While there are many legends and stories about the origination of the Siamese breed, the most probable theory is that the breed had it's origins somewhere in southeast Asia, in what are known as the Malay States, Indo-China, Burma or the Himalayan region. This theory is reinforced by the similarities between Siamese and the cats of this region (kinked tails, svelt appearance, & long headed).

 For many generations the Royal cats of Siam where jealously guarded by the King of Siam at his Palace in Bangkok. It is probably owing to this confinement of the 'Palace' cats that there is little known of their true origins. The original Palace or Temple cats of Siam were said to be dark-colored with yellow eyes, not exactly what we would expect now as Siamese.

In any event, sometime in the past centuries either one or several mutations occured which caused the distinguishing 'Points' and Blue eyes that make the Siamese so distinctive. It is unfortunate that there are no records of who was responsible for encouraging and breeding this mutation, for without this person or group of persons, the Siamese breed may never have come into existence. While the true origins of the Siamese may always be conjecture, we do know when the breed first began to appear outside of Siam, or Thailand as it is called now. In 1884, a pair of Siamese cats were brought to Britain by Mr. Owen Gould, then the British Consul-General in Bangkok. This pair was given to Mr. Owens sister, Mrs. Veley who went on to cofound the Siamese Cat Club in 1901, and were shown at the Crystal Palace in 1885. During 1886, another pair of Siamese cats and two kittens were imported by a Mrs. Vyvyan and her sister into Britain. These cats along with several others brought into Britain in the following years comprised the base breeding pool for the Siamese breed. Therefore, all modern Siamese, especially those in the US, can trace their lineage back to these original Siamese brought into Britain during this time. This has been estimated to be at most only eleven cats !

Siamese Legends There are many legends regarding Siamese, this is probably the most popular.

  Kinked Tails...... It is said that there was once a Siamese Princess who was frightened of losing her rings while she bathed in a stream. Looking around for somewhere convenient to place her jewelery, she noticed that her favorite cat had crooked his tail for her benefit. Ever since that time all Siamese cats have been born with a tiny kink at the end of their tails to hold the Princess' rings.

A young cat took his wife into the jungle to search for a royal goblet that was missing from one of the Siamese temples. Upon finding the treasure, they decided that the female should remain in the jungle to guard it while the male went back to the city to inform the priest of their discovery. So the little cat took up her position among the leaves and tangled foliage, her tail twisted around the stem of the goblet to make quite sure that no one would try to take it away. Four nights later her husband returned to find he was the father of five sweet little kittens. But, in spite of her new responsibility, the loyal mother cat had not forgotten her earlier trust. Indeed, so conscientious had she been in her protection of the goblet that a permanent kink had developed in the end of her tail. What was more, all five kittens had a similar kink in their tails !