The Thai cat, or traditional Siamese, is the first Siamese cat that originated in ancient Siam, which today it is thailand. These cats appeared in the fourteenth century, where they were highly valued and even sacred cats. This cat gave rise to the modern Siamese we know today when it was exported to Europe. It is a medium-sized cat, more robust than the modern Siamese, with oriental features and a cheerful, communicative, affectionate and sociable character. It has a long life expectancy, although it is predisposed to diseases typical of oriental races.
Continue reading this article on our site to find out all the characteristics of the Thai cat, its origin, character, care, he alth and where adopt it.
Origin of the traditional Thai or Siamese cat
The Thai Siamese cat comes from the temples of ancient Siam, belonging to present-day Thailand. In the year 1350 there were already some cats similar to the current Siamese that were called "diamonds of the moon" because of the turquoise color of their eyes. King Siam considered Thai cats to attract good luck and ward off evil spirits, while also considering them sacred because they thought they received the souls of high-class people.
These cats arrived in Great Britain in 1880 by English ambassadors and were unveiled at the first cat fair in the Crystal Palace, where they fascinated the European Aristocracy. Four years later, the British consul Sir Owen Gould obtained a pair of Thai Siamese twins, who were crossed and entered into a contest which they won. They arrived on the American continent in 1890 and in 1892 the official standard of the modern Siamese was created.
Physical characteristics of the traditional Thai or Siamese cat
The Thai cat is a medium-sized feline and weighs between 3 and 5 kg. It is more robust, solid and round than the modern Siamese, but still the body maintains an athletic and slim type of fine proportions, although with a solid complexion given by his muscular neck. The legs are long and thin, but muscular. The body as a whole is proportionate, the tail is thin with a thicker tip and is shorter in length than that of the modern Siamese.
The head of the Thai Siamese is oriental, medium and triangular in shape or wedge-shaped, with a long, flat forehead and a long, fine muzzle with a straight nose. The cheeks are rounder than those of the modern Siamese. The ears are large, pointed and wide at the base. For their part, the eyes are oblique and almond-shaped, characterized by their intense blue color
Thai cat colors
The coat of the Thai cat is short, fine, shiny and close to the body. The color follows the color point pattern, characterized by showing in a darker tone the areas of lower body temperature (face, ears, legs and tail) due to the "cs" gene that is activated during the first months of life. The Thai Siamese cat color patterns can be as follows:
- Seal point
- Blue point
- Lilac point
- Red point
- Tortie point
- Cream point
- Chocolate point
Traditional Siamese or Thai cat character
The Thai cat is a small feline very communicative, having a meow for everything he wants to say or ask the caretakers the. He loves following his sitter around the house for being very familiar and affectionate He is very caring and sensitive, so it requires human companions involved in giving it all the attention, care and love it deserves.
On the other hand, the character of the Thai cat is also characterized by being very extroverted and sociable, so it enjoys a lot with human company. Precisely because of this, he does not like to stay home alone or be still for a long time; always looking for something to do or ask with its melodic meows.
Traditional Thai or Siamese cat care
As we have mentioned, the character of these cats requires a lot of daily attention, so it is important that caregivers spend time all days to play and interact with them, not leaving them alone longer than they should. In the event that they have to be left alone for many hours a day, it is essential to guarantee a correct environmental enrichment, which includes various scratching posts, high places and interactive toys.
On the other hand, the litter box must be large enough for them to turn around on themselves, as we remember that we are dealing with rather medium-sized cats. For its part, the sand must be to their liking, neither irritating nor very perfumed, since they tend to reject it. Discover all the types of cat litter in this other article and choose the one that your Thai cat may like the most.
Traditional Siamese cat hair should be brushed at least two or three times a week to improve its appearance and remove excess of dead hair that they would otherwise ingest with their grooming, passing into the digestive tract where it can produce hairballs. Cleaning your teeth, ears, and eyes is also important to prevent infection and disease.
The diet of these cats must be balanced, complete and intended for the feline species. The daily energy needs are calculated according to the individual characteristics of each Thai Siamese and must be divided into several daily intakes due to their nutritional nature. Of course, they must always have clean and fresh water.
He alth of the traditional Thai or Siamese cat
Thai cats have a long life expectancy, reaching 20 years. However, like modern Siamese, they are predisposed to certain illnesses related to the Oriental and Siamese breeds, such as the following:
- Strabismus: loss of alignment and parallelism of the eyes that does not impede the vision of cats. It is also common in the Siamese breed.
- Nystagmus: rapid, involuntary movement of the eyes, rapidly from bottom to top or from left to right. It appears to be related to the "cs" gene.
- Breast cancer: mammary adenocarcinoma is the most frequent mammary tumor in Thai cats, with the capacity to create metastases, especially in the lung.
- Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy: Heart disease in which the muscle of the left ventricle thickens causing diastolic dysfunction (ventricular relaxation).
- Respiratory infections: viruses and bacteria that affect the respiratory system of these cats are common, causing coughing, nasal discharge, sneezing and dyspnea.
- Hydrocephaly: accumulation of excess cerebrospinal fluid in the brain, which can damage the cerebral cortex and cause neurological and ocular signs such as strabismus and nystagmus.
To improve their quality of life, it is important to control these diseases through adequate preventive medicine, through which the veterinarian will establish the vaccination and deworming schedule, as well as routine check-ups.
Where to adopt a traditional Thai or Siamese cat?
The Thai cat can be adopted at protectors and shelters if they have a copy, or searching for Siamese cat rescue associations on the Internet or shelter ads. Of course, before making the decision to adopt a Thai cat, it is worth highlighting again the needs of these cats, since they require a committed and very affectionate caregiver, who can dedicate all the attention they need to make them feel good and be happy.
