Most Siamese cats have seal point coloration as seen in the above photo of a seal point Siamese kitten. The other officially recognized Siamese colorations by the Cat Fanciers Association are blue point, chocolate point, and lilac point.

All Siamese kittens are born pure white or cream colored and develop their points during the first few months of life. The point pattern of Siamese cats is actually caused by a form of partial albinism. Basically the melanin production in Siamese cats is heat sensitive and fails to work at normal body temperatures but coloration can form in the cooler parts of the body such as the feet. This is why Siamese cats have coloration at their points but not in their extremities. This also explains why they are pure white at birth because at birth they are of course very warm all over their body.

Siamese cats originate in Thailand and have existed there for hundreds of years.

Many other cat breeds have been derived from Siamese cats including Balinese, Burmese, Colourpoint Shorthair, Himalayan, Javanese, Ocicat, Serengeti, Snowshoe, and Tonkinese.

The video below features a seal point & blue point Siamese. The seal point is the larger of the two. They are two year old siblings.

Labels: cat breeds