Bonner Springs, Kansas, United States
Our Breeds
Classic Siamese
Classic Siamese
Classic Siamese
Q: What are the Traditional Siamese and the Classic Siamese
A: These are the pointed cats with a striking difference between their body color and their point color. Accented by brilliant blue eyes, they are a very regal cat. The Traditional Siamese and the Classic Siamese preserve the old, original body types that came out of Siam. They are typically calm, affectionate cats who live well into their teens. Over 20 is not unusual. One Traditional Siamese was reported to me to have lived to 24 1/2!
Of all the cat breeds the "Siamese" has endured the most prolonged and the most horrific damage and persecution by other cat associations world wide. For over 100 years now the breed has been changed and changed and changed again. The resulting "show Siamese" of today resembles its forbears only in color! When I started TCA, Inc. in 1987 I became aware that the breed had two different types within it at that time. Over a period of two years, after many letters and photos from breeders from all over the world, I slowly began to see there was a third type. To support the old, original types I created the breed names, "Traditional Siamese" and "Classic Siamese" and I wrote and hold Copyrights to these breed names and to the very first Breed Standards ever written for the Traditional Siamese and the Classic Siamese. In brief here is a description of the three types in existence today. I also created and hold Copyrights to the breed names of "Old Style Siamese", "Original Siamese", "Old Fashioned Siamese" and several others I use for the same types.
The Traditional Siamese has a round head, and a large, muscular, stocky body.
The Classic Siamese has a WIDE wedge shape to its head, with a slightly more elongated body, legs and tail than the Traditional Siamese. It is still a large, well muscled cat.
The Extreme Wedge Siamese has a head shaped like a piece of pie, very sharp and pointed. This is accented by huge ears. The eyes are so set on a slant that they are mere slits on the side of the head. The rest of the body is long, thin, tubular and often emaciated looking. They are a man made, genetically engineered derivative of the original "Siamese". In fact they should be re-named to something like Thai Cats with no reference to "Siamese" in their name. They do not represent the most important attributes of the breed at all. Due to a reduced immune system from years of inbreeding, they live from 2 to 5 years of age. A long medley of genetic problems such as cardiomyopathy, kidney disorders and pancreatitis saturate this type. Only a few remaining bloodlines are still healthy.
Q: What colors do they come in and what are points?
A: The accepted colors by TCA, Inc. are Seal Point, Chocolate Point, Blue Point, Lilac Point and Albino. The points refer to the face, ears, paws and tail. These are the areas that are colored with a darker color than the rest of the body. For instance a Seal Point has dark brown points and a light cream colored body. A Blue Point has bluish gray points with an almost white body color.
Q: What is their personality like?
A: The Traditional Siamese and the Classic Siamese are highly intelligent, people centered cats, who enjoy being the center of attention. Visitors to our home are always greeted at the door with a warm, friendly welcome. Highly conversational, they will "talk" to you, affectionately telling you about their day. They are companion cats who love to fetch, can be taught to walk on a leash, and enjoy cuddling with you. Children and other family pets are accepted with tolerance. Small children are allowed to take liberties (not ill treatment, however) that they will not take from adults. When they have had enough they just make themselves unavailable. Usually they sheath their claws when playing with people. They can be easily trained to use a cat scratcher.
I can say they are very good with dogs. Every dog we have owned has been raised by our cats. This establishes the hierarchy early on, which the dog never questions. In fact each dog has grown up to be not only our guardian, but a protector of the cats as well. Our current Great American Mutt gets even by tattling on them when they get in trouble. The good natured comradery goes back and forth between them.
Q: Are they noisy?
