Compared to average random domestic shorthairs? I just rescued Hedwig Wall-eye Von Lardbutt, who is very clearly a seal-point siamese, and I am only familiar with standard barn cat type tabbies. Thus far, I have noticed he has a deep, hoarse voice and likes to say “mowww, mer, grunk…” a lot. He also goes up and down stairs like a hairy bowling ball, and I believe he slams doors. I was told siamese cats are often abandoned for being too clingy, but on the interwebs, no one can hear you poking fun.
So siamese cat owners, are there really breed-specific siamese traits? He is an applehead, if that helps. Also, his tongue hangs out.
I have had one Siamese, one Siamese mix and a few other random domestic shorthairs (some American, one British). The Siameses were much yowlier and more talkative than most of the others. They have a wider “vocabulary” - if you pay attention, you’ll learn the cat has very specific sounds for “feed me”, “love me”, “I’m bored” and “Jesus Christ it’s a lion!”. Mine also had “words” for “bird…birdbirdbirdbirdbird” and “holycrap it’s a BIRD and IT’S GETTING AWAY AND YOU’RE DOING NOTHING!”
They can be very clingy. Mine liked to ride on my shoulder, which was adorable when she was 3 pounds and challenging when she was 12 pounds. Both the pure and the mix also, more than any other cats I’ve had, wanted to be up high. They’d find the oddest places to perch and just look down on their domains.
The mix had the stinkiest poop of any cat I’ve ever known, but I think that was an individual thing, not a breed trait.
Thank heavens, it is probably not a breed trait, Hedwig W.VL. 's emissions appear fairly nontoxic
Siamese do indeed have deep, weird yowls. Purebreds have a crook in the last couple joints of the tail.
All of the ‘-ese’ kittehs I’ve met are vocal.
I think many of the domestic short-hairs we are familiar with in the US are quieter than oriental cats generally. I always used to think that Siamese cats were more vocal than all other cats, but that was when I lived in the US and my only points of comparison were Siamese and assorted American shorthairs.
Now I have an Indonesian and an Egyptian cat (although I suspect the Egyptian one may have some Siamese blood - the street cats of Cairo often have Persian or Siamese blood). They BOTH are as vocal as any Siamese I ever knew - and far more noisy than the two American shorthairs that preceded them.
My mom has always had a lot of cats, so I’ve intereacted with a lot of different felines. About a year and a half ago I adopted Diego - some sort of Siamese mix. He is the most vocal cat I’ve ever had (but not deep, raspy or yowly), just a constant stream of meows and conversation. He needs a LOT of attention, he has a lot of energy, plays constantly. It is hard to describe, he has so much personality, but definitely not like a typical cat. Diego also LOVES to race up and down stairs and his greatest love is being high - his favorite perch is the top of the super tall entertainment center (which he jumps to from the computer loft).
I also adopted his littermate, Serafina. Except for the blue eyes, she is nothing like Diego. She is shorter, stockier, rounder, quieter, much more timid and very placid and passive. They’re pretty fond of each other - but two very very different cats. Serafina is a “regular” cat, Diego is my special buddy. Now that I’ve had a Siamese (or part Siamese) I am a huge fan and would definitely only get another super personality cat in the future. He does need a lot of pets and attention but I can’t imagine abandoning a cat like that - he’s AWESOME. I definitely prefer the applehead look!
Hey - where are the pics???
I just spent a week taking care of my neighbor’s Siamese while they were on vacation. She was, compared to my motley herd of DSHs, very vocal and “talked” a lot when I visited.
There are some in the scientific community who attribute some of the traits seen in Siamese cats as a mildly affected form of mucopolycaccharidosis, a storage disease causing a buncha bad things to happen.
A PDF paper on MPS VI
Being the proud owner of two full blood siamese attck cats* I can give some examples of what I have witnessed.
I’ve found that they like Yoga
They are extremely inquisitive, to the point of down right eery, my male siamese although looks cute here, is in fact full of TROUBLE! He get’s into everything.
They are both extremely vocal they have just as much fun playing with themselves as they do with their human underlings. The maleis very clingy, the female is not. Their claws are extremely sharp and loong see.
What else would you like to know?
- the attack part comes from when our two were kittens, theyw ould wait under our bed until we got up, and as soon as our feet hit the ground they would pounce on them, as if we were invading their lair. Thus - Attack cats.
Max is pure wedgehead Siamese. He is more curious, affectionate, needy, noisy and persistant than your average cat. He loves to play fetch, which is not uncommon with Siamese cats from what I’ve heard. He’s totally attached to me and will cry at the door if I go from the house into the garage. If he gets worried, he chews on his (unkinked) tail. It’s a nasty surprise to pet him and run your hand across that last inch or so of wet slimy cat tail. Bleah. If I stand in one spot, he will jump up to my arms from the ground, shove his pointy little nose under my chin and purr like a madman. He sleeps under the covers in our bed, and starts to get whiney and naggy if I haven’t gone to bed at the usual bed time. He picks on his older brudder, who weighs twice as much as he does and then cuddles up with him for a nap. I have baby locks on all the cupboard doors to keep him from sleeping in my pots in the kitchen. When he goes to the vet, the doc has a hard time hearing his heartbeat because he purrs this frantic “don’t hurt me” kind of purr. He’s an amazing little beastie. I’m glad I have him. I’m also glad I don’t have two of him.
Actually, this is Max. I inserted the wrong photo and missed the edit window.
My family had several Siamese cats while I was growing up. Just as everyone else has said, they do talk a lot. I also found they like to sit on people. I don’t think I ever laid down on a bed to read a book without a cat on me. All our cats loved to sit in high places, too, such as the top of the refrigerator or on top of half-opened doors. By the way, the cats would get on top of the doors by crouching down at the base of the door, doing a little butt-wiggle and springing to the top in one graceful bound, touching nothing on the way up. Call me a liar if you will, but I’ve seen it dozens of times.
Jeepus, when I saw that first picture I thought “If that is a siamese I am a ballerina”. Anyway, it is a lovely cat and will never be thrown off this planet with the grip it has on the ground with those paws.
The Siamese where I am staying is vocal all the time- lovely cat but insane. And intelligent.
All cats have the hearts of thieves anyway.
Well, get out your toe shoes Cicero. We don’t know who Pewter’s Dad was, but we have pics of him with his Mom, a pure-looking Applehead Siamese. She was about the same size as Max is now, maybe 9 or 10 lbs. Pewter weighs about 19-20 pounds now. When he arrived as a foster cat, he weight .9 pounds. The vet thinks that the Dad may have been Maine Coon.
Jeepus, if you saw me in a tutu you wouldn’t wish that on anyone. Your cat is only 20 pounds? I think you should feed it more 
Seriously a lovely cat- but I am a sucker for cats.
Can you send that cat to Australia? With those feet it would be handy stamping out bush fires.
We do too! If we didn’t have the baby locks, our male Loki would be in everything - see his paws in the pic upthread!
I haven’t found a lot of tag teaming going on, so owning two is not that big a deal. We’ve got a dedicated kitty room, with a huge cat condo in it that I made last year. It keeps them very busy and their claws off our furniture.
Does your Max like to sit on your legs and wrap his front paws around while it’s sitting? Ours does that all the time!
Siamese have a large vocal range and can express themselves with more accuracy than other cats. They will let you know what they want and how they feel. They sometimes like to just make noise in the bathroom to enjoy the sound echoes.
my siamese love to play fetch and had a fetish for socks–stealing them from suitcases of guests. some siamese love to chew wool. mine also liked to get dried chiles off the counter and put them in his water dish and drink the water.