Chocolate Point Mekong Bobtail Picture

Here is a rare chocolate point Mekong Bobtail picture from the Russsian breeder: Cofein Pride cattery www.mekong-bobtail.ru. The person (Alex Opryatin) who runs the cattery has written an article on the main PoC site on this page: Mekong Bobtail - the real legendary Royal Siamese.

Photo published under Wikipedia Commons license. By Alex Opryatin

This is a very rare cat breed. I call it one of the unusual cat breeds because you don't usually see cats from this breed.

Personally, I don't think this version of the Siamese cat is the "real legendary Royal Siamese" as Alex states.  I am pretty sure that in Siam (now Thailand) perhaps 1000 years ago or so there were Siamese cats with normal tails, Siamese cats with kinked tails and the occasional Siamese cat with a shortened tail (bobtail). This is how nature works.

When the Siamese found its way to the west (Europe and USA) in the late 1800s breeders did not like the Siamese kinked tail, which was almost the hallmark of a Siamese with the pointing, and selectively bred it out. You can still feel the kink sometimes.

It appears that the bobtail version was not imported. The interesting point (excuse the pun) about the pointing of the cat in the picture is that it is quite restricted. What I mean is that it really is at the extremities of the cat, whereas normally you see the darker fur over the full face of the cat. In this instance the pointing is restricted to the nose and surrounding area. The same level of "limited pointing" is present on the lower limbs. You do see this sometimes in Siamese cats. I feel that it is wrong and less good than what I would call proper pointing.

Update
I am going to add an update this page at 6th June 2012 because Alex Opryatin showed me his website and asked me to write a bit more about the Mekong Bobtail.

I say that the bobbed tail version of the Siamese was not exported to the West. Alex makes the point that a lot of cats in Asia have, how do I say this, "interesting tails". They are kinked or missing or shortened. The great Darwin refers to this in this in The Variation of Animals and Plants under Domestication, 1883". So does Harrison Weir the founder of the cat fancy when he writes about Manx cats and because of what he says I raise the possibility that this cat breed was imported from Asia to the Isle of Man.

Because of the prevalence of short  tailed cats in Asia it is no surprise that the Siamese cat or a pointed cat developed a short tail - a bobtail.

Alex says that a number of the imported cats from Siam were Siamese cats with bobtails and the breed developed from there.

Picture of Sad Siamese and Sleepy Persian

This little collage of two purebred cats These cats represent the extremes.

Sad Siamese - Sleepy Persian

It is odd looking at them and to think that they are domestic cats. You can see that this a due to selective breeding. In the wild you do not see this sort of variation.

The top cat is a modern Siamese and the bottom an ultra typed Persian (contemporary Persian).

Ugly Cat Picture

The ugly cat picture is one of the many internet cults along the lines of the cheeseburger LOL pics. Many people like them but the cult is dying. Personally I don't like them. Sorry to be a killjoy. I just see either a sick cat, or a wet cat or a photoshopped cat or a badly bred cat with no future.

Uglly cat Yoda. Image in public domain

I don't know a thing about Yoda except this: he is bloody ugly. But what a shame. Someone created him. Shame on them. I feel sorry for Yoda. Although he does not feel sorry for himself as ugliness is a human concept. He appears to be a cat breeding nightmare mistake as nearly all ugly cats are. Read on please....

The first picture looks like a modern Siamese cat or an Oriental Shorthair that is patently overbred even for a cat that is already overdone:

Ugly cat? Yes, and because of misplaced selective breeding. Think of the cat. 

Above: I am not sure I would call this cat an ugly cat, actually. More a sad cat. Breeders like to breed large ears and an oriental style face (long). This fella has a very bony long face that looks artificial and the ears are horribly unnatural.

Ugly cat or sick cat?

The cat immediately above looks like a poorly bred orange tabby Exotic Shorthair with tear duct overflow and jaw misalignment. This is a cat that suffers because of irresponsible breeding and to call the cat ugly is unfair. Apparently deformities of the jaw or teeth are a hazard in breeding the Exotic Shorthair. I mention that on this page: Tabby and White Exotic Shorthair Cat. The picture below is another horrible mess of an attempt to breed a flat faced cat, probably the modern Persian. Madness. We don't see these failed attempts do we?