A: Its voice is one of the traits the Traditional Siamese and Classic Siamese are known for. They use their voice with many different intonations. At times they are extremely loud when they really want to make a point. A female in heat will continue her "calling" 24 hours a day, so TCA, Inc. always encourages the spay/neutering of pets for the family. While on the phone your friends may ask if you have a baby crying in the back ground. Since the Traditional Siamese and Classic Siamese are calmer and not hyperactive as the Extreme Wedge Siamese, they are a bit less vocal. Still some are non-stop talkers. Others talk only when they have something important to say. This is apparent from kitten hood, so a buyer can tell what they are getting.
Q: How many should I have?
A: Single cats can do fine, but at least two is best. They love company, so two keep themselves content when you are gone. Expect to be greeted at the door with a lengthy conversation from your single cat, for you are its focus. Two will tell you about their adventures as well.
Q: Will a male or female make a better pet?
A: It makes no difference between the two. Each, however, must be spayed or neutered.
Q: Can I allow my Traditional Siamese and my Classic Siamese outdoors?
A: None of our breeders will sell to anyone who allows a pet outdoors. With cars, diseases, dangers from dogs, other cats and wild children it is no longer a feasible option to allow any cat loose out doors. Of course you are most welcome to walk through your garden with your cat on a leash. Fenced in yards must have a TALL fence with a section that leans inward all along the top. This may keep your cat in, but it won't keep other cats out, however! For any outdoor excursion in a fenced in yard supervision is mandatory.
Q: Do they have any faults?
A: Crossed eyes have been a small part of the breed since its beginnings. This offers no problem to the cat and is a mere fault, which our breeders try to breed out. It will, however, pop up from time to time because it is genetically there.
Kinked tails, also are a genetic part of the breed, which cause no problem to the cat. Since some of our customers have always had "Siamese" with crossed eyes and kinked tails, I have had them specifically ask for these traits in the cat they purchase. It is all a matter of personal taste.
Q: How big do they get?
A: They compare nicely to the average cat. Males weigh from 10 to 15 pounds and females weight between 8 and 12 pounds.
Q: What care and training do they require?
A: Traditional Siamese and Classic Siamese are hardy cats with good appetites. A high quality food recommend by the breeder is best. Even though they don't shed excessively, they do enjoy being combed or brushed. This becomes a daily ritual enjoyed by both cat and owner that removes excess fur to keep it from ending up on furniture or clothing. Sexual maturity comes at an early age for most "Siamese", therefore it is recommended to have them spayed or neutered by the age of 6 months. Please follow your Veterinarian's instructions.
HISTORY
Click on picture to enlarge
Photo Copyright J. Child
The Traditional Siamese and Classic Siamese of today are the living representatives of the first Siamese to be imported out of Siam (Thailand). They existed in the same body styles for thousands of years, and were captured in written testimonials, paintings and pictures verifying this. However, the last 50 years has seen major changes in the animal kingdom where man has changed the course of evolution. With these changes also came misrepresentations. When I first chose to intervene on behalf of the Siamese cat, the magnitude of lies and misrepresentations towards what I was trying to achieve grew. At the urging of my husband, I pursued and suggested to my supporters, that when confronted by outlandish statements of pretended fact, to request the representative to prove it. Proof to be in the form of documentation, cattery records, photos, names of owners and names of cats. Statements such as, "everyone knows" or "this is common knowledge" were not acceptable answers to a request for proof.
Following my own suggestion to others, I set out upon an 11 year long journey through the WHOLE HISTORY OF THE SIAMESE BREED! My adventure lead me through over 600 books, among all of the oldest Stub Books of the worlds major Registries, and into the acquisition of hundreds of photographs. I have created a data base and text that may very well be the most complete and comprehensive history of the Siamese breed ever written. My goal was to be as detailed, thorough, and complete with documented proof as it could possibly be. It will silence the many untruths that have been written and spoken over the past years. My book is over 960 pages with over 1200 photos and illustrations, and is available at this website:
Balinese
Classic Siamese
Classic Siamese
The Balinese is a long-haired breed of domestic cat with Siamese-style point coloration and sapphire-blue eyes. The Balinese is also known as the purebred long-haired Siamese, since it originated as a natural mutation of that breed and hence is essentially the same cat but with a medium-length silky coat and a distinctively plumed tail.
