Nobody knows for sure where these special cats come from originally. The most plausible theory is said to be that they come from somewhere in Southeast Asia, that is Malay, Indo-China, Burma or the Himalayas.

Another theory claims that the Siamese descend from the original Egyptian cat. The foundation for this theory lies in the mummified cats one found in Egypt, since they were considered to have the same kind of body and scull structure you find in the Siamese. Yet there are written evidence about the Siamese already from the fourteenth century, where this remarkable masked cat is described. The documents do not stem from Egypt, but from Ayudha, which was the capital of Siam (today’s Thailand) up until 1767.

According to a Professor F. E. Zeuner, there is no doubt about the origins of the Siamese cat – it comes from the Malayan archipelago. In his article about the matter, written in 1951, he especially underlines two arguments that he means support his point of view: 1) The colouring of the Siamese resembles the colouring of the Himalayan hare. 2) The Siamese tail was unique in its shape and length (and continued to be so, until new breeds like the rex cats, for instance, were created).

Regardless of the discrepancies in the theories about its origin, there seems to be a unanimous agreement that the special characteristics of the Siamese come from a gene mutation, which resulted in the creamy white body and the contrasting colours on its face, ears, legs and tail, as the sensational blue eyes.

Such as we know the Siamese of today, however, it certainly comes from Siam (Thailand). Around 130 years ago the first Siamese cats got out of Siam and made their way to Europe, more accurately England. With them they brought myths and legends that totally enthralled the English aristocracy.

According to the legends, the Siamese cat was the most precious jewel in the King’s palace. This cat was not a cat for everyone to own, it lived solely in the palaces of the King and his family. Sometimes the King could give one of his trusted and most esteemed friends in the aristocracy a cat, just to prove how high the King evaluated this person. However, the Siamese cats also had another task to fullfill. When a member of the royal family or the aristocracy died, a suitable Siamese cat was chosen to take over the soul of the dead. Then the cat was moved to a temple, where it was served by priests and monks for the rest of its life. The food was served on golden plates, and their sleeping places were the most exquisite cushions made of silk and other fine cloths. This is probably a legend that has been passed over from Siamese cat mother to Siamese cat child to this very day, since Siamese cats still prefer to eat from the best plates of the house and drink from the finest crystal water bowls the house can offer.

The rather common tail kink and the charming crossed eye condition that many Siamese cats still have, are also explained by these old tales they brought with them from Siam. One story says that a Princess asked her cat to watch over her rings while she bathed. The cat then curled the tip of its tail to prevent the rings to fall off the tail – thus the tail became permanently curled at the tip. The fact that many Siamese cats are slightly cross eyed, also has its story. This time it is about a cat mother who is guarding Buddha’s golden goblet. She had her tail curled around the stem of the goblet and she never let her eyes stray from the goblet – and when she gave birth to her first kittens, they were all cross eyed and tail kinks.

No wonder these blue eyed cats with their brownish black masks over their faces, charmed the English. Queen Victoria was completely charmed when she saw her first Siamese at a cat show towards the end of the nineteenth century. Queen Alexandra is photographed while holding her Siamese cat aboard the royal yacht, and Queen Elizabeth got a Siamese kitten as a gift when she married Prince Philip. The Princess Michael of Kent has also been photographed together with her seal point Siamese.

Several famous film stars have also been captured by the special charms of the Siamese, among them Vivien Leigh.