Siamese
Very smart, very loud. A quiet household will find it noisy.
About the Siamese
The Siamese cat is one of the first distinctly recognised breeds of domestic cat. It is selectively bred since the end of the 19th-century from the Wichianmat landrace, one of several varieties of cats native to Thailand, and is pedigreed in all major cat fancier and breeder organisations. Siamese cats have a distinctive colourpoint coat, resulting from a temperature-sensitive type of albinism. Distinct features like blue almond-shaped eyes, a triangular wedged head shape, large wide-set ears, an elongated, slender, and muscular body, and various colours of point colouration characterise the breed.
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA)
Key facts
- Origin
- Thailand
- Weight
- 3–5.5 kg
- Height
- Data varies by line
- Lifespan
- 12–16 years
- Est. monthly cost
- $57 (≈ $684 per year)
- Purchase price
- $1,200–$2,100 from a breeder
Where the monthly cost comes from
Routine care for a Siamese averages about $57 a month, or roughly $684 a year. That figure is summed from the measured US line items below — food is scaled to this breed's body weight and grooming to its coat — not quoted from any single clinic or breeder.
| Category | Per month |
|---|---|
| Food (scaled to 4 kg) | $185.86 |
| Treats | $42.00 |
| Routine veterinary care (adjusted for this breed's known issues) | $187.95 |
| Medications (flea, tick, heartworm) | $49.35 |
| Grooming (1/5 coat requirement) | $28.00 |
| Toys | $25.00 |
| Litter | $150.00 |
| Licence | $15.00 |
| Total | $57 |
Pet insurance is not in that total. The average US accident-and-illness premium is $383 a year for a cat, but most pets are not insured, so adding it to every breed would overstate what a typical owner pays.
If you insure, board and budget for emergencies
Owners who carry insurance, leave the pet boarded when travelling and set money aside for emergencies land near $135 a month — about $1,616 a year. This is a modelled budget, not a survey result:
| Item | Per year |
|---|---|
| Routine care, as itemised above | $684 |
| Pet insurance (NAPHIA average premium) | $383 |
| Boarding (10 days at $25/day) | $250 |
| Emergency fund (one ~$900 event every 3 years) | $300 |
| Fully-loaded total | $1,616 |
Boarding rate from MarketWatch ($25/day). Emergency allowance modelled on Rover's finding that a typical emergency visit starts near $300 and reaches $4,000 with diagnostics and an overnight stay. The number of boarded days and the once-in-three-years emergency frequency are our own planning assumptions, stated here so you can substitute your own.
Includes routine vet visits, food, grooming and supplies. Excludes emergencies, training, boarding and the purchase price above. Method and sources: data sources.
Temperament and care profile
Health issues to watch
The FDA's animal adverse-event database holds 4,022 reported events filed under this breed name (data current to 2026-10-05). Reports are not proof of causation and are not adjusted for how many animals of the breed exist.
How it compares
Pick a second breed to see a side-by-side breakdown of cost, size, shedding and lifestyle fit.