Recognizing the Siamese Cat Introduction Founded in 1998, the Siamese Cat Rescue Center works with shelters and other rescue organizations throughout our coverage area, assisting with the placement of Siamese cats. This can be done either by transferring qualifying cats into our Rescue Program., or by referrals to an advertising newsletter, known as The Siamlist. This informational booklet was designed to help you identify Siamese and Siamese mixes that may be eligible for placement in our program. Recognizing a Siamese Cat in Rescue In the Rescue and Shelter business, we understand there is rarely such a thing as a purebred Siamese. For the purpose of identifying candidates for our program, we use the term Siamese to encompass a broad class of cats meeting the following criteria: Blue eyes. This is a requirement. Cats with eyes of any other color would not be considered Siamese. Points. Points consist of a contrasting color on the face (mask), ears, tail and feet. The most common points are seal (dark brown), chocolate (light brown), lilac or blue (grey), flame (orange) and lynx (striping, either alone or atop one of the above mentioned points), and tortie (calico markings on the pointed areas only). Body color. The rest of the body should be a cream color (for chocolate or flamepoints), a brown (varying from light tan to darker brown) (for sealpoints), a light grey (for blue/lilac points and lynx points). Whatever color the body is, it should be consistent and solid. Hair length. The fur on most purebred Siamese is very thin and tight to the body; on other Siamese cats it may be thicker (what we term a flannel coat ) with a length up to an inch or so. Siamese cats are not, however, long haired, and cats meeting the above criteria but having long hair are more likely to be Himalayan mixes, and not suitable for our program. Additional identifying features might include: Head and body style o Wedge Siamese with a triangular face and a long lanky body are called wedge heads o Apple Siamese with big round faces and typically stocky bodies are appleheads Eligibility Criteria When an Intake Evaluator visits your shelter to assess a Siamese cat, they will be looking at the cat to determine the following: Whether the cat is negative for Feline Leukemia and Feline Aids, if known.* Whether the cat can be handled by Shelter Staff and / or our Intake Evaluator, and if there is any history of aggression.
Whether the cat has blue eyes. Whether the cat has clearly defined points, with a solid body color Whether the fur is of an acceptable length, ie this is not a long haired cat Whether there is any white on the cat, and if so, how much. (Note some white on the paws and mask are acceptable and are considered for our purposes to be a snowshoe ) Whether the cat is using the litterbox fairly well Whether there are any significant or chronic medical conditions that may be unresolvable Whether or not the cat is pregnant, and if so, whether it can still be safely spayed Approximate age based on dental and body condition Any assistance you can provide with respect to these queries, either in advance, when assistance is requested, or at the time, when the IE is conducting the evaluation, will be greatly appreciated. In order to qualify, the cat must test negative on a FeLV/FIV combo test, regardless of age or background. If the shelter is unable to provide this test, alternate testing arrangements can be made at the time of pull, however, we ask your consideration in allowing the Intake Evaluator to return the cat to the shelter, should they test positive on either of these tests. The following pages provide photographs and descriptions of each of the three body types and the color points characteristic of the Siamese that are eligible candidates for placement with Virginia Siamese Cat Rescue Center.
BODY TYPES: MODERN OR WEDGIE Wedge heads (also called wedgies or modern) are the result of breeder's intent to encourage an elongated look. Wedgies come in all color points and have a long, slender, tubular body, long legs, small oval shaped feet, long graceful neck, long whip like tail, a wedge shaped head (hence the nickname) large ears set far apart on the head, and slightly slanted vivid blue oval shaped eyes.
BODY TYPES: CLASSIC Classic Siamese are the "in the middle" type. This type is of medium build and has good muscular development. The neck, body, legs and tail are slightly elongated. The ears are medium sized, the eyes are rounded almond-like and there is a very small break in the nose below the eyes. Classics have a slight wedge, neither rounded nor pointy. They are not extreme in any way.
BODY TYPES: TRADITIONAL OR APPLE-HEADED Traditional Siamese (also called appleheads) have thick round heads, muscular, sturdy bodies, and brilliant blue eyes. Their eyes are shaped like almonds on the top half, and rounded on the bottom half. There is a slight break in the nose below the eyes. The ears are medium sized, though smaller than the Classics. The muzzle is blunt, though not short. Nothing is extreme on this body type.
COLORS: SEAL POINT The seal point is the most commonly recognized Siamese. The body is pale fawn to cream, lighter on the stomach and chest. The points are deep brown, nose leather and paw pads are the same color as the points. The seal point's eyes are a deep vivid blue. Pointed cats such as the Siamese, are born pale all over. As they grow older, the points gradually develop. Age, and the gradual cooling of the body that can come with it, can cause the fur to become darker.
COLORS: CHOCOLATE POINT The body is Ivory, with no shading visible. Points are milk chocolate. Nose leather and paw pads are rosy brown to cinnamon pink the eyes are a deep, vivid blue.
COLORS: LILAC OR BLUE POINT Blue. The body is bluish white, cold in tone, and shades to white on the stomach and chest. Points are a deep blue (gray actually), nose leather and paw pads are slate gray, and the eyes are a bright vivid blue. Lilac. The body is glacial white with no shading. Points are a frosty gray with pinkish tone. The nose-leather and paw pads are lavender pink, and the eyes are a bright vivid blue. The coloring of the lilac-point is very delicate and light.
COLORS: LYNX POINT Lynx. The body on a lynx point ranges from cream to pale fawn, shading to lighter color on the stomach and chest. Body shading may take the form of ghost striping. Points can be seal or blue, with stripes on those points. The key with lynxpoints is that the main body should be a creamy color, not tabby stripes or swirls.
COLORS: FLAME OR RED POINT The body color on a flame point is cream to white with some shading; points are light apricot to deep red. The nose leather and paw pads are bubble gum pink. Most reds show tabby striping and have little color on their legs. The eyes are a deep vivid blue. Flame points are very slow to develop their full coloring, and can take up to two years to develop fully.
COLORS: TORTOISE POINT OR TORTIE TORTIE. Torties are Cats with tortoiseshell markings on the points. The body is pale fawn to cream, shading to a lighter color on the stomach and chest. Points are seal brown, uniformly mottled with red and cream. A blaze is desirable. The nose leather can be seal brown or flesh pink where there is a blaze. Paw pads can be seal brown or flesh pink. The eyes are a deep vivid blue.
COLORS: SNOWSHOE White markings on the paws and/or on the face and chest would be termed, for Rescue purposes, a Snowshoe Siamese. In these instances, we look to see how much white is on the body and whether there is a fairly solid body color. These cats are considered for Rescue in limited numbers. These cats will be considered for rescue in limited numbers.