1 Another odd tidbit of information that will now go into my brain and push out something important. Sigh.

2 Just doing my job, clogging the world with information.

3 Don't let them disrespect your cat Ogre. My limited experiences have show me that the fussy "offical" animal groups will disparage your animal up to and including it being an actual "breed". They seem to forget that all the breeds are a result of selective breeding, so I don't see what right they have to sneer at an attractive animal that breeds true. ER

4 Yeah, I get all mine from shelters anyway, so it doesn't really matter what they want to call it, it's still pretty cool. The yellowish one I have now chases the dogs all over the neigborhood.

5 I actually like cats, but they don't like me. They make my eyes itch. So... we'll have to go for a dog.

6 I have a cat that barks like a dog, does that count?

7 Had a blue-tip siamese for a while. SUCH loyal cats. Congratulations.

8 We have a half Siamese, half six toed cat ... probably the product of six generations of inbreeding! Awesome personality, and he truly "walks thru walls" Although he comes inside, nobody's seen him go outside for six months. Weren't Siamese cats developed in Thailand to be Temple Guards ... to keep evil spirits away from the departed ... ?

9 Definately loyal. The last siamese I had would wake up 5 minutes before I got home from work (after sleeping all day, of course), and greet me at the door -- and I didn't feed him, he just showed up to greet me, then went back to sleep! And Caren, I think I had heard something about that. Of course my memories could be tainted by Hollywood and movies like The Mummy... Thanks for stopping by!

10 Robert Heinlein: "The Cat Who Walked Thru Walls" Used to think it was fiction!

11 Oh, no! Just about any book written about cats is either fact or closely based on fact! They ARE that good -- just ask them, they'll tell ya.

12 the 6-toed cat is a Polydactyl (google it). My wife and I got a polydactyl on July 5th. It has 7 toes on the front paws and 5 on the back (the vet said cats are only supposed to have 4 on the back.) People breed polydactyls because they are supposed to have a good temperament. Ours is a little terror though. What kind of temperament are siamese cats supposed to have?

13 I've heard of those extra-toed cats, but I'd never seen one! Maybe next time I come visit... Siamese are renowned for their loud voices, aloofness (more than most), and intense loyalty. Most have very loud "meows," but when they select an owner, they are extremely loyal and friendly, some even becoming protective. They can be very agressive cats, but not to their own. Every one I've had has been an excellent mouser and every one has caught birds. New animals are a little trouble to add to a house with a Siamese, unless the new animal accepts it's role as inferior to the Siamese. I love 'em, but the official breed is a little too skinny for me -- I like 'em with a little meat on 'em.

14 We had a polydactyl cat (not a siamese) when I was a child. Fantastic cat. Behaved like a dog in a lot of ways: came when called, knew his name, went jogging with my father. He was also really laid back. Whenever we came home after school he'd be there to meet us, and would roll over on his back for tummy rubs. I have two siamese, and pretty much ignore what cat breeders say about "correct" breeds. Siamese color patterns are the result of a heat sensitive mutation, and can be bred into any cat. And breeders tend to want to do the nuttiest things. Burmese cats (my mom was a fan) used to be compact elegant little cats that looked like dark siamese with golden eyes. Now they look like retarded boston terriers, with pug noses and bizarre round eyes. Siamese also now look like bat-eared, skinny freaks. Like Mr. Bigglesworth with fur. They've been bred to an extreme, and I hear that there are starting to be really bad health problems in "purebred" siamese: They don't live as long, they catch diseases more easily and they get eye infections a lot. Breeding is really just animal eugenics.

15 I didn't know the patterns were a result of heat! And I completely agree with the "purebred" ideas -- I've never known ANYONE who's had a purebred that hasn't had major health problems. The Siamese do look really bad so skinny, if you ask me. I like the Siamese personality, and their coloring, and their short hair -- but NOT the current trend of skininess!

16 And thanks for stopping by, Jonathan!

17 Hi Ogre, About the heat thing....actually siamese darken depending on the climate...the colder the climate the darker the points become ...as well, the older the cat the darker the points will become. A flame point just adopted me...came to my house in the middle of the night and screamed until I let him in. Beaten up and skinny...obviously has a sixth sense to know what door was his saving grace. He's a beauty. My second siamese although flame points are not considered purebreds ...but who cares?! He's what I'd consider a traditional siamese - more robust and appleheaded. This is what the original ideal was when they first were registered by cat fanciers. Therefore, to me, he's genuine!

18 I agree on the applehead part -- I really can't stand the really skinny ones. I hadn't noticed a darkening in the climate. The one I own seems to do the opposite, but I haven't look that closely -- he seems to get lighter in the winter, when the snow is on the ground, but darker in the summer. I need to take some pictures and compare more closely, I think... Thanks for stopping by!

19 Thanks for the reliable info and links. My owner is very happy to finally know who I am. I am a flame-point siamese mix with more house cat look but the wierd blue eyes, the kitten-like ways, the loud talkative me-ow (a specific one for each of my many needs), and the moarnful cry when ever she's someplace I'm not. I feel less panic attack when she tells me she's OK during her shower. But the safe gaurding the bathroom door and previous near-knocking-myself-silly head butts to get in made her wonder if she had a cat stranger than fiction.

20 Hehe. And if you're like some I know, you help your owner dry off after the shower, too...

21 I rescued a family of "flame points" from my local pound. I went for a puppy, but they were going to euthanize 6 kittens to try to find mommy a home. My intent was to foster, but they are so sweet, I might now have 11 kitties!

22 ELEVEN? Wow. Good luck cleaning THAT cat box!

23 I have a Birman and she doesn't have health problems. She's a big hearty force of nature. Birmans don't seem to be bred to weird extremes, so far. The current Birmans look just like Birmans from 60 years ago, and were probably developed from crossing longhairs (possibly Persians) with Siamese, before either were bred to be bizarre, and now Birmans still look normal. She just looks very beautiful and cute, and has a wonderful friendly playful quirky personality, very loyal and companionable, like a Siamese but with a quiet voice and just a bit less active. And she has super-gorgeous semi-long hair that needs no combing, unlike fancy longhairs that can't maintain their own coats. Coolest cat I've ever lived with. I just adopted a new kitten and I deliberately went for a Siamese mix from a shelter, in order to find a kitty like an old fashioned Siamese. Apparently there is enough demand for healthy, old style Siamese among cat lovers that there are now many breeders breeding them instead of the modern scrawny ones. They can't "show" them in the major circuits since they don't meet the modern standards, but they are what cat lovers want. IIRC, some cat associations accept flamepoints. Some associations only accept a few "traditional" colors for colorpoint cats, while others accept "new" colors like flame point that had to be crossbred to other breeds to achieve. It is the same situation with Birmans. Not that it's important or anything!

24 Neat! I haven't heard of Birmans before. I think as long as they're not strictly bred, they will be great -- it's the purebred breeding that really kills them health-wise!