Description

The Siamese cat combines the grace of the panther, the fleetness of a deer, the softness of the finest eider down, the strength of a tiger, the affection of a dog and the courage of a lion. Siamese cats are beautiful; a continual study in symmetry, grace and elegance they are sleek and slender with medium sized body frames, long and svelte with fine bones and firm muscles. Their heads are tapered wedges that start at their nose then flair out in straight lines up to their ears to form a perfect triangle. Their almond shaped eyes slant upward from their nose and are a brilliant sapphire blue. Their ears are long and pointed with open bases. Their legs are long, slim and dainty ending in small spoon shaped paws. Their thin tails are long and taper to a fine point.

Siamese cats are classified as 'shorthaired cats' with coats that are short and glossy, and have a fine texture, which lies close to their body. As well as their distinctive 'points' Siamese cats are famous for their voice, it is one of the most fascinating things about them and they use it freely to communicate with their human friends.


Siamese cats are the prototype of the go-go group. Always into everything, always wanting to know what you are doing and loudly suggesting ways for you to do it better. Siamese cats are loveable and extremely intelligent animals, they are agile and active and will continually amuse you with their antics, while frustrating you with their ability to get into everything. These cats demand attention and hate to be ignored or left alone. They can become very mischievous if they are bored or lonely. Two Siamese are always better than one as they will keep each other company when their human is not home. Anyone who takes on the challenge of living with a Siamese cat will be rewarded with unlimited affection and hours of entertainment.

Types

There are many colours and varieties of Siamese cats. The original Siamese, and the best known, is the Seal Point. Siamese also come in Blue Point, Chocolate Point, Lilac Point, Red Point, Cream Point, Fawn Point, Caramel Point and Apricot Point. These cats have a solid coloured body with their 'points' being the colour of their mask, ears, legs and tail. For example; Seal Point Siamese have warm cream coloured body with lighter patches on their stomachs and chests and darker patches on the back. Their points are seal brown as are their paw pads and nose leather. Blue Point Siamese have even bluish white bodies with warmer tones on their stomachs and chests. Their points, nose leather, and paw pads are slate blue. Chocolate Points have warm ivory bodies, milk chocolate points, with pink paw pads and nose leather. Lilac Points have pale creamy magnolia bodies with darker magnolia points that appear frosty grey with a hint of pink or lilac. Their paw pads are pink and their nose leather can be either pink or grey. In addition to the large range of solid colours, there are also Tortie Point Siamese who have a Tortie pattern within the colour of their points while their body colour remains solid, and Tabby Points (called Lynx Point in America) whose points have a striped pattern within the colour.

Oriental Shorthair (includes Foreign White & Havana)

Oriental cats are long lived and can easily reach their late teens. The average litter size is about six but large litters of ten or more have been known.

They are of medium size and always feel heavier than they look due to their excellent muscle tone. Their heads are long and taper from the ears, in straight lines, to a fine muzzle forming a perfect triangle. In profile the head is wedge shaped with a straight nose and a strong chin. The tip of the chin and the tip of the nose must line up in the same vertical plane. The head should be set on a long slender neck with ears which are large and pricked and follow the lines of the wedge. The eyes are oriental in shape and slant towards the nose. The legs are long and slim with the hind legs higher than the fore legs. The paws are small and oval. The tail is long and tapering.

Like the Siamese the Oriental is an intelligent, curious cat that will make its presence known. They love to talk to their human companions and expect a reply in return. They want to be part of the family and enjoy playing games like fetch. They need to be kept amused with toys and do not like to be left alone. If you at work all day, it is a good idea to have two cats to keep each other company. Like the Siamese, they are curious creatures so it is not a good idea to allow them to roam outside or their curiosity may get them into trouble. They make happy indoor cats as long as they have plenty of company (human or feline) and toys to play with.

Foreign White

The Foreign White is the only Oriental breed which cannot be mated to other Orientals, its registration policy permits only Siamese and Foreign Whites in the pedigree.

