How can I find the right breeder for Siamese?

[RUOKHon]

After years of back and forth discussion, we’ve finally decided to get a Siamese kitten.

Both my husband and I grew up owning cats, but they were all rescue moggies. This is the first time we’ll be getting a pedigree cat. Two members of our family are retired vets, so we already have some good brains to pick. But I wanted to get advice from people who specifically know about Siamese breeders.

How do I go about finding one - is there a central registry or something that I should use as a starting point? What sort of checks should I do to make sure they’re legit?

All tips welcome!

Have you joined pet forum? There are some fantastic breeders on there who can advise depending on where you are. Always buy from a breeder who registers their kittens and from health tested parents.

I guess there will be a GCCF registered breed association and they will keep breeder lists. Siamese Cat Club I think. Not all breeders will be members (there are politics in the pedigree world) but the ones who are, should be reputable.

That's hard-core going for Siamese! Have you considered Burmese too?

You're brave. I say that as someone who has had Siamese/Orientals for years. High needs toddlers that what they are.
Try the Siamese Cat Club.

My input would be that you might do better buying from a small breeder with only a few cats .
Siamese are very prone to Fip , like some other pedigree breeds. This is a horrible disease that can be endemic in large breeding colonies, overcrowded houses etc.
I thought I was doing the right thing buying from a top breeder, chair of the breed council at the time etc etc. Ten heart breaking months later we lost our cat to fip.
Five years later when we bought our second, took us that long to recover, we visited breeders found on preloved ( I know in theory not ideal but ..) and choose one from a lovely family home with three queens and a stud in the garden, very clean, loads of room.
Be prepared to walk away, if you visit and it’s dirty or loads of cats everywhere or any cats with runny eyes , sneezing, just walk ( chronic respiratory issues also common in multi cat households)
Temperament also tends to be better from hobby breeders. Ones with loads of cats often have kittens running about all over the house or shut away in separate rooms and poorly socialised and you will end up with a shy adult. You want a kitten that’s been used to people from the start.
Be prepared for a Siamese, love ours to bits and would have another but they are high maintenance. Fab though if you want a loving companion and are happy to be their slave !

I'm following because we are also looking for a Siamese kitten. I've never had a cat before. My DH grew up with cats. The one that was "his" was half siamese, and he grew attached to how vocal it was, which is why he wants one. I've just been looking on Pets4homes, but following this thread in case I should be looking elsewhere! I'm looking at Bengals as well, as they seem to be just as playful, but are slightly less vocal!

I have a blue male burmese cat and can really recommend them. Beautiful affectionate cats that follow you and want to sit on your knee as much as possible!

No better breed than Persians imho! But at completely opposite ends of the intelligence scale!

I've owned four Burmese and grew up with Siamese and Burmese cats as my nan was a breeder. After my old girl died we got a rescue moggy. The big black monster has never sat on my lap, not once. My Burmese would see you moving towards a chair and literally sprint towards you to get on your lap (both of them) the minute it appeared, like a person bagging a table in M&S café. Siamese are similar but sillier. They will own you body and soul. I hope you're prepared

Take your time would be my advice. A reputable breeder often has a social media page with testimonials and live chat between slaves. I visited breeders to look at litters and conditions and once I was satisfied put my name down for a future litter.

Picture of my evening beard - not to be confused with my night beard which covers most of my face.

@NotMeNoNo is spot on. I have not had dinner yet as my chin is required.

My orientals have been from small scale hobby breeders. Personally I think it's worth looking for someone who shows cats or who has a background in showing and maybe breeds a litter or two a year to try and select for showing/specific colours etc.
In my experience these tend to be people who love their animals, want them to go to good homes and will ensure they are healthy, well socialised kittens.
I have walked away from dodgy set ups. Like with puppies, it's better to view them in their home environment but do not take a kitten if the breeder expects you to view/take home immediately - unless for some reason (maybe distance) that's not possible.

Their neediness is what I love about them!!

My grandparents had Burmeses and they were gorgeous. So vocal and snuggly. We definitely considered them but we just thought we should give ourselves strict parameters otherwise we will end up with five types of cat!

I love Maine coons and Persians too but I know I could not cope with the fluff.

Okay I will check out some of the forums. I’ve been looking at the Old Siamese Cat Club website but it seems a bit amateur and some of the links look out of date. Am I looking at the right site?

OP maybe have a look on FB and find siamese specific pages and look for those created a long time ago with a significant numbers of members and active chat with regular posts.

You are on the journey now as you have started researching here and with your close links to vets I am sure you will find the right kitten for you. Look forward to seeing your kitten photos

My DH grew up in a household with lots of cats. His parents had Siamese, Burmese and Havana's over the years. He always promised himself he would have his own when older but only got round to it a few years ago.
We've had other pets and cats before. My own are the first ones I have known well and am a complete convert. I literally cannot imagine not having this type of cat around now. I have a lovely fluffy moggy too who I love but my orientals are such fun and rewarding to be around.
They are affectionate, a little demanding, very clever and agile and incredibly naughty (with zero remorse). They steal food, rummage in the recycling, tease the dog, my stair carpet is on borrowed time but all worth it.

I don't know if this is allowed on here, so feel free to ignore/delete, but I can recommend a fantastic Siamese breeder if it's any help

Gratuitous kitten pic

How gorgeous ❤️

Sweeping statement here - most of the cat clubs are small voluntary/charity organisations run by people more interested in cats than websites -that might be why they are a bit clunky.

The Breeders Siamese Cat Club. They list registered breeders around the country.

Lovely photos! Thanks for that.

Yes please @Justonedayatatime11 !

And feel free to post more kitten pics : )

I'll pm you RUOKHon

Well, I know that most salons for cats can offer services for Siamese breeds. I bought one three years ago, and no matter to which cat salon I took it, they did a pretty good job. I’ve read on mybritishshorthair.com/flame-point-siamese-cat-personalitiesl-price-health-variants/ that they don’t need a specific haircut. It’s not hard to do, and they usually are done everywhere. It takes to be dumb not to be able to do it. So relax and just take it anywhere. I hope it is pretty calm; otherwise, it will be nervous while doing the hair. Good luck.

My son has recently bought some Siamese kittens from a local hobby breeder - my advice is that unless you want to be a constant source of entertainment get 2 . Ours are really full on and thy have someone at home with them all the time , I reckon they would be a nightmare if they were alone . That said they are extremely gorgeous , love everyone and really like their humans .