Why are Show Siamese' so..different?

juliekit

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I dont want to say ugly because to me no cat is ugly, but they certainly look very different!

They are skinny with a long face, long legs and shorter coat. Way different than the pet siamese. They kind of look like guinea pigs when you close up on the face!

Why the huge difference between pet and show?
 

kai bengals

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I believe you're thinking of the difference between old style siamese and the siamese that fit the newer breed standard.

There should be very little physical difference between pet quality and show quality siamese.

The older style siamese are also sometimes refered to as apple heads.
 

goldenkitty45

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I prefer to use the term "refined" or "fine-boned" rather then skinny. Skinny implies a cat that is sick or malnourshed. A refined/ fine-boned cat is surprising heavy - with muscle - not sick at all.

There are many types of the refined cats - orientals, siamese, rexes to name a few. They look different because they are bred that way - not a random pointed type of cat.

Many of the so-called siamese in the shelters are more mixed - they just happened to be pointed cats that resemble the older style siamese.

If you want a more modern type of siamese, take a look at the tonkinese - they are crosses of siamese/burmese and you might like their style better
 

epona

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Personally I love the modern siamese shape! I would love to have one someday.

I can understand why some people don't like the look of them so much, as I personally don't find persian cats that attractive to look at - it's all a matter of individual taste
 

abymummy

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I personally prefer the Traditional Apple heads myself! I'm not very into tubular cats!
 

hopehacker

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Well my girl SunLee is a new style Siamese, but she's not as extreme as some of the show quality Siamese you see. To me, I think she looks kind of like a rat in the face from her side view. I don't mean that in a negative way. I think she's precious, but I do think her long skinny face does look like a rat's face. Not so much in my siggy picture, but on her side view she does look a little like a rat.
 
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juliekit

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Originally Posted by HopeHacker

Well my girl SunLee is a new style Siamese, but she's not as extreme as some of the show quality Siamese you see. To me, I think she looks kind of like a rat in the face from her side view. I don't mean that in a negative way. I think she's precious, but I do think her long skinny face does look like a rat's face. Not so much in my siggy picture, but on her side view she does look a little like a rat.
I adore your girl, she is absolutely gorgeous and my view of the ideal Siamese. Shes not stocky like the 'new age' Siamese but shes not as fine bones as the older style. Shes perfect!

Adorable, but too refined for my taste.


Too stocky, looks like a shaved Himalayian


Im loving her though
 

kattengek

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I personally love the modern Siamese
And i love the look of this cat:



Someday i want to breed modern Siamese and Orientals, i totally fell in love with those breeds, both their character and looks are amazing
But offcourse that's a personal taste


My Imsadi is a modern Siamese too ( and i also think he looks a bit like a rat/dog/monkey
but i think that's cute):




Here you see the big difference of him and my Ragdoll:
 

yosemite

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I also prefer the more Traditional or Apple Heads. As you said, they are all beautiful and it's really just a matter of personal preference.
 

celestialrags

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I thought modern was wedge style traditional was the old style or apple head
and a clasic was like an inbetween? Now I am confussed

Mabey I was right with the traditional and modern, I had to re-read a couple post that I thought was saying it different. Is there a classic. like a cross between the two, less extreem? Now when they say one is less extreem, to which? The features of the apple head is less extreem or the wedge head is less extreem (or both?) And would that be the clasic, because it less extreem? Or am I just throwing this classic thing in here when I have no business doing it?


(This is why I stick to my ragdolls
)
 

abymummy

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I've never heard of a classic Siamese before!!! An example of an inbetween Traditional Apple head and the more extreme modern Siamese, as GK said, can be found in the Tonkinese...As far as I know when a person refers to the term "less extreme" then they are referring to the modern siamese - ie. the wedge is not so triangular, the body is maybe less tubular or slightly stocky...and this is why I breed Abyssinians!!!
 

kattengek

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Katten,

I LOVE your refined cat But I'm more partial to the refined types anyway - has he/she been shown?
Thank you

Yes i go to catshows with him
 

celestialrags

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Originally Posted by Abymummy

I've never heard of a classic Siamese before!!! An example of an inbetween Traditional Apple head and the more extreme modern Siamese, as GK said, can be found in the Tonkinese...As far as I know when a person refers to the term "less extreme" then they are referring to the modern siamese - ie. the wedge is not so triangular, the body is maybe less tubular or slightly stocky...and this is why I breed Abyssinians!!!
Yeah, I am not sure where I am getting the classic from, mabey not the siamese, so if you haven't heard of it, it may just be like I said, I am thinking of some thing else. I don't know much about siamese, but, I have to say, I like the apple head ones, when I think of a meezer, that is what I picture!
 

goldenkitty45

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I think its more of a difference in if you show cats or just have them as pets as to your preference.

Since showing for 25+ yrs, I'm very used to seeing the refined oriental types and think they are graceful super looking cats. I've seen a few ultra extreme that I didn't really like, but I much prefer the refined look to the siamese.

The appleheads or old-fasioned siamese are the ones you see in the HHP classes at shows.
 

siameseohio

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Originally Posted by celestialrags

Yeah, I am not sure where I am getting the classic from, mabey not the siamese, so if you haven't heard of it, it may just be like I said, I am thinking of some thing else. I don't know much about siamese, but, I have to say, I like the apple head ones, when I think of a meezer, that is what I picture!
There is a Siamese that is somewhere between the stocky applehead and the lean wedgehead that some people call classics. You are not mistaking. My preference is the appleheads and classics as well.
 

hopehacker

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Here is SunLee. She is a modern Siamese, but she's not quite show quality, because the breeder told me here ears aren't quite set right. However, she's beautiful in my eyes, and as you can see from her side view, she does sort of look like a rat. A beautiful rat, but a rat, all the same.
 

snosrap5

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Originally Posted by Kattengek

I personally love the modern Siamese
And i love the look of this cat:
I love and I mean love your Imsadi!!!
He is a doll!!!!!

Hope I have always thought Sunlee was such a beauty!
 

kattengek

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Thank you Eva


Hope, SunLee is BEAUTIFUL

Imsadi is in love with her too
 
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