The Foreign White is essentially a solid white Siamese without colour points on the face, ears, paws or tail (unless you take the view, which we do, that it does have Points and they are White). The Foreign White was produced by mating a Siamese to a pure white shorthair, then mating the kittens back to Siamese until all the kittens born were either Siamese or pure white Siamese which became known as a Foreign White (see History).
The show standard of points for Foreign White is the same as for Siamese except the coat colour which must be pure white (there must be no trace of yellow or any colour). The coat must be silky, shining and close lying. The nose leather and paw pads must be pink, coloured hairs or coloured patches on the nose leather or paw pads is not permitted.

The body type is similar to the Siamese (although they tend to be somewhat larger in size). They have the same temperament as the Siamese with the same voice, but somewhat softer. They are talkative, highly intelligent with interesting personalities. The Foreign White is extremely affectionate and can be demanding of your time and attention. Like the Siamese, they may exhibit a devotion to one member of the household in particular.

While they are blue-eyed, the Foreign White has excellent hearing (deafness can be a problem in many white cats). The Foreign White has good hearing because genetically their blue eyes come from the Siamese, rather than the gene which is responsible for blue eyes in other white breeds of cats.

Havana - (Oriental Self)

The Havana was the first Oriental to be given Championship status at cat shows. It has a warm rich chestnut brown coat with bright vivid green eyes. The nose leather, paw pads and eye rims are brown or pinkish brown.

The Standard calls for a "self" coloured cat, fine in bone, lithe and sinuous and with graceful proportions. The coat should be a rich warm brown, ideally 'milk chocolate' but more often described as a warm chestnut brown; the colour should be even throughout all the way to the roots and the fur fine, close-lying and glossy. The head is long and wedge-shaped with a straight profile and a strong chin. The ears should be large, pricked and wide at the base with a good width between them and look transparent. The eyes, a wonderful bright vivid grassy green, slanted and almond shaped. Specific to the Havana is the expressive, almost wistful look known as the 'Havana look'.

It is as intelligent and communicative as the Siamese and Foreign White, to which it is closely related, but quieter and less raucous. It is a cat for the connoisseur. It has been described as "the peak of feline perfection" and a "jewel of a cat". The Havana is an extremely clever, bright cat which is also loving and lively. The original name for the Havana was Chestnut Brown Foreigns, which also describes the colour of this breed's fur.

Havana kittens sometimes have white hairs mixed into their brown coats. This is normal and the white will disappear as the kittens mature.

The Havana cat is gentle, affectionate, and very loyal and loving toward their owners. They have a build similar to the Siamese and Foreign White with wide-set oval eyes of a bright shade of green which can show much expression. As the cats develop and mature from kittens, their eye color becomes more enhanced and deeper. Havana's ears are quite large with rounded tips. Their legs appear long in proportion to their bodies, which is more noticeable in the females than in the more muscular males.
As with the Siamese and Foreign White, they are curious and will investigate anything that moves or catches their eye. They are very playful even when they begin to mature. It is a people-orientated cat who loves human companionship. They are complete extroverts and because of their natural 'showmanship' they make ideal show exhibits. They are cuddly, lively, playful, sensitive and love to be the centre of attention. Havanas are notorious retrievers and love to play fetch. They follow their owners around, wanting to be in the midst of all household chores. They love biting paper and cardboard as well as playing tag and chasing their owners around. They are the epitome of an active energetic cat.

As with Siamese and Foreign Whites, some are thieves and will steal pencils, matchboxes, earrings and keys. They tend to strike characteristic poses which appear to have been passed on genetically. Perhaps their most famous posture is the 'wounded paw' syndrome. If a Havana is not getting enough attention it will raise one paw pathetically until it gets sympathy from its human companion. If sympathy is not rapidly forthcoming and the cat gets tired it will switch its pretended aliment to the other paw.
Not only are Havanas beautiful and entertaining, they are, as are Siamese and Foreign Whites, easy to care for.