BETHANJO CATTERY

A Brief History of the Siamese Cat.

No animal has ever been held higher in man’s esteem than the Siamese Cat.

The earliest cats, of which there are records, are in the north-eastern countries of Africa. It is commonly believed that Northern Africa was the cats first habitat, from which he has travelled all over the world.

Towards the close of the 19th Century, Europeans discovered Siamese Cats in Bangkok and at other places in what was then called  Siam (Thailand). They were clearly felines of the same species as the European Cats and a pair were brought to England in around 1884. This is the first known authentic record.

It is thought that they were first exhibited at Crystal Palace in 1895. Their appearance was striking and they were sufficiently different from western cats to excite a good deal of interest. In fact, they caused a sensation.

In Siam they were admired and were housed in the Temples and Palaces.

Nowadays they are still houses in Temples and Palaces but you and I call it home