The Siamese is a breed I believe any cat enthusiast will fall in love with.
It’s widely recognized for its colorpoint pattern. The Siamese has a creamy white body, which is adorned by striking dark points on its face, ears, legs, and tail.
This cat also boasts a remarkable personality: It is bold, outgoing, intelligent, and curious. Furthermore, it’s friendly and gentle with its humans, and tends to get along well with children and other pets.
Another interesting fact about these felines is their highly vocal nature. Although the Siamese has a unique appearance, if you’re relatively new in the world of feline, you could mistake this cat for some others.
Yes, there are certain cats that look like Siamese and even share some of their personality traits! This resemblance occurs due to genetics and breeding practices.
Let’s look at these ten breeds in detail and see how exactly similar (or different) they are from the Siamese breed.
1. Balinese
The simplest way to describe the Balinese breed would be the following: A long-haired Siamese cat!
This breed was developed as a natural mutation of the Siamese breed. The biggest difference between these two cats is the coat type.
As Daily Paws explains, the Balinese has a medium-to-long silky coat that lies close to its body. On the contrary, the Siamese has a short coat. Consequently, it’s easier to take care of a Siamese cat’s coat rather than that of a Balinese cat.
Both these cats have dark color patterns on the cooler areas of their bodies. While the Siamese has a long and thin tail, the Balinese has a plumed one.
Just like Siamese, Balinese cats are also highly intelligent, devoted to their people, and playful. Another common trait of these two is letting their owners know what they want by being extremely vocal.
2. Birman
The Birman is a breed known for its striking blue eyes and darker points, which give it a resemblance to the Siamese cat.
This isn’t confirmed with certainty, but it's believed that this breed originated in Burma. According to the Spruce Pets, the Birman was found in England in France in the early 1900s. It was eventually brought to the States later on, and was recognized as an official breed in 1967.
While Birman cats share some similarities with Siamese cats, they have notably longer and fluffier hair compared to purebred Siamese cats.
Also, while the Siamese has long and pointed ears, the Birman has medium-sized, well-distanced ears.
These two cats share some common personality traits: They’re both friendly, good-natured, and gentle. However, the Birman is usually less playful and active than the Siamese.
3. Burmese
The Burmese cats share a common ancestor with the Siamese breed. Both these cats originated in Southeast Asia.
They also share the same short, silky, and pointed coat. At first glance, it could even be difficult to differentiate these two breeds.
However, if you observe them carefully, you’ll notice some differences in their appearance. The Siamese has a rather slim body, while the Burmese has more of an average build.
The Siamese boast a wedge-shaped skull and triangular ears and Burmese has a board head and wide ears.
The Burmese most usually has striking green eyes, although other colors are also possible.
You could observe some Siamese personality traits in the Burmese breed, too. Both breeds are attentive, active, and trainable. They are also equally social, vocal, and noisy.
If you like the description of the Burmese breed, check out our list of reputable Burmese breeders.
4. Himalayan
It’s no wonder the Himalayan breed looks like the Siamese cat, since it was produced by breeding a Siamese with an equally awesome Persian cat.
This crossbreeding was a result of breeders’ desire to produce a cat with Siamese’s markings and Persian’s physique.
Indeed, the Himalayan has inherited the best of both parent breeds. It has striking blue eyes and points like the Siamese, while it resembles a Persian with their round appearance and long, fluffy coat.
Himalayan’s luscious coat demands regular brushing to reduce shedding.
The chubby appearance could help you differentiate the Himalayan breed from their Siamese parent.
Their temperament and behavior are quite alike. Both these cats are loving, highly intelligent, and affectionate.
Still, there is an important difference here. While Siamese cats are always loud, active, and curious, the Himalayan is a more laid-back breed.
This breed will enjoy peace and quiet more, and is in general less chatty than Siamese.
5. Javanese
The Javanese is another breed that’s related to Siamese, and also with Balinese and Colorpoint Shorthair cats.
Just like the Siamese, the Javanese cat also has a color-point coat. It’s medium in length, has no undercoat, and is quite easy to take care of.
Hill’s Pet describes the Javanese breed as a medium-sized cat, more muscular than the Siamese.
