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The sleek, exotic Siamese cat—affectionately called the “meezer” by devotees—has been beloved worldwide for centuries, and a star of pop culture in memorable roles like Siamese siblings Si and Am in Disney’s 1955 animated film Lady and the Tramp.
Although the brownish seal points on the Siamese’s head, legs, and tail are the iconic color characteristic of the breed, did you know that the Siamese also comes as a rare redhead? It’s called the red point Siamese, which some more poetically call the flame point Siamese. These cats display points in various shades on the orange-red spectrum.
Owners of any Siamese cat adore their cat’s playful, talkative, affectionate, and loyal personality combined with high intelligence. Embellish that with the beautiful, warm reddish-orange points that accent their creamy white torso on a sleek, muscular body—plus those baby blue eyes—and red point Siamese cats are truly exquisite.
Read on for seven facts you didn’t know about the red point Siamese.
1. The Red Point Siamese Debuted Almost a Century Ago
During the 1930s and 1940s, breeders in the United Kingdom introduced both the red and tortoiseshell colors into the Siamese breed. They did this by crossing purebred Siamese cats with British Shorthair cats with red tabby or tortoiseshell coats. These British cats carried the orange gene. Breeders created the new hybrid cat after many experiments.
It took several decades, though, for the UK’s Governing Council of the Cat Fancy (GCCF) to officially recognize the red point Siamese as an official breed color during the 1960s. Since the red point’s appearance, a few more color variations have entered the Siamese world, including cinnamon point, fawn point, and caramel point.
2. Some Say Red Point Is Not a True Siamese
Say what? Well, due to the crossed-breed origins of the red point Siamese, the Cat Fanciers’ Association does not recognize this color as an official Siamese. Cats with the red point colors—along with other more recent colors, like tortie point and cinnamon point—are classified as Colorpoint Shorthairs, according to the CFA.
Not everyone agrees, though. Over in the UK, where the red point Siamese originated, the GCCF recognizes these beautiful cats as Siamese. Some other cat registries, including The International Cat Association (TICA), recognize the red point Siamese.
3. The Red Point Siamese Cat Is Part of a Special Group
Red Point Siamese are grouped with other variations, including apricot point, cream point, and tortie point. They all have creamy whitish bodies, but the shades of orange vary. They look very similar, though, and can be hard to identify.
According to GCCF guidelines, the specific red point shade has bright reddish-gold ears, mask, and tail. The apricot point shade has a hot cream mask, ears, and tail with a soft metallic sheen. The cream point shade has a cool cream color with a powdery look on the mask, ears, and tail. Each of these three colors show up paler on the legs and feet.
What about the fourth color in the red point Siamese category, the tortie? This gets complicated, since just like regular tortoiseshell cats, this cat carries both black and orange genes on two XX chromosomes and are almost always female. This multicolored coat manifests in many combinations in this category of Siamese cats, including seal and red, blue and cream, chocolate and red, lilac and cream, cinnamon and red, caramel and apricot, and fawn and cream.
4. The Red Point Siamese Is Rare and Expensive
Red point is an unusual color pattern in Siamese. Image Credit: Courtesy of the Red Point & Tortie Point Siamese Cat Club
Red pointing is the rarest color variation in a Siamese, and difficult to produce. Females are even rarer (about 25 percent) since the majority of orange cats—some 80 percent—are male. Their rarity makes these cats expensive: If you buy a red point Siamese kitten from a breeder in the United States, be prepared to spend as much as $2,000 or more. Also, younger kittens might not show their red points clearly until they reach puberty.
5. The Breed Has a Long Lifespan
All Siamese, including the red point Siamese, can live to the long end of the too-short lifespan for our beloved felines. A Siamese can live 15 to 20 years and even beyond, with good care. By contrast, the average overall cat lifespan is 12 to 15 years.
If you have a red point Siamese, your beloved cat can easily make it to 15 years, which is a well-lived 76 in human years. If the cat makes it into the very geriatric late teens and beyond, you have a super senior.
6. Red Point Siamese Are Often Mistaken for Orange Tabbies
Red point Siamese might have some tabby-like markings. Image Credit: Courtesy of the Red Point & Tortie Point Siamese Cat Club
The orange color tends to come with some striping, so the two types of cats can look similar. Many people just consider these cats to be a more unusual-looking orange tabby. But you will rarely see a “tabby” like a redpoint Siamese.
7. Red Point Siamese Cats Often Like Water
Most domestic cats are well known for their disdain for getting wet. But the Siamese? This breed, including the red point Siamese, is known for enjoying playing with water! Not that any cat would necessarily enjoy getting soaked and bathed—they are not tigers swimming in the wild—but many Siamese are intrigued by water.
Give credit to the Siamese cat’s playful and curious nature for this anomaly. They are fascinated by the way water moves and ripples, sparkles under the sun, and drips or flows from a faucet. They like to both watch and listen to water, and play with it. If you have a red point Siamese, you might want to invest in a cat water fountain, so your cat can enjoy the movement while getting hydrated.
