 THE
STORY ~ Many of my cats are from old lines where
kinked tails and crossed eyes pop up from time to time,
I love the look of the old style and the legand of how
they came to be...
The
Siamese cat originated from Thailand, formerly known as
Siam. These cats were held in such high esteem in their
native country that no one except the King and members
of the royal family were permitted to own them. They
were originally known as Royal points.
Records
reveal that Siamese cats, in their country of origin,
were venerated as guardians of the temples. When a
person of high rank died, it was usual to select one of
these cats to receive the dead person's soul. The cat
was then removed from the royal household and sent to
one of the temples to spend the rest of its days living
a ceremonial life of great luxury, with monks and
priests as its servants. These cats were reputed to eat
the finest foods from gold plate and to recline on
cushions made of the most opulent materials, which had
been provided by the departed one's relatives in an
attempt to receive good fortune and blessings. Once they
became temple cats, they were supposed to have special
powers and could intercede for the soul of the dead
person.
Years ago
features such as crossed eyes and kinked tail were
looked on as characteristics of the breed and many
legends exist as to their origin.
It was
said that a Princess of the Royal House of Siam used her
cat's tail as a ring-stand while she was bathing. The
kink in the tail prevented the rings from falling off
and being lost. Another legend accounts for both the
cross-eyed feature as well as the development of the
kink. Once, when all the men of Siam left their homes to
defend their kingdom, just two cats - one male Siamese,
Tien, and one female Siamese, Chula - remained in order
to guard Buddha's golden goblet in the sacred temple.
The male cat became pretty restless and, after mating
the female Siamese, left her in order to find another
priest to look after the temple. The female, apparently,
was so overwhelmed by the responsibility of guarding the
Buddha's treasure that she never once glanced away from
the goblet, wrapping her long tail around its stem to
prevent theft in case she should fall asleep. As time
passed waiting for Tien to return with a new master, she
could no longer forestall the birth of her kittens, who
all arrived with the physical characteristics that she
herself had acquired during her period as watch guard - a
kinked tail and crossed eyes. Just occasionally, even
today, kittens are born with these features
-
so the legends are kept alive... |
