About The Siamese Breed

The Siamese breed was recognized by CFA in 1906 - the same year that CFA itself was formed. The present breed standard was written in 1966 by Jeanne Singer and has remained virtually unchanged since that time. To read descriptions of Siamese from the 1800's and see Siamese standards from over the years, see the article Siamese Standards - A Retrospective by Betty White.

Presently, CFA is one of the only cat registries in the world to recognize the Siamese as a breed, in its four original colors, and the NSCC is dedicated to promoting and preserving this traditional version of the breed. We firmly believe that pointed cats born in litters from breeds developed from Siamese are not true Siamese. These cats have both Siamese and other breeds as ancestors in their pedigrees and are considered hybrids, although they often look similar to Siamese.

The Siamese cat is one of the world’s oldest breeds, with a unique history worth preserving. Not only does its color pattern make the Siamese easily recognizable, but since the original cats were imported in the 1890’s, the Siamese has been noted for its elegance, refinement, length of body, almond shaped deep blue eyes, and wedge shaped head, as well as for its vocal range and its people friendly attitude. The Siamese breed is often described as a “dog without all the work”, and it lives up to its reputation. The NSCC is dedicated to preserving the Siamese breed for all of its traits. While the Siamese cat is often defined by its color, color is only one of the qualities the breed is famous for.

For more information about the history of the CFA Siamese, visit the History page