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Siamese cat: health, diseases and blood work

The Siamese is one of the oldest pedigree cats. It has a few well-documented health weak points: a hereditary form of amyloidosis that targets the liver, a gene that causes blindness, a tendency to asthma-like airway disease and a higher risk of mammary cancer. Here is what the studies show and which tests your vet may discuss.

Chocolate point Siamese cat lying on a wooden beam outdoors, with large ears and blue eyes
Photo: Felinlove · CC BY-SA 4.0 · via Wikimedia Commons

Written by the AI DiagAnimals editorial teamReviewed by the AI DiagAnimals TeamUpdated Our editorial policy

The essentials

In a 2019 UK study, Siamese cats had a life expectancy at birth of 11.69 years, close to that of crossbred cats. The breed carries a familial AA amyloidosis that mainly affects the liver and can cause bleeding from it. About one in three copies of a retinal gene (rdAc, CEP290) was the blindness variant in Siamese populations studied, and a DNA test exists. Siamese are overrepresented among cats with asthma-like bronchial disease and had twice the risk of mammary carcinoma in one study.

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Siamese cat at a glance

TraitDetail
OriginThailand (formerly Siam), where these cats appear in a collection of cat poems from the Ayutthaya period (1350–1767) [1]
Breed groupFIFe Category 4 [2]
BuildLong and svelte: long neck, body, legs and tail, a wedge-shaped head and large ears [1]
Life expectancy11.69 years at birth in a 2019 UK study of 7,936 cat deaths (crossbred cats: 11.89 years) [3]
CoatFine and short, with darker points contrasting with a paler body, and blue eyes [1]

Origin

Pointed cats from Siam are documented in Thai cat poems of the Ayutthaya period. The first Siamese known in the United States was given to President Rutherford B. Hayes in 1878, at a time when Siamese were appearing in the catalogues of the Crystal Palace cat shows in England [1].

The Siamese was one of the first breeds recognized by the Cat Fanciers’ Association at its founding in 1906. Seal point was the only colour at first; blue, chocolate and lilac points followed between 1934 and 1955 [1].

Common health problems

  • Amyloidosis of the liver: a familial AA amyloidosis is described in Siamese and Oriental cats. In a Dutch series, 12 of 194 Siamese examined after death (6.2%) had amyloidosis, with enlarged pale livers showing haemorrhages [4]. In Siamese the liver is the main target organ, and the amyloid protein differs from that of the Abyssinian, where the kidneys are mainly affected [5]. Amyloid can make the liver rupture and bleed; such cases have been mistaken for trauma, red-cell destruction or a clotting disorder [6]. The genes involved are still being researched [1]. See high liver enzymes in cats.
  • Progressive retinal atrophy (rdAc): a recessive variant of the CEP290 gene causes retinal degeneration. Its allele frequency was about 33% in North American and European Siamese, and cats with two copies developed disease similar to affected Abyssinians [7].
  • Asthma and bronchial disease: in a study of 65 cats with bronchial disease, Siamese were overrepresented and had more chronic disease [8]. A review notes that asthma is usually seen in young to middle-aged adults and that the Siamese appears overrepresented [9].
  • Mammary carcinoma: in a North American study of 132 cats with mammary tumors, Siamese had twice the risk of mammary carcinoma compared with all breeds combined, and tended to be diagnosed younger [10].
  • Dental disease: in UK primary care, 18.7% of Siamese had periodontal disease over one year, among the highest of all breeds (15.2% of all cats) [11].

Tests and screening in Siamese cats

  • DNA test for rdAc: commercial testing for the CEP290 variant is available, so breeders can avoid producing affected kittens [7]; carriers can be removed from breeding or bred only to non-carriers [1].
  • Liver amyloidosis: there is no DNA test yet [1]. In cats with liver rupture from amyloid, the diagnosis before death relied on liver ultrasound and fine-needle aspirate cytology [6]. Liver values are read as in any cat: see high liver enzymes in cats.
  • Airway disease and the blood count: in cats with bronchial disease, a raised eosinophil count in the blood did not predict which cells were found in the airways, and a third of the cats had high blood proteins without dehydration [8]. See eosinophils in dogs and cats.
  • Blood type: no type B cats were found among Siamese and related breeds in a US survey of 1,100 purebred cats [12]. For the red-cell lines of the blood count, see anemia in cats.
  • Routine blood work: liver and kidney values are part of the standard chemistry panel. See cat blood work explained.