Badly bred Persian with jaw misalignment and tear duct overflow and more I suspect. A mess.

Ugly cat - yes I agree

Looks like a hairless cat that went wrong. Picture in public domain

The 4th and 5th of this fivesome are genuinely ugly. The 4th one is a very peculiar looking cat. The picture looks genuine. There are elements of the face that indicates that this cat is meant to be a Sphynx or a Peterbald (with a brush coat). But who knows? This cat could just be one of those anomalies. The hair is very thin so it might be hairless on a seasonal basis. He appears to have been in a fight as he has a scar on the nose. I could say the same about the 5th and last cat. A mess of a human creation. Botchy humans at the cat's expense.

Picture showing difference in breeding Manx and Siamese cats

If you compare Manx and Siamese cats from 1903 to the same cat breeds in the present (2012) you can see what has been going on in respect of selective breeding over the intervening 108 years.

Montage is protected by copyright

This is a simple montage but I think that it is instructive. You can see that the Manx has been around a long time in the cat fancy and its shape has hardly altered. It is a bit more cobby (stocky) today than in 1903. That is because breeders like to push the boundaries a bit (or a lot).

In contrast you can see that the Siamese has gone through a transformation. In 1903 it was similar in shape to the Manx. Today it is super slender. This is due to selective breeding. The Manx today is considered a stocky cat while the Siamese is considered "oriental" in appearance (slender). The reason why the Siamese has become so skinny is because breeders at the CFA decided around 1950 that it should be more elegant. That is it. See Siamese cat history. See also old style Siamese.

Tonkinese Cat Picture

Another beautiful and active cat picture by Helmi Flick. This Tonkinese cat picture shows what I believe to be a lilac, fawn or blue mink Tonkinese. Despite picking three colors, I am probably incorrect as the pointing is very subtle! Please leave a comment if you have the answer. The Tonkinese looks almost like a traditional Siamese cat in terms of body shape with a different range of body and pointing colors due to it being a Burmese/ Siamese hybrid. It is a nice, moderate cat, not bred to extreme. That I think this is its strength. You can see the more rounded head and shorter face than the Siamese show cats or indeed the Thai cats (called old style Siamese). They are like Applehead Siamese in this respect although breeders would not like me making that comparison, I suspect. The coat is fine and close lying as can be seen in Helmi's photo. This makes for very easy maintenance.

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.

Snowshoe Cat Picture

A Snowshoe cat picture by Helmi Flick. This is an striking cat. The appearance catches your eye. The pointing is bicolor. In other words the pointed extremities of the cat are divided between what we are used to seeing, say seal points, and white fur. The white fur is due to the presence of the piebald or white spotting gene probably imported from a bicolor American Shorthair (this is a hybrid cat). The genetics are a bit complicated! The bicolor pointing on the feet produces what breeders call a "mitted" appearance. When the pattern of split white/dark pointing is just on the feet the pattern is called "mitted". When this pattern is on the face as well, it is called "bicolor".  In layperson's terminology, I guess this cat breed is a traditional looking Siamese cat with bicolor pointing. As the ancestry comes from the Siamese you would expect this cat to be vocal and companionable. Read and see lots more if you desire...

Traditional Siamese Cat Picture

This is a traditional Siamese cat picture but not one taken by Helmi Flick. As a professional photographer in the United States she would not, in the normal course of events, come across a traditional Siamese cat because the major cat associations only recognize the slender, highly bred, "oriental" body shaped Siamese that breeders consider to be the original appearance or at least a cat of more elegant appearance than the original. I disagree with all of their concepts in regards to the Siamese cat.

The original Siamese is the traditional Siamese. That is clear by looking at old photographs of Siamese cats that were recently imported from Siam (now Thailand).  You can check out my version of Siamese cat history if you like. The above cat has seal pointing, which is the natural pointing of the Siamese. The traditional Siamese is bred with standard pointing colors: blue, seal, lilac and chocolate. I think they have introduced tabby pointing too (called lynx pointing). All Siamese cats before the 1950s were traditional Siamese cats.

