Siamese cat breeders are the people who have the kittens. So - where do you find the kittens?
At Siamese cat shows, of course, online, in cat magazines, at the vet's, or by asking around your friends and family.
But mostly, at the breeder.
Remember that there are both Traditional Siamese cat breeders and the Modern show style Siamese breeders. If you have a preference then use the correct terminology when doing your Siamese breeder searches. If you need to know more then please pop over to Types of Siamese. You don't want to be disappointed with the look of your Siamese cat, they have changed over the years.
What should you expect when looking at the kittens at the cat breeders?
Don't be surprised if they are strict about hygiene before you get to handle the kittens. Cat breeders are always worried that you might unintentially introduce germs to their delicate kittens. Taking young children with you is not helpful either!
Another difficulty when visiting a breeder is the similarity among kittens. The lovely kitten that ran up to us when we walked in has mingled back with its brothers and sisters in the confusion. Tip to breeders: put soft-coloured collars on all your available kittens. Your prospective owners will thank you and it also gets over the problem of them falling in love with the one kitten you have already placed!
When choosing your kitten, don't choose the fearful one. And don't choose the one you feel sorry for, because a scared kitten usually grows up into a neurotic cat.
Try to have a choice - don't view a litter with only one kitten left. It is almost impossible to view and not buy so you might take on a kitten that is less than perfect for you - and the kitten nobody else wanted either!
Not all breeders are alike, so you should come prepared with a Siamese cat breeders checklist, which I've prepared for you.
A word of warning
Even if you want your kitten straight away, don't accept if a breeder offers you a kitten younger than 12 weeks old. Why? Because the kitten won't have learnt to be a cat yet from its mother and littermates. Nor will it have had its first injections, and may not have been checked over by a vet yet. Such a breeder would at the very least be breaking its breed organization's rules - or may not belong to a club at all.
Why should you care? If the kitten turns out to be sickly, you'll have no recourse and no control over the breeder if the kitten should die or have been sold diseased. A breeder that does not belong to an organization and does not have pedigree papers for your kitten is really not the place you should be shopping for the kitten of your dreams. Please only deal with professional breeders not backyard breeders. Don't fall for the 'no papers' scam: no papers means no pedigree, (be sensible here because sometimes the breeder has had problems getting the papers from the cat club in time!) and hence no guarantee of being a pure Siamese, and possibly being sold by someone masquerading at a proper Siamese cat breeder.
A few words about what pedigree means and what it does not mean
One thing you should know is that just because your future kitten has an illustrious pedigree, all might not be so rosey.
One might imagine that cats are bred for better health, long life, absence of genetic problems and to guard against undesirable character traits. Unfortunately, that's not always the case for show cats.
A champion cat wins because it has all the ticks in the box, and most of these relate to good looks - just like good old-fashioned beauty contests. The cat also must be able to be handled to win and the very top cats need that little extra something to win the top prizes. That 'something' is probably a lovely disposition... Even judges are human and get fed up with being scratched, bitten and spat at through a long day of judging!
Cat breeding is not like nature, where survival of the fittest rules. Interbreeding can and does happen, just as it does in nature, but in nature the fittest and better-adapted cats go on to reproduce their genetic advantages. Cruelly perhaps the genetic losers do not prosper in the wild.
Human intervention has encouraged tamer, cleverer cats, those that adapt best to humans, have pretty colours and are good mousers.
So don’t automatically assume that the grand champion mother and father of your kitten guarantee the kitten of your dreams. You still have to do your homework.
If you are a fan of 'Keeping up Appearances' (or similar comic sit-coms), there is always a Mrs Bouquet character. If she had bought a pedigree kitten she surely would have told everyone about its aristocratic past and Grand Champion status. I am assuming that you are not going to breed from your new kitten, so you need not be over duly swayed by its ultimate great looks and genetics. Of more interest probably are the colour points you prefer, its character and the most suitable disposition for your household and lifestyle.
If you eventually want to use your kittens for breeding, then you don't need me to tell you that your homework will have to be that much more rigorous. Ideally you would need expert one-on-one advice with a breeder you trust and can learn from. There is only so much you can learn from reading and the rest you will learn 'on the job' and from the Siamese cat breeders that want you to do it right.
If you choose to do this, it comes with a responsibility. Please make sure you're not dabbling and just bringing inferior kittens into the world because you love kittens. There are many steps and considerations to take before becoming a cat breeder, not least that it is a full-time job! It takes money to do well and you will rarely do much more than cover your costs. You won't get rich quick - or even slow - breeding Siamese cats. You will, however, have a great hobby and meet some lovely people. It is a major decision and one with consequences for many years. If you're just beginning to think about it then a cat show or two will not only allow you to make valuable contacts but will also allow you to see if you are in tune with the cat show lifestyle!
To find out more about where to find Siamese cat breeders, you could try an online search for Siamese Cat Breeders or Traditional Siamese cat breeders in, (first put in your town/city but you might have to expand your search to state or county)
