Through the years there have been passed down a few legends to characterize the Siamese cats. Not too many years ago (1950 & 60s) a Siamese was not only characterized by its unique coat with its pointed colors and its considerable blue eyes, but by the fact that these eyes were "crossed" and this amazing tail was "kinked".

My mom had a Siamese while she was growing up and when her mom purchased this cat, the breeder advertised the fact that this Siamese was genuine and purebred and proved this fact proudly with the kinked tail and crossed eyes. These were actually desired traits!! Today, of course, for the most part these traits have been "bred out" of the bloodlines (Even the traditional breeders have nearly eliminated these traits) through selective breeding methods and these traits are now considered faults. Even the greatest bloodlines will produce a crossed eye or kinked tail from time to time. Even in our cattery we have seen about 5 or 6 kinked tails and maybe that many have had a "crossed" eye (or two). So if you should find a cat with kinked tail and crossed eyes, you would have a variable replica of the original Siamese.

I have gathered a few of the legends that have been passed down to explain the reason for the crossed eyes and the kink. They are fun and I thought you might enjoy them!

Legend has it that a beautiful and wealthy princess once owned a pair of Siamese that were wholly devoted to her. She trusted these cats so much that she would string her jeweled rings on their tails and "tie" a knot in the end of the tail to keep them in place while she would bathe or sleep. In an effort to please their owner, these cats produced offspring with a "kink" in their tails to help hold their most beloved master's jewels in place.

Another legend about the kinked tail tells us of a Buddhist monk who tied his Siamese's tail in a knot to help him remember any thing of great importance. Their tails have been kinked ever since!!

The royal family of Siam loved and worshiped their cats so much that they attached a spiritual significance to them. When a member of royalty would die, they would entomb their Siamese alive with its master! Carefully constructed holes and passageways in the tomb would enable an escape for the cat. When the cat would finally emerge, usually several days later, the Siamese people believed it was the spirit of the master leaving the tomb. They believed the cats were a "home for souls of those past".

Some say Siamese are originally descended from the Malay Jungle Cat, whose tail is always kinked though there has never been a true link to this bit of lore.

In some colors of the Siamese, you will notice a slightly darker shaded area on the nape of the neck. Legend says this is because the beauty and sweet nature of the Siamese was so awesome that God himself would often reach down and grasp them by the nape of the neck to admire them and accept their love.

There is another story of a princess who was forced to hide her jewels when fleeing from enemies; she left them in a wood, in charge of her cat. Her cat sat with her tail curled around the precious stones and Siamese of course had kinked tails ever since.

My favorite legend I have taken directly from the book, This is the Siamese Cat by Marge Naples. "One fable tells of a Buddhist monk who lived in one of the sacred temples where a golden goblet, once used by the Great Buddha, was kept. The monk took to imbibing of the sacred spirits and sometimes would disappear for many days, leaving just his pair of Siamese cats to guard the temple and the goblet. Once he was gone for such a long time that the two Siamese finally decided that their old friend would not return and that another monk must be found for the temple. The male Siamese started out on a long journey in search of a new master. He was gone a very long time, but the female cat, left alone to guard the sacred goblet, never left her watch. She stared and squinted at the goblet for so many days and nights that her eyes became crossed and remained so the rest of her life. She became so tired from her long vigil that at last she fell into a deep sleep from sheer exhaustion. However, before she fell asleep, she wound her tail around the goblet, knowing that if anything touched her sensitive tail it would awaken her. Finally, the father Siamese returned with a new monk for the temple. He found the mother cat lying beside the goblet with their family of kittens, all of which had kinked tails and crossed eyes!