The Siamese cat is a captivating breed known for its striking appearance and distinctive personality. To ensure the breed’s characteristics are maintained, a breed standard is used as a guideline for breeders and judges. This standard outlines the ideal physical traits of a Siamese cat, covering everything from its head shape to its coat color and texture.
General Appearance
The ideal Siamese cat is a medium-sized, svelte, and refined feline with long, tapering lines. It possesses a lithe yet muscular build, with males often being proportionally larger. The essence of the breed lies in its balance and refinement, where all physical attributes harmonize without any single feature dominating.
Head
The head is characterized by a long, tapering wedge. It is medium-sized and in good proportion to the body. The wedge shape begins at the nose and extends in straight lines to the ear tips, forming a distinct triangle. There should be no break at the whiskers, and the width between the eyes should be no less than the width of an eye. When the whiskers are smoothed back, the underlying bone structure should be visible. Allowance is made for jowls in adult male cats.
Skull and Profile
The skull is flat. When viewed in profile, a long, straight line should be visible from the top of the head to the tip of the nose. There should be no bulging over the eyes or a dip in the nose.
Ears
Siamese ears are a striking feature, being large, pointed, and wide at the base. They continue the elegant lines of the wedge-shaped head.
Eyes
The eyes are almond-shaped and medium-sized, neither protruding nor recessed. They are slanted towards the nose, harmonizing with the lines of the wedge and ears. The eyes should be uncrossed.
Nose and Muzzle
The nose is long and straight, forming a continuation of the forehead without any break. The muzzle is fine and wedge-shaped.
Chin and Jaw
The chin and jaw are medium-sized. The tip of the chin should align with the tip of the nose in the same vertical plane, avoiding a receding or excessively massive appearance.
Body
The body is medium-sized, graceful, long, and svelte. It exhibits a distinctive combination of fine bone structure and firm muscles. The shoulders and hips continue the sleek lines of the tubular body, with hips never being wider than the shoulders. The abdomen should be tight.
Neck
The neck is long and slender.
Legs and Paws
The legs are long and slim, with hind legs being higher than the front legs, maintaining good proportion to the body. The paws are dainty, small, and oval. There should be five toes on the front paws and four on the hind paws.
Tail
The tail is long, thin, and tapers to a fine point.
Coat and Condition
Coat
The coat is short, fine-textured, and glossy, lying close to the body.
Condition
Siamese cats should be in excellent physical condition. Their eyes should be clear, and they should appear muscular, strong, and lithe. They should not be flabby, boney, or fat.
Color and Points
Body Color
The body color should be even, with subtle shading where allowed. It is common for Siamese cats to darken with age, so allowance is made for darker coloration in older cats. However, there must be a definite contrast between the body color and the points.
Point Color
The points, which include the mask, ears, legs, feet, and tail, should be dense and clearly defined, all of the same shade. The mask covers the entire face, including the whisker pads, and connects to the ears with tracings. The mask should not extend over the top of the head. There should be no ticking or white hairs within the points.
Nose Leather and Paw Pads
The color of the nose leather and paw pads should correspond to the point color. Improperly colored or spotted nose leather or paw pads are penalized.
Eye Color
The eye color must be a deep, vivid blue. Any other eye color is a disqualifying fault.
Penalties and Disqualifications
Certain deviations from the standard may result in penalties or disqualifications in cat shows.
Penalize
- Improperly colored (off-color or spotted) nose leather or paw pads.
- A soft or mushy body.
- Visible protrusion of the cartilage at the end of the sternum under normal handling.
Disqualify
- Any evidence of illness or poor health.
- Weak hind legs.
- Mouth breathing due to nasal obstruction or poor occlusion.
- Emaciation.
- Visible kink in the tail.
- Eyes other than blue.
- White toes and/or feet.
- Incorrect number of toes.
- Malocclusion resulting in either an undershot or overshot chin.
- Longhair.
Siamese Colors and Class Numbers
The breed standard recognizes several distinct point colors, each with specific characteristics:
Seal Point
- Body: Even pale fawn to cream, warm in tone, shading gradually to a lighter color on the stomach and chest.
- Points: Deep seal brown.
- Nose leather and paw pads: Same color as points (deep seal brown).
- Eye color: Deep vivid blue.
Chocolate Point
- Body: Ivory with no shading.
- Points: Milk-chocolate color, warm in tone.
- Nose leather and paw pads: Cinnamon-pink.
- Eye color: Deep vivid blue.
Blue Point
- Body: Bluish-white, cold in tone, shading gradually to white on the stomach and chest.
- Points: Deep blue.
- Nose leather and paw pads: Slate-colored.
- Eye color: Deep vivid blue.
Lilac Point
- Body: Glacial white with no shading.
- Points: Frosty grey with a pinkish tone.
- Nose leather and paw pads: Lavender-pink.
- Eye color: Deep vivid blue.
Note: The color class numbers provided are for reference and not an official part of the CFA Show Standard.
Outcross Breeds
Currently, there are no allowable outcross breeds for the Siamese in the CFA standard, emphasizing the importance of maintaining the purity of the breed’s established characteristics. This focus ensures that future generations of Siamese cats continue to embody the elegance and distinctiveness that define this beloved breed.
