Tell me about Siamese cats. I'm fantasising about getting one.

[MissingKittyCat]

I have always admired Siamese cats. They fascinate me. I understand they are high maintenance, but how high? Do they get along with your average moggy or are they on a different planet? Do they tolerate children?

I have always wanted one. We are thinking about rescuing a kitten later in the year, but over the past few days I have been wondering if I should go with my life long dream of getting a young Siamese. We have a 12 year old boy cat who is rather chilled but I don't want to ruin his life or stress any potential highly strung cat out further!

Gawd, where do I start?

How's your willpower?

Shout "row" (as in "I had a row with her") really loud and drawn out repeatedly. If it grates, a Siamese is not the cat for you.

Rrraaaaaaaaaaawwwww

My aunt had a Siamese when I was a child so this is from long ago memory. She was temperamental and LOUD. Do they get on well with children - I still have a small scar on my arm from when I was holding her, but not well enough in her opinion. She was beautiful though!

Now this is where we differ, I think. If you have sufficient willpower to be Top Cat in the household, they're not that loud or temperamental and can get on very well with children in my experience. (Having said which, I've had them since my 9th birthday so I'm used to them.)

Not good on sharing with other cats though - or that's what I've found in the past.

Noisy. But quite sweet. The end.

I've got a half Siamese cat and planning on getting another full Siamese one from same breeder. I was told that mine was 'very Siamese' in his ways (his mum is half Snowshoe/half Chocolate point). He doesn't seem to mind dogs either but was brought up for first 4.5 months with Rottweiler!

He is very noisy, wants attention all the time, not that interested in food (apart from chicken etc). He's also sweet that whenever friends/my mum etc stay or visit when he sees us chatting together he always comes from where he is and earwigs/wants to be with us.

Quite sensitive too.

I think they tolerate children - he seems fine with neighbours kids.

Oh and he has miaows for everything from 'play with me' to 'I've done a pooh'.

very sweet and affectionate though.

Oooooooh I dream of a Siamese! I've rescued two tabby kits (sadly only one left now) 16 years ago and before that three different tom mixes but my dream is to retire with my own baby Siamese.

My family had has numerous Siamese cats over the years, my sister currently has a Tonkinese (Siamese Burmese cross). What others have said, they're bossy, loud and demanding but the best, most interesting cats ever, IMO.

My vet two-ago always used to treat our cats a little sadly. He confessed to me once that he'd always wanted a Siamese but that being the local vet, he ended up with the cats that no-one else wanted - and he had quite a full household of them.

They are like demanding and whiney toddlers. I've had a Tonkinese but unfortunately I let him out and he never reappeared (I tried everything to find out what had happened to him). In the short time I had him my nerves were torn to shreds, so you must have the patience of a saint and then you stand a chance of enjoying the experience.

mine is super intelligent and dog-like in his affection.

but they're all different.

he's also very very loud, but it's a conversational sound so I don't mind at all. always been fabulously patient with kids, just removed himself from the situation if it becomes too much.

prolific hunter. my lawn is currently strewn with rabbit carcasses.

has a penchant for butter.

You just have to outtalk them, sebs - always answer them back. (It's amazing how long I can go for on variations of 'Unh Huh', 'Really' and 'You What?'. )

PS - in fact, I've found myself worrying about the behaviour of non-Siamese in the household because they were so quiet!

It sounds as if he's chosen DS as his 'person'. Singleton Siamese usually have one person that is 'theirs' and prefer to sleep with them than anywhere else/light up when they enter the house etc etc.

Not a lot you can do if that happens, I'm afraid.

"I understand they are high maintenance, but how high?"

I'm used to dogs, so not as high as that, lol...they like to be with you, they'll follow you about and investigate everything you're doing and you'll never sit down alone again.

As already mentioned they chat a lot, but that works out fine if you're the sort of person who talks to themselves anyway I'm forever wandering round my house going, what was I looking for? Now a cat answers. They'll also swear at you if you do things like go out, but you just accept that they're going to do that for a bit when you come back.

"Do they get along with your average moggy or are they on a different planet?"

Mine gets along fine with my moggy, it took a while, but it wasn't as dramatic as other people introducing two moggies have had, she spent about 6 weeks going, nope, I'm not being near that thing...then a couple of months going well I suppose I can put up with it if it leaves me alone and within a year they were pretty friendly, they sleep together if they're on the same nap schedule, occasionally play together and the moggy brings back mice for the Siamese (she doesn't go out much , because...weather) but the moggy is not allowed to sit with me, I belong to the Siamese, lol .

"Do they tolerate children?"

Mines much better with children than my moggy, she's not hugely keen on toddlers because they're rough and leak water (wet is bad) but she just sits where they can't reach her and happily spends time with older children, she actively likes being picked up and carried round so that's quite compatible with children and has very rarely bitten or scratched anyone other than when playing.

She's actually very sociable with visitors and really quite laidback about things like getting vet treatment or giving pills, so not high maintenance in a temperamental way at all, just... needy, lol.

I've got a Si-rex, which is a Devon Rex out-crossed with Siamese.

He has to be involved in everything and likes to run up legs, in order to ride around on shoulders. He makes some very peculiar noises, and likes to announce himself when entering a room. I've learned to speak his language of "Errr, ung, unngYA, UUUNNNGYAYA" quite fluently. He also likes it when spoken to in French. Neighbours must think I'm mad.

Sometimes he sneaks up on me and carefully taps my shoulder. His favourite sleeping place is in bed between me and DH. Or at a respectful distance from MCat, who he gazes at adoringly until he falls asleep.

MCat (our already resident mog) hated Little Monsieur when we brought him home. But he was having none of it, and went about making friends in a determined and dogged fashion. No amount of hissing and swearing put him off. They're proper brothers now, if MCat doesn't know where Little Monsieur is, he'll wander about yowling, and when LM was a kitten, MCat would check on him if he thought he'd been asleep for too long. Then give his head a thorough wash. They love play-fighting together. Thick as thieves.

I was curious about their meow after reading this, so had a look on YouTube

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They are the divas of the cat world. Noisy, needy and neurotic but also hyper intelligent and very loving and loyal. I've had Siamese for nearly 40 years and I wouldn't be without one.

Do think carefully about the noise - they are talkative creatures. When we brought home our current boy he howled for 48 hours nonstop. We got him because he was sent back to the breeder by his original owners for exactly this behaviour. He's very chilled these days but still talks a lot and has expressions for lots of different situations!

He also has regular 'mad times' when he tears around the house like a thing possessed. He loves to play and will fetch for hours.

I've seen that before. How do they cope when she goes out?.

Sharron hasn't left the house for four years.

I'm howling at that video I couldn't cope with that, Christ.

Sharon is considering a dog next time.