As is the case with their short-haired counterparts, a genetic distinction is made between traditional or "old-style" and modern body types. In the American standard, color variants derived from the Colorpoint Shorthair are further considered a separate breed, known as the Javanese. There is no particular connection between these cats and the Indonesian islands of Bali and Java, from which they derive their names.
Like their Siamese ancestors, Balinese are sociable, vocal, playful, inquisitive, and intelligent.
History and development
The "Balinese" is not actually from Bali or any part of Indonesia. Its history begins with the first Siamese cats that were imported from Thailand to the U.S. and U.K. in the mid-1800s, some of whom carried the recessive long-haired gene. The Balinese breed subsequently originated from deliberate breeding efforts based around this naturally expressed genetic trait.
Initially, occasional long-haired kittens in Siamese litters were considered a fault in the bloodline and sold exclusively as pets. There are records of these cats as early as the 1900s; "Long-haired Siamese" were first registered as show cats with the American Cat Fanciers' Federation in 1928. In the mid-1950s, breeders in the US began serious efforts to develop the long-haired variant as a separate breed. Considering Long-haired Siamese too cumbersome a name, initial breeder Helen Smith dubbed the new breed "Balinese" as a reference to the grace of Balinese dancers.
A breeder named Sylvia Holland (who was also an illustrator for Walt Disney Studios) worked to further establish the breed standard in the 1960s and 1970s. She recognized only cats showing the classic Siamese points in seal, chocolate, blue and lilac as true Balinese, refusing to accept others on the grounds that they had likely originated from crosses with other breeds. The American Cat Fanciers' Association had meanwhile officially classified Siamese with the newer red and cream as well as lynx (tabby) and tortoiseshell (or "tortie") patterned points as a separate breed, the Colorpoint Shorthair, and the long-haired cats derived from these colors and patterns were subsequently likewise classified separately as "Javanese", in keeping with the Indonesian island theme.
Like their Siamese ancestors, the Balinese gradually split into two separate varieties based on physical type. The traditional Siamese (also called old-style or "apple-head", now being separately developed as the Thai), was the type in vogue when the Balinese was established, and hence used in its development; these old-style Balinese still closely resemble those from the early breeding programs.
As the parent short-haired Siamese gained in popularity, however, a trend developed in favor of a more extremely elongated, slender type with a distinctively wedge-shaped head. The modern (or "contemporary") Balinese was subsequently derived directly from this newer Siamese ideal. By the mid-1980s, the old-style Balinese, like their Siamese counterparts, had disappeared from most cat shows, with the exception of a few breeders who maintained the original Balinese type. The two varieties of Balinese thus have very few if any recent ancestors in common.
There was discussion in the Cat Fanciers' Association about merging the two breeds into one breed with two color divisions as early as 2006. The Javanese is a hybrid between Colorpoint Shorthair and Balinese. In 2008, breeders in the Balinese Breed Council and Javanese Breed Council voted to combine the Balinese and Javanese as one breed and declared Javanese as a color division of the Balinese. The Cat Fanciers' Association was the only organization to believe that Javanese was a separate breed. This does not affect the colors or description of Balinese, since they are two separate divisions but they are just placed under the Balinese. Javanese will still has the same colors as before, along with Balinese having the same colors mentioned below.
This movement has brought The Cat Fanciers' Association more in line with the other worldwide registries. The Cat Fanciers' Association made this change since the two councils in their organization (Balinese and Javanese) were overlapping around an average of 50 to 75% with the same members who breed and exhibited the two types. Combining the two breeds will hopefully increase Balinese registration in the Cat Fanciers' Association, by encouraging new breeders and exhibitors of Balinese to come forth and present their cat. They also wished to show more Javanese of the appropriate coat length in the shows. This will also help decrease the number of cats needed to maintain a healthy breeding program.
