When you say Siamese cat, most people think of the short-hair seal points, which have a creamy white slender body, brown-black ears, nose and tail. But, there are several variations of the breed as well as crossbreds like the Himalayans, which are a cross of Siamese and Persians. The blue point has a bluish-white body with slate blue points. The chocolate point has more mocha colored points and the flame point has apricot ears, nose and tail. The body of a pure-bred Siamese is sleek and features a triangular head, large ears, and pointed features.

 Siamese are one of the oldest and most well known breeds. They received their name when they were exported from Thailand in the late 1800’s. At the time, Thailand was Siam.
My relationship with Siamese began when I was one. My mother had me outdoors in a playpen. She was in the house when a distant uncle stopped by. Seeing me for the first time, he ran to my playpen with outstretched arms, only to be viciously attached by Josie, our Seal Point Siamese, who had been guarding me from underneath the playpen.

Today, I share my house with several cats. Lucky, is a flame point Siamese mix I rescued from a high traffic area. He pretty much ignores the other cats and follows me everywhere. If I try to restrict him from coming in a room where I’m working, he stands on his back legs and beats on the door and yowls. He will keep this up for over 30 minutes. Every night since I first found him, he sleeps next to my head or stands guard like a sentry. If someone raises their voice to me, Lucky will circle in front of me, raise his back and begin “yowling” (loud angry meows) at the person. I’ve been bit twice by a cat. Both times, it was peeling Lucky off a dog that had come too close to me. Fearlessly, Lucky launched an attack. Since he cannot see well, he did not know I had grabbed him. Even though Lucky is a mix-breed cat, his personality is similar to a purebred.
Siamese have personalities that are quiet unique. They want to be your best friend and will walk through fire to be near their guardian. They do not tolerate being alone well. They like to be near their guardian all the time, they are smart and like to play fetch, they can open doors and closets that allude other cats, they love to lay on your lap and hang out near the bathtub when your bathing. Siamese are extremely loyal, affectionate, and smart. They can be trained to travel well, they can be fearless, and they have a long lifespan of 18-20 years. They usually do not like dogs.

If you are thinking about getting a Siamese, you may want to read about them and see if you can volunteer time at a breed rescue site. Plan on keeping your Siamese as an indoor pet since most are cross-eyed and do not see well. If you adopt or purchase a Siamese, expect a cat that demands attention, is highly vocal, and smart. If you want a cat, because you think a cat is low maintenance, you may not want a Siamese. Some people bring their Siamese to a pet shelter because they can not tolerate their demanding nature or vocal qualities. However, if you are the type of person who would love a true companion, but can’t have or do not want a dog, a Siamese can be an ideal match. In addition to their crazy antics, and affectionate nature, you may be delightfully surprised at their constant loyalty and protective qualities.

Four years ago I was living in a community with a high rate of unwanted animals. During the summer, the city shelter was forced to euthanize 14 to 17 thousand animals each month. Feral cats and cats that had Feline Aides (FIV) were euthanized immediately. At the time I did not have knowledge or experience with feral cat trap and release programs. I was sharing my house with several healthy cats when I met Scruffy, a sweet, adorable, athletic feral cat, that tested positive for FIV.

I tried to find a home for Scruffy where he would be the only cat in the household, but no one was interested in adopting him. After that my choices were limited, I could have Scruffy euthanized, I could have him neutered and leave him as an outdoor cat knowing he might infect other cats, or I could merge him with my healthy cats (I had four other rescued cats at the time). There was and still seems to be an ongoing debate about how cats contract FIV. Some veterinarians believe FIV can be passed by mutual grooming, and eating out of a food dish. Others believe FIV can only be passed through blood; a bite or during gestation from a mother to her offspring. All my research led me to believe that FIV cats can lead a reasonably normal life, provided they have good nutrition, and a safe, comfortable indoor environment. Dr. Mike Richards says, “Feline immune deficiency virus infection does not lead to acquired immunodeficiency syndrome in cats as often as human immunodeficiency virus leads to AIDS in people.” The largest threat to FIV-positive cats is secondary infections, such as bladder, skin, and upper respiratory infections. Kidney failure is also frequent in cats with FIV. So keeping all this in mind, I made a decision to neuter scruffy and merge him with my other cats. My deepest fear was that I would expose my other cats to FIV. The vaccine for FIV had just been placed on the market, but it was controversial so I choose not to vaccinate the healthy cats.

Four years later, Scruffy is still a sweet, adorable, athletic cat with FIV. My other cats are all healthy and still test negative for FIV. Maybe I was lucky, or maybe this is proof that the disease is not transferred through mutual grooming. It’s estimated about 12% of cats in the United States have FIV. Many never develop symptoms of the illness. I think part of the reason that Scruffy and my other cats remain healthy is that my house is a good place for animals; routine bedtimes, good quality food, constant accessibility to clean water, and a lack of external stress—my house is quiet and peaceful most of the time. If you adopt a cat with FIV, plan on keeping it indoors. Also, find out how far the disease has progressed. A cat with FIV exposure is far different from a cat with high FIV symptoms, or secondary symptoms of the illness. Many FIV exposed cats can live a relatively normal life provided they are in indoor pet, and receive good pet care.

