The Flame Point Siamese Cat

Just what is a flame point Siamese cat? These beautiful cats have bright, reddish-gold points and brilliant blue eyes. They have creamy-white, short coats, and look like Siamese cats. But are they?

There's a lot of talk about the Siamese flame point, but would you believe that, technically at least, 'flame point Siamese cats' don't seem to exist? You see, it's like this.

What the Breed Registries Call This Kind of Cat

In the UK, this kind of cat is called a Red Point Siamese. It's officially recognised by the Governing Council of the Cat Fancy as being Siamese, but it isn't known as a Flame Point. It's the same in Australia. The Australian Cat Federation also calls these cats Red Points.

And over in the States, the Cat Fanciers' Association (CFA) doesn't even include cats with this red coloring in the Siamese breed, classifying them instead as ColorPoint Shorthairs – a separate breed.

Flame Point Siamese catWhat d'you mean, I don't exist?
Image © Chris Wood | Creative Commons

But even in the CFA, they're known as Red Points, so a cat like this would be known as a Red Point ColorPoint Shorthair, not a Flame Point Siamese.

Other US cat registries do acknowledge these cats as Siamese, but they also call them red, not flame.

Borrowed From the Himalayan Breed?

So where do the expressions 'Flame Point' and 'Flame Tip' Siamese cats come from, if none of the breed standard guides from the cat registries around the world call this color pattern 'flame'?

Flame Point seems to have been borrowed from the Persian and Himalayan cat breeds (the Himalayan is a Persian/Siamese cross) – where the term Flame Point is used to describe this coloring.

It may have been attached to Siamese cats because it sounds nicer (and more romantic, perhaps?) than plain-old Red Point.

So a Flame Point Siamese Cat Is Actually a Red Point?

Yes. As with the Tabby or Lynx Point, it's a case of same cat, different name! You can read more details about the Red Point on its own dedicated page, but here's a quick run-down on what it should look like:

  • Coat: warm, creamy white
  • Eyes: brilliant intense blue
  • Points: bright reddish-gold, with legs and feet paler
  • Nose, eye rims, paw pads: pink

You'll notice that most Red (Flame!) Points have some striping on their faces, legs and tails. You can see this striping in the picture above. This happens because it's extremely difficult to breed these originally tabby markings out of any red-pointed cats.

Flame (Red!) Point kittens are, like other Siamese cats, born pure white and develop their point color over several months.

Flame Point coloring keeps on deepening with age and may continue to get stronger and darker up to around two years old.

Other Unusual Colors

Readers' Flame Point Stories and Questions

Discover more about flame points from our visitors in their stories and questions below.

The Tips of Two Tiny Ears - My Little Sammy 
This will probably be a rather long story. I should start out by saying that I grew up with all manner of animals - our Field Spaniel was abandoned in …

My Flame Point, Cecil 
My husband and I had just moved out to our own place and we were looking to adopt a cat because we both love them so much. I spent a lot of time on the …

Marshmellow, My Little Sand Angel 
Marshmellow looks like a flame point Siamese, but his mother is a stray short-haired red American cat; we are not sure about his dad. When his mother Spooky …

My Handsome, Lovable Little Terror! 
Boo's!!! story is filled with excitement, love, loss, and heartache, with a dash of adventure, action, and crime fighting! You'll laugh! You'll cry! You'll …

Is My Boy a Flame Point?  
I wasn't even aware that there were such things as Flame point Siamese cats. I rescued my baby from my extremely irresponsible neighbors, who had two litters …

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. …

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, …

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 …

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 …

Inferno, the Flame (Red) Point Siamese 
Inferno our flame point Siamese is very social, but not a lap cat. He is always in the same room as everyone else and is also the first one at the door …

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. All I saw …

My Little Milky 
My Milky is a flame point Siamese. I adopted him about two months ago from the local animal shelter. Minutes I saw him, I knew he had to come home with …

Sweet Little Princess 
My flame point Siamese cat is 18 months old and she is a little small for her age - she weighs 7.8lbs. She is the sweetest cat I have ever had. She …

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'll …


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