Of course, let’s start our article by reminding you that you should not make money for the traders of animals produced under cruelty, and that you should adopt stray animals in need. Throughout history, the relationship between humans and animals has been shaped mostly by their usefulness to us. But cats have been with us for many years, even though they do little at home except catch mice. Siamese cat is one of them.
The Siamese cat has been with humans for nearly a thousand years. The Siamese cat, one of the oldest breeds in the world, was even considered a royal animal for a while. Interestingly enough, in Europe, where it is most popular today, it was once considered an undesirable, ugly animal. So the story is quite complicated. Let’s take a closer look at the unusual features of the Siamese cat, some of which you will hear about for the first time.
Information about the Siamese cat:
- The Siamese cat is one of the oldest cat breeds in history.
- He’s much more than a royal pet.
- Even if his king came, he could not benefit the Europeans.
- You can see Siamese cats in dozens of different colors.
- Siamese cats have the worst vision.
- It is possible to chat with a Siamese cat.
- There is an incident where Siamese cats reveal spies.
- You may be surprised by the answer to the question of how long does a Siamese cat live?
The Siamese cat is one of the oldest cat breeds in history:
It is known that people have kept cats as pets since the early periods of history. For example, the Egyptian mau cat was domesticated about 3 thousand years ago, and the Norwegian forest cat more than a thousand years ago. Right after these, one of the oldest breeds in the world, which is estimated to have been domesticated around 1350, is the Siamese cat. It is thought that the region where it was first domesticated was today’s Thailand and its surroundings.
He’s much more than a royal pet:
We encounter the first records about the Siamese cat in the Thai royal family in the 14th century. This creature, which they called Siam until the 20th century, was considered a real status symbol, especially in the 19th century. What is more interesting is that the Siamese cat was actually more than a royal pet. According to them, when a royal member died, his soul returned to the world in the body of a Siamese cat. For this reason alone, countless Siamese cats lived a life where they were cherished by the monks in temples in the country.
Even if its king came, it would not benefit the Europeans:
Like many other creatures, the Siamese cat came to Europe via Asia. Like many things that come from Asia, the Siamese cat was never liked by Europeans. There is even a newspaper report from 1870 about the Siamese cat, which was seen as ugly, in which it was described as an ‘unnatural, nightmarish cat’. Fortunately, this situation did not last long, and in 1902, Siamese cat lovers established an association. In 1906, it was recognized by the Cat Fanciers’ Association.
History continues to surprise us. The Siamese cat, which was shunned by Europe for years, became one of the first animals kept in the White House, the residence of the presidents of the United States. An American diplomat stationed in Bangkok gave a Siamese cat as a gift to then-US President Rutherford B. Hayes and his wife. The family loved this cat, whom they named Siam, but he became ill and died within a few months. It is said that the President and his wife were very upset about this situation.
You can see Siamese cats in dozens of different colors:
Interestingly, Siamese cats are born completely white, regardless of the color of the mother and father. What is more interesting is that, due to a mutation they have, they only become colored in air below 35 degrees. Siamese cats, the most common today, have four primary colors. However, it has been observed that the Siamese cat species also exists in 33 different color varieties. Of course, the basic color scale does not change, but caramel and cinnamon colors can be added to the known colors. Moreover, this is a situation that their genes develop naturally.
Siamese cats have the worst vision:
The most unique feature of Siamese cats is that they have blue eye color and a slightly squinted look. No, they do not have a vision problem due to strabismus; their problem is night vision. Almost all felines, including domestic cats, have incredibly sharp vision at night. Siamese cats have difficulty seeing colors in the dark and it is almost impossible for them to distinguish them. It is estimated that the reason for this is the mutation that turns their eyes blue.
It is possible to chat with a Siamese cat:
If you are one of those who say “Oh I wish cats could talk”, it means you haven’t met the Siamese cat yet. Because they are very talkative. The Siamese cat, which is considered the loudest domestic cat breed, makes much more noise than a normal cat because it is a social creature. In fact, some say this sound resembles a kind of baby crying. The interesting thing is that none of these voices are in vain. If you train the Siamese cat, which is a very intelligent breed, well, you can make it talk by teaching that the sounds it makes actually have a meaning.
There is a case where Siamese cats reveal spies:
There is a historical event that shows how intelligent Siamese cats can be. In 1960, at the Dutch Embassy in Moscow, the capital of Russia, Henri Helb, the Dutch ambassador at the time, was keeping two Siamese cats in his room. One day, these cats woke up from their sleep by jumping and straightened their backs, hissing in front of a wall. Suspicious of this situation, the ambassador asked for the wall to be opened. In the opened wall, 30 small microphones were found placed there for espionage purposes. We no longer know what or how they noticed and did such a thing.
You may be surprised by the answer to the question of how long does a Siamese cat live:
Siamese cats have a much longer lifespan than many domestic cat breeds. Although their average lifespan is 15 years, many exceed 20 years of age. What is more interesting is that a Siamese cat named Scooter turned 30 in 2016 and thus entered the Guinness Book of Records. Of course, life expectancy will vary depending on how you look at it.
We talked about the interesting features of the Siamese cat, one of the oldest cat breeds in the world, some of which you may have heard about for the first time. We are sure that after reading this article, you will look at a Siamese cat differently when you see it.
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