Mischievous Kittens

The Colors of the Siamese Cat

Siamese cats have a creamy coat with colored points.  These points are located on their snouts, ears, paws, and tails.  The points are formed from a genetic mutation in coat color.  This mutation inhibits the production of melanin (which produces color) in areas of normal body temperatures.  Melanin will be active in cooler areas of the body resulting in coloration at the points.  Therefore, the cooler areas of the Siamese cat (the points) will be darker.  I find this extremely fascinating!  This creates one the most beautiful features of the Siamese cat.  What is odd is that Siamese kittens are born white.  The mother’s womb is entirely warm, producing no points until after birth.  The Cat Fancy Association in America recognizes four colors of the Siamese Cat.  These are considered the four basic colors they are:  Seal Point Siamese, Blue Point Siamese, Chocolate Point Siamese, and Lilac Point Siamese.

Seal Point Siamese - The points of the Seal Point Siamese are the darkest and appear seal brown to black.  This is the most popular colors and what most people think of when they think of a Siamese cat.  In juvenile and younger cats, the points will be more apparent.  As the Seal Point Siamese ages, its body will become darker. 

The original Siamese cats were seal points and all other coat colors are derived from the seal point Siamese.  No wonder that the seal point is more popular considering that they have made their way into books, and the big screen.  There have been some famous cats like “Tao” from the original “Incredible Journey”, and that mischievous cat from “That Darn Cat”. 

Chocolate Point Siamese - The Chocolate Point Siamese is different from the Seal Point in that the body is ivory with no shading and the points are a deep chocolate brown, warm in tone.  The Chocolate Point is a genetic variation of the Seal Point.  The similarities of the Chocolate Point and the Seal Point can make it difficult to distinguish the two types by a novice, just as it is between a blue point and a lilac point.  A good breeder can determine the difference quiet easily. 

Interesting with the Chocolate Points is that in the early days of breeding, these types of cats had occurred in litters of Seal Points and were dismissed as bad seals.  A group of enthusiasts devoted to the Chocolate Points Siamese took the challenge of developing standards for the Chocolates.  They emphasized that the milk chocolate points were the aim of the breed and hence the specific breed came into existence. 

Blue and Lilac Point Siamese - The body of a Blue Point Siamese should be a platinum gray of bluish tones with lighter color on the belly and chest.  The points should be a deep grayish-blue.  As stated earlier, all Siamese originally had extremely dark brown (Seal) points.  Occasionally Siamese were born with blue points instead of seal points.  The Blue points were a genetic dilution of the seals. 

The body of the Lilac Point Siamese should be glacial white.  The points should be a frosty gray with a pinkish tone.  The lilacs are a genetic dilution to the Chocolate Points. 

The least common are the blue or lilac points.

Below are the possible combinations of the four types of parents and offspring.

PARENTS                                         OFFSPRING

Seal X Seal                                       Seal, Blue, Chocolate, Lilac

 

Seal X Blue                                       Seal, Blue, Chocolate, Lilac

 

Seal X Chocolate                             Seal, Blue, Chocolate, Lilac

 

Seal X Lilac                                       Seal, Blue, Chocolate, Lilac

 

Seal X Chocolate                             Seal, Blue, Chocolate, Lilac

 

Blue X Blue                                     Blue, Lilac

 

Blue X Lilac                                     Blue, Lilac

 

Chocolate X Chocolate                  Chocolate, Lilac

 

Chocolate X Lilac                            Chocolate, Lilac

 

Lilac X Lilac                                     Lilac

About the Author

About the author
The author lives in west TN, where she resides in a blissful multi-cat home. She has done extensive research for almost twenty years on cat behavior especially that of the Siamese cat.

Website: we-are-siamese.com
Copyright © 2009 by Lynn Miller

Links to go with article

http://www.we-are-siamese.com/siamese-cat-breeds

http://www.we-are-siamese.com/seal-point-siamese.html