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The litter tray

Join our community of cat lovers on the Mumsnet Cat forum for kitten advice and help with cat behaviour.

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Original poster

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

83 replies

MissingKittyCat · 15/05/2015 23:23

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!

OP posts:

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Degustibusnonestdisputandem · 16/05/2015 20:56

You definitely have to be a 'cat person' I think

tabulahrasa · 16/05/2015 20:58

Here's mine...she's older than her years because she has a longterm health issue, but still full of personality.

That basket btw, was not intended for cats, they however had other ideas, lol.

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

code · 16/05/2015 21:12

My friend has one and she's lovely. High maintenance and noisy though. I prefer my burmese, stockier and much softer fur. As intelligent and affectionate but a bit quieter!

pickles184 · 16/05/2015 21:12

I grew up with Siamese, we even bred a few litters before the horrific racket that the queen made while in season involved the council investigating noise complaints
My boy was the best cat I've ever had the pleasure to meet, wily, intelligent creature that he was. He used to walk me to the school bus in the mornings and often meet me to walk home, I used to love finding him sat on the roof of the shelter waiting for me! He also fetched sticks and gave proper 'hugs'. On the less positive side he was a real thief, he actually made off with a whole chicken our neighbour was in the middle of carving and ate a ridiculous amount of wedding cake after working out how to get in to the cake tin. No small animal was safe when he was around and he would wake you up if he felt that he had needs you should be attending to overnight.

I would have another Siamese in a heartbeat if it wasn't for having a dog with severe cat issues.

springalong · 16/05/2015 21:20

Well, I have had 4 Siamese - 3 as a child and young adult and now the one I adopted 2 years ago as my first adult pet. The 3 we had from kittens were all different - wildly so! All noisy, chatty, intelligent at getting what they wanted. The boy - bringing home a trout from the local pond, the small feisty girl pushing and manipulating her way to get what she wanted.

My rescue is so different - he is full siamese but came to me at age 3 1/2. He was well loved where he had been but it took over a year of playing with him to get him to play. He gets very stressed - has destroyed new sofa covers in 6 months but is very friendly around the ankles to most people. Postie is his favourite -follows him around the road. He adores my DS who is horrible to him (various issues there). Sleeps with him and always looks for him when he has been to his dads.

Re: food. Ours always has a good diet (eg little female had raw rabbit - her choice after a very serious virus, the big boy would gnaw lamb bones). My rescue has pouch, good quality kibble but also fresh cooked meat.

My rescue is a bully - had to be homed alone and fights most of the neighbourhood cats :(

Truth be told I am not sure I would rehome another older Siamese. I just don't have the same connection. There are great rescue charities who support Siamese - www.siameserescue.org.uk/homeswanted.htm and the Oriental cat welfare trust.

cozietoesie · 16/05/2015 21:20

I recall going off one year on Boxing Day leaving Firstcat with our uncle in residence. When we returned, my uncle said plaintively to my mother 'You could at least have left me the rest of the Xmas Turkey - I had to go out and get some pies!' My mother, not normally a daft person, said 'But, but, but - I did! I left you the................... Firstcat Where are you ?'

He was a very old-fashioned seal point and as bright as a button - but Yes. A dreadful thief.

cozietoesie · 16/05/2015 21:21

spring

Seniorboy came to me at 14. It's worked out fine.

NorbertDentressangle · 16/05/2015 21:34

The only Siamese I've known belonged to our neighbour when we were growing up.

All I remember about it was (a) it used to yowl and miaow all the time (b) it once tried to steal a frozen chicken that my Mum had left on the side in the kitchen to defrost. We caught it trying to drag it through our cat-flap!!

DustBunnyFarmer · 16/05/2015 21:34

You know how I said I missed my Siamese? I just watched that video of the 2 Siamese in the bathroom - mental! It brought back memories of mornings and the breakfast yowling.

DustBunnyFarmer · 16/05/2015 21:35

Neighbour's frozen chicken? Check!

springalong · 16/05/2015 21:38

Cosie - got to get rid of this one first!! A good cat loving friend said to me "he has something of the night about him" and yes he does!

OP - you wont regret having a Siamese. They are lovely!

Gothgirl78 · 16/05/2015 21:47

I've got two. A seal point and lilac point. They are amazing but fight for my knee and prime position on he bed and bring in a stupid amount of rodents and birds.

I've lost count of the times I've stepped bare footed on some rodent at five in the morning, after they've woke me up!

sebsmummy1 · 16/05/2015 21:59

My parents have a Ragdoll, he was mine when I lived with them. Honestly he is the most beautiful creature that ever was. Piercing blue eyes, seal colouring with a charcoal black face. Thinks he is a dog in his mannerisms, ie adores my Mym to the moon and back, spoons her in bed, total lap cat, adores cuddles BUT he is totally mute. My perfect cat lol. He did cost £350 and we saw both the Mum and the Dad but they are bit cheap.

