Thai (cat)

Many legends recount the appearance of the Siamese. Among them, the one told by George Cansdale in Animals and Man: during the voyage on Noah's Ark, a monkey would have fallen in love with a lioness. This would explain why the Siamese has the agility of a monkey and the courage of a lioness. In their country of origin, Siamese cats were revered as temple guardians. When a person of high rank died, their soul was reincarnated in the body of a cat. These cats were then sent to temples to spend their days in luxury and opulence (fine food on golden plates). They could then have some power and intercede for the soul of the deceased. Legend has it that the Siamese had a slight strabismus at its origins because it fiercely guarded the royal treasures of Siam and stared at them with such attention that it became cross-eyed. The legend also tells that the Siamese's tail is afflicted with a knot or break. This was because royal princesses hung their rings around the cat's tail so as not to lose them while bathing. True or legends, current cats cannot present any strabismus or any tail defect in cat shows. Although tolerated in the old breed standards, these deformities are today disqualifying. In reality, the first known Siamese cats were imported from the Kingdom of Siam and shown at an exhibition at Crystal Palace in London in 1871. The wichien-maat, the name it bears in Thailand, enjoyed enthusiasm from the public from the beginning of the twentieth century until World War II. From around the 1960s, silhouettes became refined through selection, abandoning the traditional Siamese and giving the slender forms that are currently known. However, the original morphology has persisted and retained the qualities and appearance of the old type Siamese. The name Siamese remained, and anchored henceforth to the new forms, longilineal and very svelte. It was therefore necessary to find a name for the old Siamese, with rounder forms and more stocky appearance. The name Thai was given to it, as it comes from Siam, today called Thailand (Land of the Thai). Regarding strabismus, it is quite likely that it effectively emerged from legends. This strabismus is due to the colorpoint mutation cs/cs, which causes a reduction in myelin and thus a poorer transfer of nervous impulses in depigmented areas, as is the case with the blue eye in colorpoint cats. This condition is systematic for all homozygous cs/cs colorpoint cats, regardless of race, including domestic cats exhibiting this trait. In most subjects, the brain compensates for the lack of information it receives. Otherwise, strabismus is the visible translation that the brain struggles to fill these gaps. The breed clubs in France, affiliated with the LOOF, are EuroThaï and the Thai Féline Club. The clubs participate in the development of the standard with the LOOF.

"Cat of princes and prince of cats", the Thai is identical to the Siamese. It is not a calm cat: expressive, talkative, playful, intelligent and theatrical, sometimes categorized as "dog-cat", it can nevertheless be walked on a leash. Affectionate and demanding with those close to it, it emits loud and modulated meows, reflecting its changing moods. The distance, often displayed towards strangers, including in the phase of taming by the "master", contrasts with the invasive side observed afterwards. Its taste for play is reflected in behaviors of over-excitement, sometimes spectacular. The character of each individual, however, remains a function of experience, weaning and socialization. It should be noted the risk of over-attachment affecting this breed in particular, when the animal's attention is directed almost exclusively towards the humans in its environment. Although able to get used to absences, if it is deprived of stimuli (access to outdoors, predation activity) and interactions with other animals, the Thai can develop emotional dependence on the people who care for it. An anxiety syndrome of abandonment, not to be underestimated, can result: lethargy, refusal to eat, compulsive licking. To mitigate this risk, it is advisable to raise Thai cats with other congeners or animals or to ensure an almost continuous presence for cats raised alone and deprived of outdoor access.

Unlike the Siamese, the Thai is more massive, rounder. It remains, however, a cat with an athletic appearance. The body is generally well-muscled but does not give an impression of heaviness. The legs are fine and proportional to the body. The feet, oval in shape, are medium-sized. The tail tapers along the length and ends in a rounded shape but should not be "whip-like" like its oriental cousins. Its head is triangular but with rounded contours and round cheeks. From the side, the forehead and skull are slightly domed. The eyes are oval and placed slightly to the side. They must always be the most intense blue possible. There is often a problem of strabismus among these breeds, but this is considered a fault. The ears, medium-sized, are placed fairly low, they are wide at their base and their tip is rounded. The coat is short and close to the body. To the touch, the hair is very soft and dense. The only permitted pattern is colourpoint. All colors are accepted but the most common are seal point, blue point, chocolate point and lilac point. There are also tabby subjects. In France, no marriage with another breed is authorized. TICA, on the other hand, allows marriage with Siamese. The current standard is the one implemented by LOOF on January 1, 2013, taking into account the modifications made by the breed club EuroThaï.