A lot of people mistakenly consider any cat with points (darker feet, tail,
ears, and face) to be Siamese, but Siamese is a distinct breed from other
pointed varieties, such as Balinese, Birman, Burmese, Colorpoint Shorthair,
and Himilayan. A lot of people just call any pointed long-haired cat a
Himalayan and any pointed shorthair a Siamese.

I suppose that only a purebred geek really cares about the distinction,
since people typically say "Siamese" when they mean "pointed", but when you
are talking about characteristics of the Siamese breed and genetic diseases
to which they are prone, the distinction matters. Pointed, non-Siamese cats
aren't necessarily any more likely to have these diseases than any other
cat.

When I was growing up, we had a calico who had a litter of two pointed
kittens, one black one, one calico, one orange mackerel, and one grey tabby.
We called the two pointed ones "Siamese", but they weren't significantly
more Siamese than their four littermates.

--
Ferris Germane

"Meghan Noecker" wrote in message
...
On 7 Dec 2003 22:56:59 -0800, (-L.) wrote:



IME, usually, it is for medical problems, because they are "too vocal"
or seen as "aggressive". Siamese are prone to 19 different genetic
diseases. They are probably the most ill-bred breed available.

Do you have a list of those or know of any online references to them?
I've had siamese cats all my life, and we have only had one with
health problems. She got cancer when she was 13. My first lived to be
19, and she never had any problems. Our youngest siamese to die was
the 13 year old with cancer.

Do you know if this is more in the modern breed, the traditional
breed, or common in both? I have never been into showing, so I really
have never talked to breeders, just met people on occasion who love
theirs as much as I love mine.

I would love to learn more as I do plan to continue with the siamese
and balinese cats.

Meghan & the Zoo Crew
Equine and Pet Photography
http://www.zoocrewphoto.com