The Siamese cat (Thai: แมวไทย, Maeo Thai; แมวสยาม, Maeo Sayam) is one of the first distinctly recognised breeds of Asian cat. The Siamese Cat derived from the Wichianmat landrace. They are one of several varieties of cats native to Thailand (known as Siam prior to 1939), the original Siamese became one of the most popular breeds in Europe and North America in the 19th century. Siamese cats have a distinctive colourpoint coat, resulting from a temperature-sensitive type of albinism.
The modern-style Siamese is characterised by blue almond-shaped eyes, a triangular head shape, large ears, an elongated, slender, and muscular body, and various forms of point colouration. Other than point colouration, the modern-style Siamese have little resemblance to the original foundation stock and the more moderate, traditional, or "old-style" Siamese. The "old-style" Siamese have a much rounder head and body and has been re-established by multiple registries as the Thai cat. Both Siamese and Thai cats are separately selectively bred by breeders, and pedigreed in multiple major cat fancier and breeder organisations. Similar to other officially recognised cat breeds, the term "Siamese" or "Thai" is only meant to be used for cats from this specific breed, which are by definition all purebred cats with a known and formally registered ancestry, also known as the cat's pedigree or "paperwork".