Thai Cat Picture

This is a Thai cat picture that shows us that this cat breed is a Siamese cat of moderate proportions. When you write about the Siamese cat you are drawn into a discussion about breeding. The Thai cat is named as a new breed but for me it is another version of the Siamese cat that is between the original Siamese (in my view, a semi-cobby cat) and the super slender show Siamese that has an oriental appearance and which I call the modern Siamese. "Oriental" means slender in this context. For people outside the cat fancy the Siamese cat has become very confusing, I am afraid to say. The cat fancy should sort it out. The Thai is called an "old style Siamese". Thai cat breeders believe that the Thai matches the the original Siamese. I think it is a compromise. It is an elegant cat breed. The original Siamese is basically a pointed moggie, random bred cat, which is not elegant enough for members of the cat fancy. The Thai is between the original and modern versions of this very popular (3rd on my poll) and long standing cat breed, in my opinion. Read more about Thai cats and my version of Siamese cat history.

Modern Siamese Cat Picture

The modern Siamese is very different to the traditional Siamese. You can see the "oriental" body conformation (slender) of this cat breed in the excellent Helmi Flick photograph above, which gives an impression of the active Siamese. In fact there are a whole range of Siamese cat body shapes. The middle ground is occupied by the Thai, a new cat breed but which for me is simply a newish version of the Siamese. It is a bit confusing for people outside the cat fancy. TICA's breed standard is different to that of the CFA. Both recognize the slender, contemporary Siamese as the breed (and simply ignore the more popular traditional cat) but TICA allows a much wider range of pointing colors and patterns while the more conventional CFA accept: seal, chocolate, blue and lilac pointing. The more modern types of pointing are lynx pointing (tabby) and other versions of broken pointing such as tortie and shaded pointing. Read more...and about the history of this cat..