Question for Siamese breeders/Owners

I am kind of curious, are purebred Siamese cats considered more intelligent than other breeds? I have never had a Siamese, but I think they are beautiful. I have just "heard" from owners and breeders (who are biased of course) that Siamese are above average intelligence when it comes to cats.

Has anyone owned or bred a different breed before adding a Siamese to the family? Did you notice a difference in intelligence?

Of course I'm biased, but I think all my Siamese were slightly more 'with it' than my moggies or even my NFC

I have heard there are two types of siamese head types, apple head and something else, I forget...Is the breeding really all that different? In the show ring are there two different "types" of siamese shown in different classes?

I've got this recent interest in Siamese because I just love a cat that talks to me. Little Cleo just talks and talks and talks to me and we have these quite detailed conversations. I mean, she says something, I ask her a question and she waits for me to finish then she replies, etc. Our other 6 cats are not conversationalists : )

Wow, what a loaded question *grin*

In the way that most people think, there are actually three different types (referred to as body type) of Siamese; Classic, Traditional and Modern. To make it easier for me, I group Siamese cats into only two types; Show-Style and Old-Style.

Show-style cats are the modern Siamese. They are angular and wedge shaped. The CFA has a good body type description here:

http://www.cfainc.org/breeds/profiles/siamese.html

The Classic and Traditional types (I call these Old-Style) are eligible to show in only a few organizations. Sadly, CFA is not one of them. Those of us who breed the Old Style cats certainly WISH there were rings where both the Modern cats and the Old Style cats could show but not compete against each other ... *sigh* ... but it doesn't look that that is going to be happening any time soon (at least in CFA anyway).

~gf~

Thanks...any chance you could post pictures and give me an example of the three types side by side? It would be easier to see the differences that way. if you have the pictures handy of course, don't go digging just for me.

So does TICA have classes for the Old Style cats?

I'd podt but I have no more room in my space here - and I only have 2 pix so am at a loss to understand that but that's another issue (I assume others must be using images from other web sites tho as a sometime web designer, that qualifies as bandwidth stealing so I am loathe to do it (unless it is a site I own of course).

The best I can do is post this site:

http://home.earthlink.net/~sarsenstone/threetypes.html

I also don't dare say I think Siamese are more intelligent - I am not sure I can honestly respond to that anyway tho my kitty is exceedingly bright. But then so are some moggies. Siamese do like to be with people and they do like to talk to you!

Cristy Bird's site has some excellent examples of the different body types of Siamese cats even if I do not personally agree with her philosophy on certain things.

~gf~

I cant say if they are more intelligent. as i have never own one. and honestly the only two i have ever known were mean as snot. but i dont hold that against the whole breed. i hold it to their breeding and upbringing.

I sure wouldnt mind meeting one of Gayes babies i bet they are as sweet as can be.

I wouldnt say more intellegent just more dog like and responsive.. I have had two in my life one siamese and one snowshoe

My Nana owns a siamese and yes I think they are definitly more intelligent. Compared to our P's & E's anyway!

Originally Posted by sharky

I wouldnt say more intellegent just more dog like and responsive.. I have had two in my life one siamese and one snowshoe

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I think most Siamese cat owners, when asked, would say that dogs are more Siamese-like *snort*

Originally Posted by gayef

I think most Siamese cat owners, when asked, would say that dogs are more Siamese-like *snort*

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that's a great way of putting it Gaye!!

Originally Posted by gayef

I think most Siamese cat owners, when asked, would say that dogs are more Siamese-like *snort*

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Yup ... I stand corrected...lol... likely since one doesnt own me at the present

Hi Sarah,

Having bred and shown Siamese and Orientals for the past 16 years, and also living with moggies and having been around people with many different breeds, I personally feel Siamese and OSH are total "dorks". I don't find them any more or less intelligent than individuals of any other breeds (or non-breeds) with which I have lived/associated.

If you have ever watched what is supposed to be an "intelligent" cat sit and stare at a drop of water running down into the sink for 45 minutes, you would cease thinking it was particularly bright <VBG>

What Siamese ARE is that they are more monkey-like than other breeds. They use their feet in very tactile ways, and because of that we have to have child-proof locks on our cabinets even though we have no two-legged offspring of our own. As a breed (and this includes Orientals since they are merely Siamese in other colors), Siamese will teach their owners to throw toys for them rather than their owners teaching them to fetch.

