What are Applehead Siamese?

Applehead or traditional Siamese cats are known for their endearing nature that is best described as: the grace of a panther, the fleetness of the deer, the softness of down,
the strength of the lion, and the affection of the dog.

The picture shown above is a good example. Applehead Siamese are the original cats of the Royal Family of Siam, whose king gave them away as gifts to favored relatives and friends. There is evidence that these cats existed in Siam's capital, Ayutthaya, back in 1350 and were used to guard their temples.

As a usual practice when royalty or someone of an elevated status was dying, a Siamese was chosen by that person to receive his/her soul. Considered to have unique powers, the Siamese could act as an intermediary for the dead person's soul. The cat would live in luxury for the rest of his/her days at the temple being waited on by the monks and priests.

Appleheads were only introduced to the Western world at the end of the nineteenth century. Walt Disney used an applehead Siamese in his release of That Darn Cat, starring Hayley Mills. In the movie, Bell, Book, and Candle, Kim Novak's cat, Pyewacket, is another example of an applehead Siamese.

Appleheads have rounder faces and stockier bodies than the modern wedge-head counterparts. An example of a modern Siamese is shown in Disney's Lady and the Tramp. Furthermore, there is also a classic Siamese that is usually created by breeding a traditional Siamese with a modern Siamese. We raise only the traditional Siamese and Balinese cats.

In recent years, the standards in cat shows for the Siamese breed is to have a stylized, very elongated wedge-shaped head or modern look. With the exception of traditional cat shows, the applehead is no longer really acknowledged as being Siamese by show judges, and therefore they are not professionally shown. CFA Registered Traditional Siamese are not only beautiful, but extremely rare.

Our goal at Shoobox is to keep this exquisite and highly intelligent breed alive, and to share them with other traditional Siamese cat lovers.