Siamese

It reached Europe from the old kingdom of Siam in the late 19th century and was already on show at the first big cat show in London, at the Crystal Palace, in 1871. Its dark points come from a heat-sensitive variant of the tyrosinase gene: pigment only develops on the coolest parts of the body, that is, the ears, face, legs and tail. Today's show Siamese is very refined, with a tubular body, a wedge-shaped head and enormous ears. In temperament it is pure theatre: it follows you round the house, has an opinion on everything in a loud, raspy voice and learns routines, doors and fetch games. It is not the cat for anyone who wants a quiet ornament.

The short coat looks after itself: a weekly once-over with a rubber grooming mitt is enough. What it does demand is attention. It copes very badly with long hours alone, and a bored Siamese yowls, knocks things over and invents its own games. Tall scratching posts, wand toys, puzzle feeders and, if you are all out during the day, a second active cat all help. It can learn to walk on a harness and respond to a clicker. Check its mouth every year, as gingivitis is common.

Progressive retinal atrophy (rdAc, CEP290 gene, DNA test available), hepatic amyloidosis, feline asthma, megaoesophagus and a higher risk of mammary tumours in unspayed females. Squint and nystagmus are linked to the colourpoint gene, which affects the visual pathways, although selective breeding has reduced them a great deal. Ask the breeder for the parents' PRA test results.