would have thought due to commercial reasons. A desire by Siamese cat breeders to develop a more interesting cat (obvious goal) fetching higher prices. In turn judges at shows awarding prizes to the more interesting appearance and the cycle continues until the breed standard is re-written to "cement" the "Modern" look as the only acceptable look and thereby assigning the Traditional Siamese to the history books. Until now.... So, where does that leave us? Two distinct appearances of the same breed at each end of a wide spectrum. Is it time therefore that the CFA re-wrote the rules to allow both to be shown at the same time and place? Should there in fact be only one breed of Siamese Cat as must have been the case many years ago? In February 2007, TICA (The International Cat Association) recognized the Traditional Siamese for the first time in 50 years. This is clearly a step in the right direction. Traditional Siamese Cat Breeders:These have been selected in the same way as on other pages of this site. I have searched on Google and those breeders that are listed on the first 3 pages are in turn listed here in Google's order. Note: when I did a similar search for Modern Siamese Cat Breeders there were none listed on the first 3 pages. What does this mean?WeAreSiamese Cattery Breeder of quality registered Applehead, Traditional, and Classic Siamese kittens in OK, USA. Traditional Siamese Located in San Diego, USA. Breeding Traditional Siamese for approx. 30 years. Miller's Shoobox Traditional Siamese & Balinese Cattery Located in San Diego, USA. Breeding since 1989 (is this the same cattery as the above or is it affiliated?) Evinea Cattery Breed "Old Style" Siamese. Small thoughtful cattery located in Florida, USA. Nice website. WeAreSiamese Cattery Located in Glencoe, Oklahoma, USA. Breeding Trad.S Siamese since 2001. Royal Siamese Cattery Located in West Sunbury, Pennsylvania, USA. Breeding Traditional Siamese since 1995. Jarmila Siamese Located in Milton Keynes, England. This is South East England about 60 miles north of London. Breeding for the past 15 years. Kittentanz Located in Jasper (Nr. Atlanta), Georgia, USA. They breed other cat breeds as well as the Trad. Siamese. Shadows Traditional Siamese Small hobby cattery (as are a large number of catteries). Can't see location, but it is the USA. Poor Website - sorry. Disagree then post it on the forum. Purfect Points Cattery Located in Ohio, USA. Breed Balinese and Snowshoe as well. GlassSlipper Cattery Located in Las Cruces, New Mexico, USA. Pleasant site carefully produced. To-Pher Cattery Located Suisun City, California, USA. Sources:
1 The 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica is not subject to copyright |
