Our first two cats were pretty easy to figure out as far as breed characteristics went. Brio was a registered Siamese of the old school “Applehead” variety. He’d be a Thai cat today.
Sammy was a rescue cat but his appearance, green eyes, luxurious soft gray coat, quiet demeanor and tip-toe walk marked him as very much Russian Blue.
Mr. Oates is different. He’s a bicolor cat with a “mask and mantle” coat – white and ginger tabby. But I can’t help thinking he might be a “Stealth Siamese” as Pam Merritt calls them in her excellent Way of Cats blog.
Stealth Siamese cats are out there in the moggy universe because a lot of Asian genes are in the cat population – thanks to the long time popularity of Siamese in North America.
So what makes me think Oatsy might have a bit of the Siamese in him?
- Really intelligent. You can see and feel his little mind thinking all the time. Better be one step ahead or it’s world domination.
- Incredible energy. At 9 months you’d think he’d be slowing down a bit as he matures. But he’s like the Energizer bunny when it comes to play.
- He doesn’t have the Siamese “points” but his head and ears have that classic old school Siamese look.
- Athletic. His leaps will take your breath away, given that he’s quite a bit heavier than Brio was.
- Talkative. After the taciturn Sammy, we are back having cat conversations. Oates isn’t quite the talker that Brio was but he’s trying hard.
- Body style. Looks like he’ll be a long and lean cat – a bit heavier (more like a Burmese) but the Oriental influence is definitely there.
That’s how it looks right now – and having been owned by a Siamese for 17 incredible years, Having Mr. Oates around suits me just fine.