Feline Leukemia, known as FeLV is a viral disease. Young kittens and older cats exposed to diseased cats are the most susceptible. The disease is spread through bites, mother to offspring, or diseased cat to healthy cats. The saliva, urine, and feces of an infected cat can pass the virus. However, the disease does not live more than a couple hours outside of the cat’s body. Some people believe indoor cats can contract the disease if a person carries the virus on their hands or clothes. There is no known cure at this time, and the disease kills 80% of all infected cats within a three year period. The disease can cause an array of health issues; cancer, blood disorders, and secondary diseases such as respiratory infections and diabetes. In laymen’s terms, the bones shut down and anemia occurs, which eventually leads to death.

To prevent your pet from contract Feline Leukemia, do the following:

1. Keep your cat indoors. This will eliminate your cat’s exposure to FeLV.

2. If you have stray cats in your neighborhood and you pet them, wash your hands with anti-bacterial soap before you pet your indoor cat.

3. Before you merge your healthy cat with a new cat or kitten, have the new pet tested for FeLV. If it has FeLV, it needs to be kept away from healthy cats.

4. Consider having your healthy cat vaccinated against Feline Leukemia. Unlike the Feline Aids vaccine, the Feline Leukemia vaccine does not affect a veterinarian’s ability to test your pet for the disease at a later date. Please keep in mind that while the Feline Leukemia vaccine is highly effective, it will not prevent all cats from contracting the disease. This is why it’s best to keep your cat indoors and away from potentially infected cats.

If your cat contracts Feline Leukemia, you should do the following:

1. Test all other cats in the household.

2. Remove infected cats from healthy cats. Keep them in separate areas at all times.

3. If you spend time with infected cats, change your clothes and wash your hands with anti-bacterial soap before you pet your healthy cats.

4. Feed your infected cats a well balanced diet. Many individuals swear by herbal supplements.

5. Maintain separate areas, food dishes and litter pans for the infected cats. Do not share these pet accessories with your healthy cats.

If you have a cat that dies of Feline Leukemia, and you wish to adopt another cat, scrub everything in your house thoroughly. Most likely the Feline Leukemia virus will die within a few hours after your pet passes away, but since Feline Leukemia often carries secondary disease, you should scrub everything with an anti-bacterial soap.

I once rescued a very pitiful looking feral cat. He tested positive (and high) for both Feline Aids and Leukemia. Remarkably, once he was moved indoors, he lived another four years—my vet said this was remarkable. When my FeLV infected cat contracted liver cancer and started having difficulty walking and urinating, I made a “no-win” decision to euthanize him. He had already endured several steroid shots and I was concerned he was suffering. None of my other cats contracted the disease, but I was always careful to wash my hands and I kept the cat separated from my healthy cats.

Many people find it challenging to give a cat medicine such as a pill or liquid. Once you learn the five steps below, it will simplify and speed up the process. You may want to pretend your medicating your cat right now. Once you feel confident with the steps below, use them the next time you need to medicate your cat.

1. Place the medicine on a floor or table top in a quiet room. If you are giving a pill, have the pill ready to place down the cat’s throat. If you are dispensing a liquid medicine, have the syringe filled with the correct amount of fluid.

2. Pick up you cat and pet it like normal. Place one hand underneath the ribs as you continue to pet the cat and walk toward the room where the medicine is prepared.

3. Continue to hold the cat and kneel down next to the medicine in the following manner. Spread your knees approximately 10 inches apart (this is approximately two or three fist widths). As you kneel, place your big toes side by side and flatten you ankles on the floor if you can. Next sit back on your heels, keeping your knees apart. You hips should be directly over your feet or ankles.

4. Place the cat so that it’s feet are on the floor, it’s butt and tail are facing your belly or hips, and it’s head faces forward—the same direction as yours. Do not sit on or put weight on your cat. If your right handed, slip you left arm against the left side of the cat’s body, and firmly but gently hold the cat’s chest with your left hand. If your cat is nervous, you can also hold the scruff of the neck with your left hand.

5. With your right hand, grab the medicine. Bend forward a little bit and place your right elbow on your knee. Continue to cradle the cat with your left arm and use your left hand to keep the cat from running forward.

a. If you are giving a pill, open the cat’s jaw by pressing an index finger near the corner of the lips. (Usually, I like to do this with my left index finger). Shove the pill toward the back of the cat’s throat with your right index finger. As soon as the pill is in the cat’s mouth, use your left hand to keep the cat’s mouth shut and tilt the cats head slightly up so the cat’s nose will be slightly higher than its jaw line. Be firm but gentle, and do not cover or press down on the cat’s nose. With your right hand, gently stoke the cat’s throat. This encourages the cat to swallow. b. If you are giving liquid medicine, press the tip of the syringe (obviously, without the needle) into the corner of the cat’s lips. With your left hand, lift the front of the cat’s head so the nose is slightly higher than the jaw line. As soon as the cat opens its mouth, dispense the liquid. The goal is to have the liquid run right down the back of the throat so that the cat will not taste the medicine. It helps to dispense liquids in a steady manner and do it as quickly as possible, provided it does not cause the cat to panic or choke. Sometimes it is easier to squirt a little medicine, let the cat breath, and then squirt some more medicine.

Once the cat has taken the medicine, pet it briefly and let it go. A few things to keep in mind–cat’s always like to feel safe, so cradling them without applying any weight can be helpful. When a cat becomes upset, it needs to be left alone. Its brain literally gets overloaded and an upset cat is likely to become aggressive. If you are having difficulty and your cat is getting upset, let it go. See if a veterinarian, a vet tech or a trusted pet sitter can give you a demonstration of the best way to medicate your cat.