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Breed Profile

Size: Medium
Origin: Thailand (Siam)
Colour: Seal Point, Blue Point, Chocolate Point and Lilac Point.

This is an alternative name for the recently recreated, old-style Siamese Cat. Because this is a new development, no agreement has yet been reached concerning the official title of this cat. At present it is known by many names, including: Applehead Siamese, Applecat, Old-fashioned Siamese, Classic Siamese, Opal Cat and Thai Cat.

Owner's Guide

Domestic Breed: This is an alternative name for the recently recreated, old-style Siamese Cat. Because this is a new development, no agreement has yet been reached concerning the official title of this cat. At present it is known by many names, including: Applehead Siamese, Applecat, Old-fashioned Siamese, Classic Siamese, Opal Cat and Thai Cat.

Appearance: A Siamese Cat with a well-balanced, solid form, lacking extreme elongation of the neck and body. The head is rounded instead of wedge-shaped and the ears are of only medium size.

History: The elongated angularity of the modern 'show' Siamese has become so extreme in the second half of the twentieth century that many people have expressed a nostalgic longing for the old-fashioned, more moderate body-type of the breed, known from early photographs. Some American breeders have now set about reinstating this cat and it has become easier to obtain a 'Traditional' Siamese.

This revived form of the breed is also becoming popular in Europe where it is known as the Thai Cat. It remains to be seen whether its popularity will increase to the point where it will eventually eclipse the exaggerated 'Modern Siamese', as some of its champions predict.

It should be pointed out that it is possible today to obtain two types of Traditional Siamese. The first is a 're-constituted' cat, created by introducing stocky, short-haired cat elements into a strain of slender, modern Siamese, to modify the extreme angularity.

The second type - the true classic Siamese - comes from purebred lines belonging to conservative breeders who have never succumbed to the extreme modernization of the breed and have kept their old lines unadulterated and pure. At first glance it is impossible to distinguish between these two types. Only an examination of breeders records will give the answer. (For further details see Applehead Siamese Cat and Thai Cat).

Colour forms: The traditional breed is accepted only in traditional colours: Seal Point, Blue Point, Chocolate Point and Lilac Point.

Breed Club:

The Traditional Cat Association (TCA). Address: 1000 Pegasus Farms Ln., Alpharetta, GA 30201, USA.

Traditional Siamese. Address: 8752 Woodsman Ct., Washington, MI 48094, USA.