I on the other have have a Maine Coone cross and she is very chatty (argh!!!!!!!). Honestly I am all about mute cats, constabt crying makes me want to murder someone. In her favour though she is amazingly patient and passive, adores my son, is stunning and a total lap cat. She was a rescue so you can definitely find these cross breeds in rescue centres and Gumtree etc. another wonderful breed is Norwegian Forest.

sebsmummy1 · 16/05/2015 22:03

*they aren't cheap

goodasitgets · 16/05/2015 22:08

This cat was apparently feral
And part Siamese. She does this if you don't pick her up (video with sound of her)
www.facebook.com/brighthair/videos/10152388599291086/

TeenagersDriveMeMad · 16/05/2015 23:33

We looked after FIL's Siamese while he was in hospital for 8 weeks so she wasn't on her own in his house.

Never. Again.

I love all cats but this one pushed me right to the limit. FIL is her person so she howled constantly for the first 2 weeks with us. This then reduced to howling every other hour, or when you left the room/house . If you were sat on the sofa she'd come and sit on your feet, and then growl at you and bite them if you tried to move. Same when in bed.

She bullied the poor dog (JRT x Daschund, tiny, under 6kg) mercilessly - if the dog was asleep the cat would go and sit on her and do the same growl-bite routine if she moved. Or run up to the dog, bash her across the head to wake her up, and then run off. If the dog didn't follow this would be repeated until she did. Luckily the dog grew up with cats so never reacted badly.

The cat is also a very fussy eater - only fresh cooked chicken, tuna (she doesn't get this often as it's v bad for cats!), or Sheba trays with a sprinkle of Dreamies. She's permanently underweight despite £££ vet bills to find out why as she never likes a type of food long enough to put weight on.

I suppose she's a bad breed representative really, some of these Siamese sound lovely . Most of her behaviour is due to her upbringing with FIL, I'd imagine if you ensured they were taught manners from a young age this wouldn't happen.

tabulahrasa · 16/05/2015 23:47

Mine got a bit angry and bitey with my neighbour when I was on holiday once...but it was so out of character that my neighbour ended up spending the whole day working out what was wrong with her.

My (adult) nephew had fed her dry dog food I'd said, the bag on the table with the cat on it...he fed her from a bag on the floor with a picture of a Great Dane on it , the pieces were too big to eat, lol.

So mine definitely isn't usually like that when I'm away, though you can tell from that story she gets more than one visitor

She's not fussy with food - though I do believe they can be odd about it, she's a pig though. I know that her breeder says most of her cats are like that.

stareatthetvscreen · 17/05/2015 00:05

aw thanks op :)

love the other pics too

RubbishMantra · 17/05/2015 02:19

"His favourite thing was to stretch out on the floor and be rolled like a sausage."

^^ I want a sausage roll cat!

Degustibusnonestdisputandem · 17/05/2015 08:20

Oh YY to them being terrible tea leaf cats!

midnightvelvet01 · 17/05/2015 09:42

Missing Ragdolls are known for their lovely temperament, she is my first cat & I had her from a rescue & went for this breed as I have zero experience with cats so wanted to go for a calm breed. They are a very non aggressive cat (obv cat's individual personality comes into it as well) & my cat has never scratched or bitten me or the DCs. They go all floppy when you pick them up & they are just lovely.

They come with different colours of coat & points, mine is a seal colourpoint, I'll try to find a pic of her to attach & there are breed specific rescues here & there. If you buy a kitten from a breeder they will cost between £400-£600.

They are indoor cats though, part of the downside of having a nonaggressive cat is they tend to be a bit dim :) One of the conditions of the rescue was that my girl was an indoor cat, she would not know what to do if challenged by another cat or a dog & I have no faith that she could cross a road safely.

Their coat is longhaired but there's none of the undercoat of say, a Persian, so they don't get knotty or tangled. They do lose hair all over the house but this would probably be true of any longhaired indoor cat. They can be quite large, males particularly & my girl is a lapcat & has a purr like a truck! I wouldn't be without her now :)

(I probably posted these pics under a different username, if you recognise them then please don't out me, thanks ) :)

HemanOrSheRa · 17/05/2015 10:05

Wow midnight she stunning! All of the cats pictured here are gorgeous.

Mantra I would say to Sausage Roll Cat, "Come on let's play Rolly Polly" and he would assume the position! I would roll him backwards and forwards until I got bored. He'd let you do it all day . He was a funny boy .

IsadoraQuagmire · 17/05/2015 13:35

Haha I loved that video, I like that yowling sound! I have a Burmese, she's nearly a year older than me, so she knows I'm well below her in the pecking order (so is everyone else in the house actually)
She's demanding, loud, sulky, moans and whinges when she's bored to force you to entertain her, and always has the last word in any argument. I worship her!
I've never had a Siamese, but I know they're pretty similar. I'd really like one some day (though I think a Burmese would always be top of my list if I could get one from a breed rescue)

cozietoesie · 17/05/2015 13:57

I suspect that many of the cats that come up for rehoming through the breed rescues never make it on to their websites because people have contacted the Breed Welfare Officers very sharply and the cats find a new home with no advertising ever being necessary.

You'd likely get an older cat, Isadora, eg perhaps one whose owner has died or gone into care. I saw a 19 year old gentleman on the Siamese Rescue website months ago in those circumstances - he was only there about 24 hours before he found a new home because it's really a great privilege to be able to give one of these oldies a loving home in their sunset time. (It certainly has been for me, and Seniorboy has turned out to be much more long-lived than anyone expected.)

DustBunnyFarmer · 17/05/2015 14:42

We knew a family where the 'replacement kitten' was 11. The old boy was knocking on 21 the last time I visited.

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