There's a bewildering range of Siamese cat colors and shades, from the darkly beautiful seal point to the pale, almost ghostly lilac or frost point.
But how do you tell a seal from a chocolate point, or a blue point from a lilac? And what about red (flame), cream, apricot, cinnamon, caramel and fawn?
And then we get into all the different tortie (tortoiseshell or parti-color), tabby (also known as lynx) and even tortie-tabby varieties of these colors, too ...
Siamese cat colors can be very complicated!
It's even more confusing as not all the colors I've mentioned are recognized everywhere as 'official' Siamese cat colors.
The UK and US cat registries (and even different registries within the same country!) have different classifications, and sometimes whether you have a 'real' Siamese or not depends on where you live.
So where to start?
As a general rule, all Siamese have vivid blue eyes and a creamy coat, with darker facial masks, ears, tails, paws, nose leather and paw pads. These darker areas are known as their points.
The different kinds of Siamese cats are named for the color of their points.
Lilac points are the palest of all – a pink-toned, pale 'frosty' grey (lilacs are sometimes referred to as 'frost' points)
Genetically, a blue point is a lighter (dilute, in breed-speak) version of a seal, and a lilac is a lighter version of a chocolate.
These are the four colors carried in the pure Siamese breeding line, colors that are officially recognised by the Siamese Breed Council of the CFA (Cat Fanciers' Association) in the United States. They are also the most widely available and popular as both show cats and pets.
Siamese - or not Siamese?
The CFA classifies the other Siamese colors - red (flame), apricot, cream, cinnamon, caramel and fawn points, as well as all the tortie and tabby (lynx) varieties - as 'colorpoint shorthair' hybrid cats.
This is because to get these colors you have to do some rather complicated breeding, crossing purebred Siamese cats with other varieties like the British and American Shorthair, and then crossing the resulting kittens back into the Siamese line.
However, other American cat registries, as well as the GCCF (Governing Council of the Cat Fancy) in the UK, do recognise these as official Siamese colors.
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The red and tortie point colors
The red and tortoiseshell colors were introduced into the Siamese breed in the 1930s by crossing purebred Siamese with red tabby or tortoiseshell British Shorthair cats carrying orange (O) genes.
The red point Siamese cat family merits a page of its own, and includes the red, apricot and cream point Siamese.
This group also includes the tortoiseshell or tortie point Siamese cat, which also came about through some complicated genetics and can be found in all shades, so that you get seal torties, blue torties, chocolate torties, and so on.
A red point cat is also sometimes called a flame point Siamese. Discover why on the flame point Siamese cat page!
The tabby or lynx colors
The lynx point Siamese or tabby point colors came about through the mating of a purebred seal point Siamese with a domestic tabby cat.
As with the torties, the tabby/lynx point Siamese can be found in many shades from a seal point tabby to a fawn point.
Click the Like button below to join in and follow along. Add your own photos, stories, questions ...
What's your favorite of the Siamese cat colors?
What's your favorite Siamese cat color? And why?
Is your cat an unusual color? A flame, lynx or tortie point? Or do you prefer the sophistication of the seal point, the beauty of the blue point, or perhaps the cheeky chocolate or the lily-white lilac point?
Do you need help identifying your cat's color? Other visitors may be able to tell you.
Whatever their color, we'd love to see pictures of your cats. Why not share a photo or story about them using the form below?
You can include as many details as you wish, and attach up to four photos.
The longer and more interesting you make your page, the more likely it is to be accepted. Pages of 250 words or more, with photos, will be accepted immediately, shorter submissions may need to be merged with others, and take longer to appear.
Your Siamese color comments and questions
Click below to see contributions from other visitors to this page...
Sanskrit, the Lynx Point Siamese
We adopted Sanskrit, our Lynx Point Siamese, from a rescue organization and he had no paperwork to tell us about his family tree or where he came from....
Flaming Flash
Hi! I'm here to present my Flame Point Siamese, Flash - hope you enjoy! :) It's been a month since I got Flash and I am very happy to have found him.
He ...
Is Charlie a Tabby Point Siamese?
This is my kitten Charlie with her mum Tigerlily, who I adopted from the local shelter. As you can see, mum is a Mackerel Tabby, but is Charlie part Siamese?...
We Found A Siamese Mix
We were looking for our lost boy, a Siamese named Riesling - "Rez" - and got a phone call about a cat matching his description a few miles down the road....
Rosie
My cockapoo, Blondie, wanted a playmate so bad! So I went on the search for a kitten, and I came upon Rosie the Siamese.
Sookie, my little flame point Siamese
I just adopted a Flame Point Siamese from the Humane Society. I saw her and couldn't leave without her! I used to have a Seal Point who's name was Darling ...
Siamese cat with strange marble markings
My male Siamese came from a lady who had thirty cats or more. Very bad. But, my little man Nero came from there. He has these Bengal-type marble stripes ...
Is my cat a chocolate point Siamese?
Just bought a house and realized that there were a litter of kittens that were born in a shed in our backyard. I found homes for her brothers and sisters ...
My Sammy
My Siamese kitten is mostly white, her ears paws and muzzle are chocolate brown and cream around her eyes. What breed of Siamese is she?
Mischief. A Flame Point Siamese.
I went looking around for a kitten for my family and I found a white kitten for free. The kitten in the pic I saw was sleeping on his back.
He would have liked to have kept her but both he and his ...
My Little Milky
My Milky is a Flame Point Siamese. I adopted him about 2 months ago from the local animal shelter. Minutes I saw him, I knew he had to come home with me!...
Sweet Little Princess
My flame point Siamese cat is 18 months old and she is a little small for her age. She is the sweetest cat I have ever had.
She is more stuck on me ...
Red Point Siamese Dara
A lovely happy-ever-after story about this pretty Red Point Siamese 'street cat' .
First, I'm very sorry for my bad English, I'm Brazilian and I'...
What breed do I look like?
About 9 months ago I found Gypsy at the humane society, she was found as a stray. She looked quite different from other cats as well as her personality....
Willis
I got Willis from Petsmart along with his Orange Tabby brother, Bruce, when they were three months old. I'd never seen a cat like Willis before, but instantly,...
Simon, a Seal or Chocolate Point Siamese?
Hi, my name is Sarah and I have a Siamese named Simon. I was just wondering if he was a Seal Point or a Chocolate Point? (The vet said Chocolate.)
He'...
Lil Bit
I just got my kitten yesterday. Her mother is a solid black domestic short hair. The vet thinks my baby is likely part Siamese on her father's side.
Any ...
Leo the Lynx
When I was growing up my parents would never let me have a cat. My dad claimed to be allergic and my mom just didn't like them. When I finally moved out ...
what kind of cat is my Fia?
I adopted my one-year-old cat Fia a couple months ago and I'm trying to figure out what breed she is. She came from a home with 23 kittens which were all ...
Tia
Sharon in Wrexham sent in this lovely picture of her with her Seal Point Siamese, Tia.
