Cat - Color Me Siamese

Siamese cats are known for their brilliant blue eyes and their unique color pattern. In the United States, Siamese cats come in four colors, or points. Siamese coloring includes only the seal point, the chocolate point, the blue point and the lilac point. Any cat with coloring other than seal, chocolate, blue or lilac is considered a Colorpoint Shorthair. Colorpoint Shorthairs include the lovely flame point, the lynx point and the torti point. In Britain, all color variations are considered Siamese. All Siamese cats are descended from the seal point, which is the dominant color. The breed standard for the seal point is a fawn to cream body and dark brown, almost black points. The points are the muzzle, ears, legs and paws and tail. Pads are the same color as the points. As the cats age, the body darkens as well, so that younger cats have much lighter bodies than older adults. Kittens are born completely white. The coloring of the Siamese is the result of a genetic defect. The gene that regulates melatonin does not work at body temperature in these cats. When areas of the body cool below body temperature, the gene works and these parts of the body acquire color. Hence the points are the extremities and face, which tend to be cooler than other areas. This is also why the back of the cat darkens slowly over the years, but the belly remains lighter colored. The chocolate point is actually a variation of the seal point. It was, however, the blue point Siamese that was next recognized by the Cat Fancier's Association (CFA) in the United States. The blue point is a dilute color of the seal point Siamese. The body is grayish white, which shades to white on the belly and the points are deep blue. The pads and nose leather are slate gray. The chocolate point differs from the Seal point in that the body is ivory with no shading and the points are a deep chocolate brown. Nose leather and paw pads are defined as cinnamon pink. The lilac point was the last of the Siamese colors to be identified by the CFA. This cat is the dilute coloring of the chocolate point. Body is glacial white with no shading. The points are frosty gray with a pinkish tone. Nose leather and paw pads are lavender pink. The similarity of coloring in the chocolate point and seal point can make the differences in these cats hard to spot for the novice. This is also true of the blue point and lilac point. A good breeder can determine the exact coloring much more easily. Color is often determined on kittens by checking on the color of the pads. No matter what the coloring, a Siamese is a delightful cat to have around. They are intelligent and affectionate cats. Siamese cats can be trainable and are often described as dog like. No other cat has captured the hearts and minds of so many cat fanciers. Bonnie Koenig lives with her chocolate point Siamese, Cheysuli. Together they work on their website, http://www.mysiamese.com Article Source:http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Bonnie_Koenig Cat - Mildcats - How to Save Cats, Improve your Life and Theirs Arizona State University`s Mildcats program saves abandoned cats on campus and gets them ready for adoption by seeing to their health needs and neutering them and getting all the necessary shots. Mildcats is served by faculty, staff and students, who give generously of their time and resources for the love of cats. Wild cats are not put up for adoption. They are trapped, neutered and released. This practice serves to reduce the wild population because the released cats return to their roles in the wild population where their interaction with the other cats does not produce offspring. I got two cats from Mildcats. If you want to see them, pictures are posted on this website: freewebs.com/krikokriko/index.htm Mildcats is only one of many such organizations of cat lovers who hate to see them killed because of over-population. A national clearing house exists too. You can find a unit near you which will help you find a pet to adopt: adopt-a-cat.1-800-save-a-pet.com When you get a cat as a pet you should be sure that it is neutered. The world has more cats than can be taken care of. It is generally in the best interest of your cat to keep it indoors at all times. That prevents diseases and attacks which could lead to its death. Some people de-claw their cats. This is considered inhumane by most advocates of cat care. It is like cutting off the first digits of your fingers. It is painful and leaves the cat defenseless. It is cruel to do this just for your own convenience. There is a product called soft-paws which is essentially plastic fingernails or claws which are glued on. They last about a month. Some people prefer that to clipping the points of the claws regularly. I clip my cats` claws just before feeding them their canned food for the day. When I pick up the clippers, they come-a-runnin`. It is easy to find all sorts of information on cat care on the internet and at the library and bookstore. Consider saving a cat today, or at least contributing to those wonderful organizations saving cats everywhere.