Related articles

Cat blood work explained

What the blood count and chemistry panel show in cats.

Read the article

High liver enzymes in cats

ALT, ALP and bilirubin, and what a rise suggests.

Read the article

Eosinophils in dogs and cats

What a high eosinophil count can mean.

Read the article

En français : Siamois.

Questions to ask your veterinarian

  1. Has my cat, or its parents, been DNA tested for the rdAc (CEP290) variant?
  2. Is there any history of amyloidosis in my cat’s family line?
  3. Are my cat’s liver values normal, and should they be checked regularly?
  4. Could my cat’s cough or breathing pattern be asthma, and what tests would confirm it?
  5. How should I check my cat for mammary lumps, and how often should its teeth be examined?
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Frequently asked questions

How long do Siamese cats live?

In a UK study of cats that died in 2019, the life expectancy at birth of Siamese was 11.69 years, close to the 11.89 years of crossbred cats [3].

What health problems do Siamese cats have?

The best documented are familial liver amyloidosis [4, 5], the rdAc retinal degeneration [7], asthma-like bronchial disease [8, 9], mammary carcinoma [10] and periodontal disease [11].

Are Siamese cats prone to asthma?

Siamese are overrepresented among cats with bronchial disease and asthma in published series [8, 9].

Can Siamese cats go blind?

Yes, cats with two copies of the rdAc variant of the CEP290 gene develop retinal degeneration. The variant was common in Siamese, and a DNA test is available [7].

What tests should a Siamese cat have?

A DNA test for rdAc is the main breed-specific test [7]. Liver values on routine blood work, and checks of the teeth and mammary glands, follow the breed’s known risks [4, 10, 11].

Sources

  1. The Cat Fanciers’ Association. Siamese: breed profile. cfa.org/breed/siamese
  2. Fédération Internationale Féline. Breeds and standards. fifeweb.org/cats/breeds
  3. Teng KT et al. Life tables of annual life expectancy and risk factors for mortality in cats in the UK. J Feline Med Surg. 2024;26(5):1098612X241234556. doi.org/10.1177/1098612X241234556
  4. van der Linde-Sipman JS et al. Generalized AA-amyloidosis in Siamese and Oriental cats. Vet Immunol Immunopathol. 1997;56(1-2):1-10. doi.org/10.1016/s0165-2427(96)05717-0
  5. Niewold TA et al. Familial amyloidosis in cats: Siamese and Abyssinian AA proteins differ in primary sequence and pattern of deposition. Amyloid. 1999;6(3):205-209. doi.org/10.3109/13506129909007328
  6. Beatty JA et al. Spontaneous hepatic rupture in six cats with systemic amyloidosis. J Small Anim Pract. 2002;43(8):355-363. doi.org/10.1111/j.1748-5827.2002.tb00086.x
  7. Menotti-Raymond M et al. Widespread retinal degenerative disease mutation (rdAc) discovered among a large number of popular cat breeds. Vet J. 2010;186(1):32-38. doi.org/10.1016/j.tvjl.2009.08.010
  8. Moise NS et al. Clinical, radiographic, and bronchial cytologic features of cats with bronchial disease: 65 cases (1980-1986). J Am Vet Med Assoc. 1989;194(10):1467-1473. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/2470710
  9. Venema CM, Patterson CC. Feline asthma: what’s new and where might clinical practice be heading? J Feline Med Surg. 2010;12(9):681-692. doi.org/10.1016/j.jfms.2010.07.012
  10. Hayes HM Jr et al. Epidemiological features of feline mammary carcinoma. Vet Rec. 1981;108(22):476-479. doi.org/10.1136/vr.108.22.476
  11. O’Neill DG et al. Periodontal disease in cats under primary veterinary care in the UK: frequency and risk factors. J Feline Med Surg. 2023;25(3):1098612X231158154. doi.org/10.1177/1098612X231158154
  12. Giger U et al. Frequency and inheritance of A and B blood types in feline breeds of the United States. J Hered. 1991;82(1):15-20. doi.org/10.1093/jhered/82.1.15

Laboratory methods and reference intervals vary. This article explains; it does not diagnose. For a decision about your pet, use the original report and talk to your veterinarian. Our editorial policy.

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