The Siamese is one of the oldest recognized cat breeds, native to Thailand (formerly Siam), where the wichienmaat is depicted in the Tamra Maew (Cat Book Poems) manuscripts of the Ayutthaya Kingdom (1351-1767). The first documented Western imports were Pho and Mia, gifted to Owen Gould of the British consulate in Bangkok in 1884. GCCF registered the breed in 1902 and CFA admitted it in 1906; FIFe (1949) and TICA (1979) followed at their foundings. The standard describes a slender, tubular cat with point colouration on a pale body.
Quick facts
- Origin country
- Thailand (formerly Siam)
- Origin period
- Pre-19th century (Tamra Maew manuscripts); Western introduction 1880s
- Coat type
- Short
- Coat colors
- Seal Point, Blue Point, Chocolate Point, Lilac Point, Red Point, Cream Point, Tortoiseshell Point, Lynx Point
- Size category
- Medium
- Average lifespan
- 12-20 years
- Recognition
- CFA 1906 · TICA 1979 · GCCF 1902 · FIFe 1949
Origin
The Siamese is documented in the Tamra Maew, a series of Thai cat-poetry manuscripts produced under the Ayutthaya Kingdom between approximately the 14th and 19th centuries; surviving copies are held in the National Library of Thailand and depict the wichienmaat (วิเชียรมาศ) point-coloured cat alongside other native Thai breeds. The first documented Western imports were the cats Pho and Mia, gifted to Owen Gould — the British consul-general in Bangkok — by King Chulalongkorn (Rama V) in 1884. The pair were exhibited at the 1885 Crystal Palace cat show by Gould's sister Lilian Veley.
Recognition
The Siamese Cat Club of Britain was founded in 1901, and the Governing Council of the Cat Fancy registered the breed in 1902 — making it among the earliest pedigreed breeds on the GCCF register. The Cat Fanciers' Association admitted the Siamese among the founding breed group at its 1906 establishment in the United States. The Fédération Internationale Féline published its standard at its 1949 founding, and The International Cat Association recognized the breed at its 1979 founding. CFA and TICA later separated the older 'traditional' or 'Old-Style' show form as the distinct Thai breed.
Standard
The CFA standard describes a medium-sized cat with a long, tubular, well-muscled body, fine bone structure, and a long whippy tail. The head is a long tapering wedge of equal width from the ears to the muzzle, with large pointed ears continuing the line of the wedge and almond-shaped deep-blue eyes set at a slant. The coat is short, fine, and lies close to the body. Colour is restricted to the four traditional point colours — seal, blue, chocolate, lilac — and several extended-colour points (red, cream, tortoiseshell, lynx) recognized as the Colorpoint Shorthair division by CFA.
Sources & further reading (3)
- registry-breed-profile — accessed 2026-04-30
- encyclopedia — accessed 2026-04-30
- gccf-registry — accessed 2026-04-30
Frequently asked questions
How old is the Siamese breed?
The Siamese is documented in the Tamra Maew, a series of Thai cat-poetry manuscripts produced under the Ayutthaya Kingdom between approximately the 14th and 19th centuries; surviving copies are held in the National Library of Thailand. The first documented Western imports were the cats Pho and Mia, gifted to the British consul-general in Bangkok in 1884.
When was the Siamese recognized by the major registries?
The Governing Council of the Cat Fancy registered the breed in 1902 — making it among the earliest pedigreed breeds on the GCCF register. The Cat Fanciers' Association admitted the Siamese among the founding breed group at its 1906 establishment. The Fédération Internationale Féline published its standard at its 1949 founding, and The International Cat Association recognized the breed at its 1979 founding.
What is the difference between the Siamese and the Thai breed?
The modern Siamese is the wedge-headed show form recognized by the Cat Fanciers' Association from the 1980s onward. The older 'traditional' or 'Old-Style' Siamese — closer in conformation to the original 19th-century Thai imports — has been formalized by TICA as the separate Thai breed since 2007 and by FIFe since 2018. Both breeds carry the same point-colour pattern and originate from the same Thai foundation stock.