Unlike the Siamese, the Javanese breed has a full, plumed tail. This cat loves to be around people and gets involved with anything their owners are doing.
The Javanese is also a smart and trainable breed, capable of learning tricks such as playing fetch.
If you’re not a fan of Siamese cat’s tendency to be noisy, I will have to disappoint you by revealing that Javanese cats tend to be the same in this regard!
6. Mekong Bobtail
Similar to the Siamese, the Mekong Bobtail also has its origins in Thailand.
This breed bears a striking resemblance to the Siamese, characterized by their blue eyes and coat points, along with an athletic body structure.
The most characteristic thing about the Mekong Bobtail breed is its short tail.
According to the Mekong Bobtail breed standard, if this cat’s tail is longer than a quarter of its body, this is considered a disqualification.
The Mekong Bobtail has a lovely personality that makes it eligible for a family pet. This cat is friendly, loyal, and playful. It loves to show affection to its humans and thrives on attention and interaction.
7. Ocicat
The Ocicat breed emerged as a result of crossbreeding a Siamese cat with an Abyssinian. A combination of these two breeds gave a cat that bears a striking resemblance to a wild feline in appearance but is entirely domestic in nature.
The Ocicat can have a pointed coat just like the Siamese, but can also have a solid-colored coat, as well as a ticked or classic tabby pattern. This cat’s coat is short and satin-like.
The Ocicat has the same agile body and almond-shaped eyes as its Siamese parent.
This breed is outgoing and devoted to its humans. It’s also playful and always looking for a fun activity to share with its owners.
Since it’s so social, the Ocicat doesn’t do well when left alone for long periods.
8. Ragdoll
With their distinctive points and silky fur, it could be easy to mistake a Ragdoll for a Siamese cat. Also, both these breeds have beautiful blue eyes.
However, there are notable differences between Ragdolls and Siamese cats. Ragdolls are larger in size, have longer coats, and lack an undercoat. Despite this, Ragdoll still sheds a certain amount of hair and isn’t considered hypoallergenic.
However, the real difference between these two breeds isn’t their looks. They possess completely different personalities.
While the Siamese is super talkative and loves attention, the Ragdoll is more reserved and laid-back.
The Ragdoll can be described as a more docile and calmer version of a Siamese cat. Also, it’s far less vocal than Siamese.
So, for anyone who appreciates cats with points and a gentle disposition, the Ragdoll breed is sure to capture their heart!
9. Seychellois
This is another cat that resulted from crossbreeding a Siamese. The other breed in this mix was a tortoiseshell Persian cat.
This breed is quite rare, and it resembles the Siamese a lot, both in looks and in temperament.
The Seychellois cat features a well-muscled body, a wedge-shaped head, and almond-shaped eyes. Just like the Siamese, this cat has striking clear blue eyes and a pointed coat that comes in both long and short varieties.
The Seychellois cat is equally social, intelligent, and people-oriented as the Siamese breed. The thing this kitty loves the most is just spending time with its humans.
Just like Siamese, it’s also likely to be very chatty, but tends to have a softer voice.
10. Tonkinese
For the end of this list, we have another crossbreed. The Tonkinese is a hybrid whose parent breeds are the Siamese and the Burmese cat.
This cat is relatively rare. It has vivid blue eyes, pointed ears, and a medium-length coat. The biggest resemblance with its Siamese parent is a pointed coat pattern that can come in a variety of colors.
Both these cats are active, social, and vocal. Still, the Tonkinese cat tolerates some alone time better than the Siamese.
In general, Tonkinese cats are less demanding than Siamese. Also, the Siamese tend to be a bit reserved around strangers, while Tonkinese cats are usually friendly with everyone.
Summary
The Siamese breed is beautiful both in appearance and in personality.
But, I would dare to say that these 10 cat breeds that look like Siamese are equally outstanding in all their traits!
Some of them are closely related to the Siamese cat, while some look like them, but don’t share a common ancestor.
There are also purebreds and hybrid cats on this list. No matter their background, I believe all of you will agree with me that they are all exceptional felines and make excellent companions.
Have you found your favorite on our list? Share with us what made you choose it!
Read Next: Are Male Siamese Cats Rare And Their Differences From Females
