Living With Siamese and Oriental Cats

The impact of a Siamese or Oriental cat on your life shouldn’t be underestimated.  The physical beauty of these breeds is what attracts many people to them in the first place, and really needs no explanation.  There are some characteristics that are worth taking into consideration though.

They are far removed from the traditional image of the solitary cat that only comes home to be fed, enjoys his own company and is independent.  As a starting point, Siams and Oris shouldn’t be allowed to roam.  If they have outdoor access, it should be within a catproof run, preventing them from leaving your property.  They are definitely not aloof or independent.  If you aren’t prepared to share every aspect of your life with your cat, forget these breeds.  They are curious, and will have their noses into absolutely everything.  They love to ‘help’ with things like typing, changing the bed, or dusting.  They are apparently expert at tying shoe laces, arranging scarves, and sometimes hair-dressing.  And they will climb or jump to reach all the places you thought they couldn’t reach.

They are hoarders.  Whenever we have a spring clean, or move furniture, there will be a stash of objects stolen by a delinquent feline for some unfathomable reason.  My make up brushes, batteries, pens, Christmas decorations – the list is never ending.  They will also hide their own toys, so you end up replacing them.  To see the old ones magically re-appear a couple of days later.

I have heard a few times of kittens being returned to breeders for being ‘too loud’.  Siamese and Orientals are talkative.  Sometimes they are having a conversation with you, and sometimes they are just singing to themselves.  Sometimes they want feeding, and sometimes they want their litter tray to be cleaned out.  Each occasion and each cat has its own voice, and you will learn to recognise which is which.  Sirius sometimes forgets where he is and calls us to go and pick him up and collect him.  This is one of the reasons I love these breeds, but they are not quiet cats.  Ever.

There is a reason that Siamese and Oriental owners talk about their pets incessantly.  The cats have shoved everything else out of their lives and taken over.  They are incredibly demanding, and once you know how big a part of your cats lives you are, it’s very difficult to put them out of your mind.  In return you get as much feline love and affection as you can take.  Sometimes they will be unerringly loyal, and attached to one person in particular.  Others are wonderful hosts, and love visitors for the variety of laps to visit in turn.  For your part, you can never snub your cat.  They will fret and possibly get ill with a lack of attention and affection.  They are best kept at least in pairs, and the less time you have to spend out of the house each day, the better.

Siamese and Orientals love to play.  As well as company, they need toys and games to keep their active minds occupied.  We have a couple of large cat scratchers and innumerable toys scattered around the house.  One thing they cannot resist is a fishing rod toy.  Just be careful where you point them though – you run the risk of firing a high speed Siamese across the room through anything in its path. 

Some like to play fetch.  Most people don’t believe this until they have seen it. Usually there is a favourite toy for this game, and once they have discovered how much fun it is, you aren’t allowed to stop playing until you are told so by your cat.

Siamese or Oriental cats are incredibly demanding – they won’t let you take your shoes off and have a glass of wine before needing a cuddle and to tell you about their day.  They can’t be put away until later when you feel like dealing with them, if you choose to share your house with them,

you must be prepared to take on their needs.  The rewards for this are immeasurable.  These are such expressive, interactive and sensitive cats.  Whatever I’m doing at home I have company.  Calcifer in particular (being especially my cat) is like my shadow.  Waking up with a pile of furry little bodies piled around me is one of my favourite things. 

If you smile when you are trying to watch television and all you can see is an extreme close up of two blue or green eyes, and a little leather nose pressed up against yours with a soundtrack of purring like a V8 engine, then these are perfect cats for you.