Appearance
The two types of Balinese are still analogous to their Siamese counterparts. While both are relatively slender, graceful fine-boned cats with long legs and tail, neat oval paws, almond-shaped eyes and large pointed ears, the traditional type is overall the more substantial, with a broader head and sturdier body. The modern type features a noticeably more wedge-shaped head with long tapering muzzle and longer, broader ears, atop a more slender and elongated body.
Coat and color
The coat is basically medium-length (although there can be considerable variance by individual) and should be soft and silky, without the fluffy undercoat typical of most long-haired breeds. The offspring of two Balinese will have a longer coat than that of a Balinese and a Siamese. In all cases, the tail should have a definite plume, or fringe, of longer hair. Eye color ranges from pale blue through sapphire/violet; intensity of color can change slightly with age and diet. The paw pad color can be used to identify the color point in kittens. Pink pads are found in chocolate and lilac points; while dark pads are found in blue and seal points.
Like all cats with the point pattern, Balinese kittens are born pure cream or white and gradually develop visible points in colder parts of their body – the face, ears, paws and tail. Their color is identifiable by the time they are four weeks old. Some cats tend to darken with age, and generally, adult Balinese cats living in warm climates have lighter coats than those in cool climates.
The Cat Fanciers' Federation and most other associations worldwide accept the Balinese breed in seal, blue, chocolate, lilac, red and cream point, besides tortoiseshell and lynx points in all of these colors. The Cat Fanciers' Association standard continues to accept the Balinese in only the classic seal, blue, chocolate and lilac points, with all other possible colors and patterns classed separately as Javanese.
Temperament
Balinese share the traits of the short-haired Siamese, and hence are notably social and playful cats with an intense interest in the activity around them and a tendency to vocalize often and persistently, albeit at a lower volume. They are reputed to have the highest intelligence of all the long-haired breeds. They are also reputed to be notably acrobatic, and to enjoy intimate contact with their owners.
Hypoallergenic claims
Anecdotally, many people claim that Balinese cats cause fewer problems with allergies than most cat breeds. While strict scientific evidence for this is lacking, it has been determined that, in comparison to most cats, the Balinese produces very low amounts of the Fel d1 and Fel d4 protein allergens. As with the Siberian cat breed, some Balinese breeders and clubs are working together to produce more rigorously tested evidence of the Balinese's hypoallergenic quality.
Genetics
The pointed pattern is a form of partial albinism, resulting from a mutation in tyrosinase, an enzyme involved in melanin production. The mutated enzyme is heat-sensitive; it fails to work at normal body temperatures, but becomes active in cooler areas of the skin. This results in dark coloration in the coolest parts of the cat's body, including the extremities and the face, which is cooled by the passage of air through the sinuses. Though crossbreeding with other breeds took place in order to produce the less traditional Javanese colors, they are considered purebred cats if they are registered and have at least 3-4 or more generations of Siamese or Balinese lineage.
Health
They are considered a healthy breed with only few health problems. They are a pedigree breed, which means they are developed from such a small gene pool of Siamese with the long hair mutation. The smaller the gene pool, the more chances they have to inherit many unknown health disorders. A possible confirmed disease for Balinese is Progressive Retinal Atrophy (PRA), which is a degeneration of the retina in the eye; which may lead to weak or impaired vision.
There has been some cases of Balinese having dilated cardiomyopathy, which is a disease that enlarges the heart muscles that decreases heart function. There are also some claims that they are at a low risk for hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM).
Another potential health problem is liver amyloidosis, or systemic amyloidosis which eventually leads to failure of some organ, most commonly the liver. Liver amyloidosis typically occurs in any members of the Siamese and the Balinese is a mutation off the Siamese, so it may have any inherited disorders directly to Siamese.
They sometimes developed a rare inheritance that makes their blue almond shaped eyes look cross eyed. It is called Strabismus, which is common in Siamese cat breeds.