There was no such cat as the modern Siamese. Cat associations don't call the contemporary Siamese the "modern" Siamese. They just call it the Siamese. The super slender modern Siamese is on a par with the ultra flat-faced Persian as the two cats that have been conclusively over-bred and refined beyond common sense limits. These are my views alone expressed here. Read more...

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..

Seychellois Picture

You can see that the rare, Continental European, Seychellois, is a Modern type Siamese/Oriental Shorthair cat in terms of underlying appearance. This is a slender, oriental bodied cat. In profile there should be a smooth, straight line from the forehead to the tip of the nose (no nose break). This cat is both long haired and short haired. It is registered at FIFE, a continental Europe cat association. This is a pointed cat as per the Siamese with bioclor pointing on the face to varying degrees and patterns, the inverted van "V" shape being desirable, it seems. This is called "particolor pointing" as far as I am aware. The ears are large and the face elongated. This is a svelte, slender cat and in terms of temperament it probably follows the Siamese, Balinese and Oriental Shorthair in being vocal, loyal and requiring close human contact. Please correct me if I am wrong. Please read and see more...

Burmese Cat Picture

Burmese cat - Photograph copyright Helmi Flick

Another great Helmi Flick, professional, cat photograph of a Burmese show cat, probably taken at a cat show in the USA. The American Burmese cat is different to the UK and the Australian breed. I think the USA version is more extreme with a more rounded body (cobby) and perhaps, without wishing to upset, a slightly unnaturally rounded head. It is said that this breed started when a Dr. Thompson imported a cat from Burma (now Myanmar, 2011). This cat was bred to a Siamese. You can see, therefore, the heavy connection with the Siamese cat. The Burmese is meant to look rounded. The modern Siamese is meant to look slender and elegant. Selective breeding produced the divergence in appearance between the two breeds. The Burmese is pointed but the pointing is difficult to detect sometimes. This is a vocal and talkative cat after the Siamese. This is a mainstream cat breed of long standing and a popular cat. Click here to read and see more.

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Siamese Cat Personality

The Siamese cat personality is almost as well known as its appearance. The Siamese is a very well known cat breed due to the breed's long history, early entry into the cat fancy and pointed appearance.

I'll quote four reliable sources on personality and character. Siamese cats are popular because they are energetic, playful, vocal and very sociable¹. The Siamese is known for its demanding attention seeking. The Siamese cat's voice is special. It can be loud and can have a demanding tone but this is what is attractive about this breed; you get plenty of interaction. The voice gets your attention, the object of the exercise. The Siamese cat's meow merges into a yowl.

Siamese cat in Siam - by xiffy

The Siamese cat is "an overly energetic, affectionate animal"². It is an intelligent cat and dog-like. You can leash train this cat. Siamese cats spray less than other breeds. The Siamese has a tendency towards wool sucking. It is known for this behavior. It usually lasts until sexual maturity but can continue for longer².

The Siamese cat personality is one of a "gregarious and chatty nature"³. Dr. Fogle also describes the Siamese as "energetically enterprising"³.

Please remember that associated breeds: Balinese (long haired Siamese), Oriental Shorthair and Longhair (modern Siamese with a range of coat types) have similar personalities. They are vocal "to the point of loudness"⁴. They like to sit on their human companion's lap or pillow! They are inquisitive and demanding but will be happy if you interact a lot.

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(1) The Cat, Its Behavior, Nutrition & Health ISBN 978-0-8138-0331-9

(2) Medical, Genetic & Behavioral Aspects of Purebred Cats ISBN 0-9634124-0-X

(3) The Encyclopedia of the Cat ISBN 978-1-4053-2149-5

(4) Legacy of the Cat 2nd Ed. ISBN 0-8118-2910-3

Traditional Siamese Cat Photograph

Beauty....rêveuse ou concentrée...??
Originally uploaded by julicath/Cath

Here is a really nice traditional Siamese cat photograph. The "conformation" or body shape is absolutely classic old fashioned Siamese cat me. A far cry from the contemporary, rather odd look to be honest. For the life of me I do not understand how people can prefer the modern Siamese as it is simply less attractive and that is not just me talking.

I love the intent gaze and the vivid blue eyes. And what comes across very strongly in this photograph is the "mask" of the of the classic seal pointing. It really does look like a mask in this picture.