Siamese are extremely active and very curious and consequently everything requires their "help" - including something as simple as if one goes to unscrew a lightbulb. LOL

As we also own a "classic" Siamese, I can tell you from observation that there is no difference in personality or intelligence between the so-called "types" of Siamese - just among the individual cats.

Our 17-year old DSH spay torbie van is every bit as, if not more, intelligent than any of the Siamese/OSH in our house, but the only thing I have ever noted from observation and living with these beasties is that it appears that the females are more intelligent than the males, but again, this is an individual thing since some of my boys actually have two neurons firing.

As far as the difference between Old Style and modern cats, I, too, would love to see the Old Style cats on the show bench, but that is not likely to happen anytime soon. TICA does not allow Old Style cats to show. Only two associations, both very tiny and with very limited physical show schedules, allow the Old Style cats to show as anything other than household pets. Those two are ICE (International Cat Enthusiants) based in the Pacific Northwest and UFO (United Feline Organization) based in Florida.

Barb Amalfi

As a cat lover and owner of various cats over the years, I must say that if you've ever had a Siamese you will always want another Siamese. They are special cats - they love human contact, are very sociable and friendly and I love the way they "talk" and hold conversations with us.

We have 2 at our house at the moment - our Bijou and our daughter's Mika. Bijou is lilac point and Mika is blue point. They are both the most gentle, loving, and sweet dispositioned animals we've ever had. I cannot tell you how many people have been converted to Siamese since meeting Bijou and Mika. Their first comment is usually "I always thought Siamese were nasty!".

I had a sealpoint years ago and I never stopped missing her. When the opportunity came up to get another cat, I desperately wanted a Siamese and my husband was very reluctant because of their "reputation". You can see from my signature that my husband is totally smitten with Bijou. Our daughter says she has never seen her dad so taken by a cat. Bijou loves my husband more than any other cat we've ever had.

They truly are curious. Bijou and Mika have to have their noses up close and personal whenever we are trying to do anything. They need to see and know what we are doing.

They bring us incredible joy and although I love all animals, and especially all cats, Siamese hold a special place in my heart.

is it true that siamese cats are nasty to children. I heard that they have a mood of their own. But they look so cute

Nope, no truth that that statement at all! At least 3 of my kittens are in homes where small children reside ... in fact, one of the boys from the last litter lives with a beautiful little 3 year-old girl named Morgan. Morgan and Ivan are constantly together according to Deb, Morgan and Ivan's mommy. I think that cats and kids go together ... they just fit.

Originally Posted by tailsoluv

If you have ever watched what is supposed to be an "intelligent" cat sit and stare at a drop of water running down into the sink for 45 minutes, you would cease thinking it was particularly bright <VBG>

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But...but....

Obviously this kitty was studying the physics of the water droplets!

Siamese are extremely intelligent. There is NO truth that Siamese are mean. Trust me I have three. I got my seal point male 10 years ago when I was 10 . That would have made my youngest brother 3 at the time. He has never been mean to any of us. (With the occassional love nip.) Siamese do have different persionalities though. My male and my yougest female are very loving and very attached to me. My blue point if very withdrawn and unloving to anyone in our family. She is not mean she just dosent want our attention. It is like she is autistic, she wont make eye contact. She is a great mom and loves the other cats, but she does not have a human connection. I got her when she was 8 weeks old, so age has nothing to do with her personality. I got my male when he was 10 weeks and my other female at 16 weeks.

Siamese and children! My sealpoint whom I'd had for 10 yrs before our daughter was born (and whom EVERYBODY said I would have to give up because she would be jealous of our baby) was so loving and tolerant of our daughter that nobody could believe it. Jennifer pulled her ear and her tail and that cat never bit or scratched her once.

My Avon lady came over recently with her 6 yr. old daughter and our little Mika (bluepoint) was all over that child like white on rice. She wanted to play with her. When they were leaving the little girl asked if Mika could come to her house and play sometime.