Siamese Cat with big blue eyes

Siamese Cat Insurance, Care and Health Advice

Talkative, playful and totally devoted to their human friends, Siamese will tell you exactly what they want with that raise-the-roof voice and impressive range of miaows.

Your Siamese buddy will follow you everywhere. They’re totally into sharing (especially when there’s something tasty on your dinner plate), and if those jewellery or keys have gone walkabouts, it’s obvious who the main suspect is!

It’s never dull (or quiet!) with a Siamese on board. Not just a pretty face, they’re also one of the most intelligent cat breeds and need lots of interaction and stimulation to keep them active and entertained.
 

Siamese Cat Facts

Cat breed type icon
Type
Domestic
Cat breed lifespan icon
Lifespan
15 - 20 years
Cat breed size icon
Size
Medium
Cat breed weight icon
Weight
2 - 5 kg
Cat breed height icon
Height
20 - 30 cm
Cat breed temperament icon
Temperament
Talkative, playful, affectionate
Cat breed exercise icon
Exercise
30 mins 2x a day
Cat breed grooming icon
Grooming
Low maintenance

Is a Siamese Cat Right for Me?

Siamese love attention, so if you’re on hand for fuss then you and your buddy are going to get along just purrfect. The flipside is when the home is empty all day; anything longer than 4 hours alone and a Siamese can get lonely and stressed.

These guys don’t need much space to roam. Keeping your Siamese as a house cat is actually a good idea, because unfortunately they can be a magnet for thieves. They also love to go hunting, so are more than likely to bring presents into the house if they’re allowed outside.

Siamese love people, full stop. Playtime with the kids? Movie night on your lap? Lazy mornings in bed? You name it, your buddy’s in.

Siamese kitten playing on the bed

What Are Siamese Kittens Like?

Kittens are always full of energy and love to play. Siamese cats are really loving, super loyal and absolutely adore human company. They’re almost dog-like and make absolutely brilliant family pets.

This breed is extremely intelligent, so you’ll need to make sure you have plenty of things to keep them occupied. If they get bored, they’re likely to get into mischief! Buy them lots of toys to play with, a scratching post and cat tree to climb and jump on. They’ll also love to play on other cat furniture like a cat gym with a running wheel or even wall mounted hanging walkways.

Close up of a Siamese Cat

Life with a Siamese Cat

The animal experts call it “frequent vocalisation.” In real life, it means you’ve got a very chatty cat. When it’s dinner time, sometimes they’ll politely remind you with that loud, low-pitched voice. You’ll soon get to know what each of those miaows means.

While some can get a bit nervy when there’s a stranger on the scene, most are extroverts. They thrive on human companionship and will form a special bond with those closest to them.

They’re sleek and muscular, which makes them great jumpers - so getting onto countertops is a piece of cake. From a young age, teach your buddy what is and what isn’t acceptable. Puzzle toys, cat trees, playtime with the kids: They all help to keep your buddy smart, athletic, healthy and happy.

Caring for Your Siamese

Siamese cats are known for being fussy eaters! They’d rather go hungry than eat something they don’t like.

You might have to experiment a bit to find out what your cats prefer. Keep an eye on how much they eat because they’ll soon lose weight if they don’t eat up. It’s rare to see a fat Siamese cat, but it’s still important to keep an eye on their weight to make sure you’re not overfeeding either.

Use the guidelines on the food packaging to help you gauge how much to feed your cat and how often. As a general rule, feeding your cat twice a day, morning and evening, is best. If you want further advice on what to feed your cat and how much, your vet will be more than happy to give you some advice.

Siamese cats have a very short coat, so once-a-week brushing is all they need. Brushing saves a lot of hoovering and helps keep their coat shiny and bright. But be careful, too much brushing can damage a Siamese coat texture. To avoid this, use the “finger brush” method; wet your fingertips and rub them gently through the fur to remove any knots and loose hairs.

Once a week, it’s also important to clean your buddy’s ears. Use a moist cotton ball to gently wipe away any dirt from the visible part inside the ear - but be really careful not to probe into the ear canals when cleaning, as this can cause your buddy a lot of problems. While you’re there, take a good look: redness and discharge are signs of infection, in which case, it’s time to phone the vet.

As mentioned before, Siamese cats need plenty of exercise to use up all their energy. Because they’re extremely intelligent, they’re really trainable, so teaching them tricks and games is easy. They love to learn new things and interact with their humans, so playtime is important for them. Teaching them how to play ‘fetch’ or walking on a lead are all things you can try with time, patience and positive reinforcement.

