History of Siamese Cats

Siamese cats were first introduced to Britain in the 1800s they became known as "Siamese" or the "Royal Cat of Siam", after reports that the royalty of Siam (Thailand today) kept the cats.   In 1903 The Book of the Cat was written by Frances Hodge who wrote about the newly arrived Siamese Cat you can read the online book via the link.  During the mid 20th Century as the Siamese increased in popularity many breeder began to favour the more slender look.  As a result they created very long bodies, narrow wedge shaped heads with large wide set pointed ears.

By the mid-1980s, cats of the original style had disappeared from cat shows, but a few breeders, particularly in the UK, continued to breed and register them, resulting in today's two types of Siamese: the modern "show-style" Siamese, and the "traditional" Siamese, both descended from the same distant ancestors, but with few or no recent ancestors in common. In addition to the modern Siamese breed category, The International Cat Association (TICA) and the World Cat Federation now accept a breed called the Thai.  These Siamese are also known as

• Traditional Siamese
• Old-style Siamese
• Classic Siamese
• Wichian Mat - Thai word meaning Moon Diamond
• Applehead (originally a derogatory nickname coined by modern-type Siamese breeders)

Wankee, born 1895 in Hong Kong, became the first UK Siamese champion in 1898.(Wikipedia)

This is the type of Siamese which was originally imported from Thailand in the 19th century and is still bred in Thailand today; and throughout the first half of the 20th century, it was the only type of Siamese bred in the West. 

For more on the mythological stories about Siamese cats have a look at mythological http://mythologicalbeastiesandco.blogspot.co.uk/2010/08/legends-of-siamese-cat.html

TICA  The International Cat Association describes the breed as social, intelligent, and playful into adulthood, often enjoying a game of fetch.  Siamese prefer to live in pairs or groups and also actively seek human interaction