This cat immediately reminds me of the Siamese cats of the early 1900s and late 19th century at the time of the beginning of the cat fancy in London, England.

It is all about the overall shape of the body. This cat looks entirely natural, while the so called "refined" and elegant modern Siamese cat can never be said to be natural looking. Quite the contrary.

As this photo's caption is in French I presume that this cat is in France. I hardly ever talk about the French cat fancy or the Russian cat fancy or any other cat fancy other than the UK and the USA.

That is remiss of me as there is a lot happening in France but inevitably it is less than in England. Why? Why are the French less interested in cats or are they as interested? I don't know but I do know that a recent survey estimated that the domestic cat population in the UK was about 10.3 million as far as I remember. Number have continually risen over the years as the human population has risen. Cats are a fraction more numerous than dogs in the UK at early 2010 on this estimate.

What is the estimated domestic cat population of France? Well the website: mapsofworld.com says that as at 2006 the UK had 7.7m while France had 9.6m. I am not sure if that is accurate nor am I sure that the difference is the same today 2010.

Traditional Cat Breeds

There is a gradual and perhaps growing movement towards a return to a more sensible approach to cat breeding and registration of breeds

A number of recognized cat breeds are, it could be argued, created artificially or have evolved through modern (and I think misdirected) breeding practices. The underlying reason for this is always commerce. I know this sounds cynical but it must be the reason. Commerce is not a bad thing obviously. But in relation to living creatures it can be and usually is.

There are two outstanding examples that come to mind, the Modern Siamese and the Persian cat.

 

Classic and Modern Siamese

The original Siamese is the one I used to know, a standard looking cat with color points, you know, the classic looking Siamese cat. This cat was until recently no longer recognized by the major cat registers as the breed had evolved into the Modern Siamese a rather fragile unhealthy looking cat with a tiny head. Strange and interesting looking - yes, but normal looking - no, not for me anyway. This is more apparent if you see these cats in the flesh.

This change has been brought about in my opinion by the desire to breed cats that have a "stand out" appearance. Something different. It is the same motivator that drives a car manufacturer to bring in a new car that is "different" and exciting in order to boost sales.

The difference with cats is that she is a living creature. And anyway there are potential health issues when you breed like that. So you get a strange looking and potentially unhealthy cat.

That said there are many who like the Modern Siamese and claim that the appearance is nearer to the true appearance. The history of most of the cat breeds is murky and no on can be certain as to what an original Siamese looked like except that to me the Classic Siamese looks like a normal cat (which is good evidence that she is the original Siamese) and the old books such as the 1911 Encylopedia show this breed of cat as the classic look.

Also it is worth mentioning that all domestic cats originate from the wild cat and there are no wild cats that remotely look like the Modern Siamese.

TICA (the second largest registry) have I believe recently recognized the classic Siamese but had to rename the breed the Thai because the Modern Siamese breeders insisted on it.

PersiansI go on at length about the over breeding of the Persian on my website so I won't go on about it it in detail here.

There are though now 2 types of Persian cat. The recognized one, the Ultra, peeked squashed faced cat with tear overflow and nose problems and the good old normal Persian which is called the Doll Face, which is unrecognized (at least at the full status level) by the major registries (I don't know is some registries recognize this cat).

The Doll Face breeders want of course recognition but it is hard work getting it. The purpose of this posting is to support them in a very small way because as is apparent I am fan of the natural and normal and health.

Pressure needs to be put on the CFA, TICA and GCCF (the major registries) to fully recognise the traditional Persian and treat the breed in the same way as the Ultra. In fact if I was in charge I would change the breed standard of the Ultra, year on year to gradually bring this breed back to normal.

There is no good reason why there cannot be two types of Persian cat - the current Ultra and the Traditional or Doll Face if there is a reluctance (and there is) to rectify a wrong (the overbreeding of this cat)

Siamese:Top photo of Modern Siamese copyright Helmi Flick, second photo reproduced under creative commons copyright KaCey97007

Persians:
The top photo is a Traditional Doll Face "Orlando" copyright Dani Rozeboom. The bottom photo is an Ultra Persian reproduced under Creative Commons copyright mephistofelicatFrom Traditional Cat Breeds to Cat Chit Chat