Toilet training can often take a few weeks for a cat to learn, but a Siamese kitten will usually pick it up pretty quickly. Any sort of training should be started as a kitten; this prevents any negative behaviour from creeping in as they grow up.

Siamese Cat Insurance

After this chatty catty has finished ordering you about for the day, settle down in your favourite spot on the sofa and think cat insurance. Ok, it’s not as glamourous as your Siamese, but for a cat this elegant, you should consider covering those claws with Siamese Cat insurance.

Everypaw’s Cat Insurance has a variety of Lifetime cover levels to choose from. The reason why we’re all about Lifetime here, that’s because we want to be in it together with you and your cat. We want to make sure those paws and claws are well looked after, and so you don’t have to worry if something unexpected happens.

Start a quote

Common Siamese Cat Health Problems by Vetstream

Siamese cats are generally a healthy breed, but there are some conditions that you should keep an eye out for. We have partnered up with veterinary experts Vetstream to explain a couple of them here.

Siamese cats are prone to asthma, also known as allergic bronchitis. It’s caused by breathing in things like dust, household sprays and cigarette smoke. Cats with asthma have a cough and may struggle to breathe because of inflammation and narrowing of their airways.

Some cats will respond well to anti-inflammatory medication and inhaled medication to control the coughing and wheezing. In severe cases or if your cat has as serious asthma attack, emergency treatment will be needed, so call your vet immediately.

Asthma can’t be cured, but it can be managed. Most cats need lifelong monitoring and treatment. With good management cats with asthma can still lead a happy life.

Siamese cats can also inherit Amyloidosis, a condition that causes problems with the liver. Affected cats usually show signs of disease between 1 and 5 years of age. There aren’t many treatment options, and research is still going on to identify the gene or genes responsible for the disease.

Because the disease is progressive, cats usually deteriorate. Unfortunately prognosis is usually pretty poor for those affected.

Hip Dysplasia is an abnormality of the hip joint. The joint doesn’t develop properly which can cause pain and lameness in the hind legs. Your cat might struggle to jump or climb too. These signs are usually seen at around a year old.

Treatment can be given to help manage Hip Dysplasia. Rest and anti-inflammatory drugs are usually given first to see if they help before surgery is considered. A special veterinary diet can help manage the condition too. Many cats respond well to this sort of management. But, in some cases surgery may be needed. Sometimes salvage surgery may do the trick, but your cat might need a total hip replacement.

Progressive Retinal Atrophy (PRA) is an inherited condition that affects the retina of the eye. It causes loss of vision and blindness. The gene responsible for PRA is recessive, which means affected cats must have two copies of the gene to be affected. Cats with one copy won’t have the condition but will still be carriers. There is a test that cats can have to make sure cats used for breeding don’t pass the condition on to their offspring.

Unfortunately there isn’t any treatment for PRA. But, because of the slow progression of the disease, most cats learn to adapt to their blindness and continue to lead normal happy lives.

Quick Siamese Q&A

Despite common belief, Siamese cats aren’t hypoallergenic, but no breed is! Because of their very short coat they don’t shed much hair at all. This means you won’t find much cat hair around the house which is great news if you don’t like having to get the hoover out all the time! Because of their low shedding this makes them a great choice for anyone suffering from allergies.

Siamese cats are known for living well into their teens. Luckily, they’re generally a healthy breed, so with a good diet, regular exercise and yearly vet check, don’t be surprised if your Siamese gets to the grand old age of 20.

How long Siamese Cats live can depend on factors such as their overall health, diet, living conditions, and access to regular veterinary care.

The Siamese descends from cats native to Thailand. Being cross-eyed was natural to the breed due to a genetic flaw in their eyes. These traditional Siamese cats are still cross-eyed today. With selective breeding, most modern Siamese cats that you find in the UK aren’t cross-eyed anymore.

This breed isn’t cheap! If you’re looking for a Pedigree Siamese, then you will be looking at paying anywhere from £500 to £1000 for a well-bred kitten. Cross breeds and unregistered kittens will cost less, but of course you don’t get the peace of mind that your kitten has good healthy breeding if they’re not Pedigree.

That’s All You Need to Know About Siamese Cats

Life won’t be dull with a Siamese around! Energetic, playful, outgoing, affectionate and chatty, a Siamese cat will demand your attention and never fail to charm you. They like a routine and don’t like to be left alone for too long but lots of toys, scratching posts and hiding places will help to keep them out of mischief. A sibling or other family pets can also help to keep them entertained.

Content provided from Vetstream's Vetlexicon Felis.

Vetlexicon is the world’s largest peer-reviewed online clinical reference source. All our content is written and peer-reviewed by over 1,000 of the world’s leading veterinarians, ensuring relevance, accuracy and quality.

;