Siamese Ancestors

[kittynme]

I adopted a feral cat who has all the markings of the Siamese breed, but set into a plump tabby body. She is a delight! However, we are still not at a point that I can touch/hold/pet her...

(She is coming up to sniff my fingers on a pretty regular basis now, and is a well-behaved kitty, but long stretch between this and touch/hold/pet!)

She was likely born sometime last summer, and I began feeding her early November, and brought her home early January. Last night, I finally got to see when she cleans her 'private' places. She has the Siamese markings there, too. 

I am not certain whether she is indeed a girl, or a boy, and could not find anything to answer this online.

Do Siamese males have the markings between the hind legs, or is it present in both male and female kitties? Mai Thai has all the markings of the Siamese - legs, ears, tail, face. 

And this, between the hind legs.

I have not taken her to the vet yet, as I had no help getting her home, and had to go from work to home in a taxi - long story, but it will likely be much later in her developing relationship with me before I can get her to the vet to either be spayed or neutered.

And would very much like to know whether she is a girl or a guy!

Will do pictures at some point - she is a beauty!

 

[StefanZ]

I had never though siameses or points as such, do have point marking there.    But I suppose the sack goes point colored too.   After all, the whole biological cause for this construction is it shall be a little colder.   And its the pointed, stucking out, parts of the body who go darker...

We dont know how far back the siamese ancestry is.  It could also be 50 generations back.  The colorpoint gene being alone, is recessive and weak, and doesnt manifest itself.  But doubled up (one from mom and one from dad) it becomes very strong, and gives the kitten in question its outer appareance almost in 100% - not seldom of siamese old type.

We would love to see good pics of your protegé.

If you want more advice on fostering, or share your experiences of fostering, you are welcome to our subforum for Strays and Ferales.   (Im there too).

Good luck!

 

[di and bob]

Bless you for taking that baby in, she'll be a treasured companion in time. From your description I take it the kitten is approx. 6 months old (?), plenty old enough to tell if it is a boy or girl. A picture if at all possible would be great. All I can tell you is if there are no 'protrusions' under the tail, just a slit or flat, it is a girl. If it is a boy, the scrotum and testes should be developed by now. Now is a good time to warn you that females can go into heat as young as 4 months, so watch for any loud crying and trying to escape. This will go on often until the cat gets pregnant, they are not like dogs and only go into heat every 6 months or so, they are almost always in season.  Males will start trying to escape too, and may begin to mark their territory in your house, so be on the alert. The sooner you can get the cat spayed or neutered the better companion they will be.I don't know where you are from, but you might want to call around and see if there are any vets that have the ability and the equipment to sedate a cat in a chamber with gas, it is a lot less stressful for a feral, they are not handled so much.   All the luck, keep us posted!

 

[Willowy]

An unneutered shorthaired male at this age would have VERY noticeable testicles . And, yes, the testicles are dark in a pointed cat, but most females have some coloration back there as well. So you can't go entirely by coloring; just take a look for some bulges. If you google for images of "tomcat testicles" you should find some instructive pictures. . .just be careful about what else might pop up! :lol3:

If you can manage to get some pictures of his/her back end, post them here. Even if they aren't too clear we can still hazard a guess.