I'll never forget my first encounter with a Siamese cat. It was the late eighties and I was visiting a college friend in Leicestershire. I was forewarned of his eccentric mother who on occasion took to wearing no clothes around the house (especially when my friend had company) but no one told me about the cats.

When I came into the house I heard an almighty racket coming from the kitchen, the sounds of cabinet doors being slammed open and shut, utensils rattling around and hitting the floor and a cup smashed - all accompanied by a furious, loud 'WHAHH' sound.

It was three Siamese cats and their dinner was late.

Strikingly beautiful, comedic and clever, this is a cat unlike any other.

This breed has an impressive lineage! It's earliest depiction can be found in the Tamra Maew (the Thai Cat-Book Poems), a collection of ancient manuscripts dating back to 1351 to 1767. One of these poems which incidentally can be found in the British Museum, describes these iconic cats as being more rare than gold and attributes great wealth to anyone lucky enough to own one. In fact at one point these cats were so beloved by Thai royalty that when a family member died it was thought that these cats would inherit their soul. Once a cat was chosen as a spirit host it spent the rest of its' life in a monastery surrounded by dotting monks and basking in luxury. Quite right too.

They were first introduced to the West in the late 19th century, most notably via a cat called "Siam" which was gifted to US President Rutherford B. Hayes by the American Consul in Bangkok. At the same time the King of Siam sent a breeding pair to the English Consul-General also stationed in Bangkok but these made their way back to England where they they quite rightly became a sensation. The first time the public at large saw a Siamese was in 1871. It was showcased at world's first International Cat Show held in Crystal Palace, London and you can just imagine the fuss it caused. Harper's Weekly magazine weren't too kind though, they described this exotic creature as "an unnatural nightmare kind of cat". Regardless, their popularity grew and grew and by the 1950's the breed was established globally.

These beauties once had crossed eyes and crocked tails, that is before cat fanciers saw these traits as undesirable and gradually bred them out. According to Thai legend, these cats were entrusted with a very noble task - they were to guard the King's golden goblet. Being ever loyal cats they watched the goblet with such intensity that their eyes lost focus and turned inwards. They also wrapped their tails around the vessel so tightly that their tails became permanently bent.

To this day, a cross-eyed Siamese or one with a bent tail is considered to be a lucky omen.

       

This is one soul-mate of a cat so if you don't have time to give them all the love and attention they need, think again - oh and make sure their dinner's on time or they'll take it out on your kitchen!

If you fancy rescuing one of these chatterboxes check out the link here.