American Shorthair vs Siamese (New Popular Cat Comparison)


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When comparing the American Shorthair cat and the Siamese cat, there are many things to consider. These two cat breeds have their own characteristics in terms of their health, maintenance, and personalities.

American Shorthair cats and Siamese cats are extremely popular cat breeds; if you are not sure what breed would be right for you, you are in the right place.  So, when considering the American Shorthair vs Siamese, which cat breed is better?

When considering American Shorthair vs Siamese, the Siamese cat wins this comparison.  While both cat breeds are amazing, the Siamese cat is brilliant, dog friendly, incredibly affectionate, and extremely talkative.

Cat Product Note:  I will talk about and recommend some cat products in this article, which will hopefully provide your cat with a more enriching life.  These are Amazon affiliate links, so I receive a commission from Amazon, with no added cost to you.  These are my honest recommendations, so if you are interested in checking them out, please click below!

For American Shorthair Cats:

  • The cat stroller on Amazon that I recommend for American Shorthair Cats because it is robust and can go anywhere (affiliate link):  Click Here
  • The cat condo / cat tree on Amazon that I recommend for American Shorthair Cats because my similarly-sized cat loves it! (affiliate link): Click Here
  • This is the Catio on Amazon that I recommend for the American Shorthair cat since it provides a safe environment for this cat to jump, climb, and hang out (affiliate link):  Click Here.

For Siamese Cats:

  • The cat stroller on Amazon I recommend for Siamese Cats because it is robust and versatile (affiliate link): Click Here
  • The cat condo / cat tree on Amazon that I recommend for Siamese Cats because it has excellent platforms for watching everyone, and my cat loves it (affiliate link): Click Here
  • This is the Catio on Amazon that I recommend for the Siamese cat since it provides an excellent space that is safe for lounging outside (affiliate link): Click Here.

Stick around to find out which cat breed is the best!

American Shorthair Appearance vs Siamese Appearance

What Does an American Shorthair Look Like?

American Shorthair Cat

The American Shorthair cat has a short, thick, dense coat and numerous colors, patterns, and shades.

The eyes can be blue, hazel, copper, gold, green, or odd-eyed. It has a medium-size build, with the female weighing 8-12 pounds on average and the male weighing over 12 pounds.

The American Shorthair is heavily boned with a broad chest and strong jaws. Its legs are thick and robust, and it has a round face with short, well-spaced ears. The ear tips are rounded.

American Shorthair Colors

The American Shorthair can be found in these colors:

  • White
  • Black
  • Blue
  • Red
  • Cream
  • Blue Cream
  • Chinchilla
  • Tortoiseshell
  • Cameo
  • Brown
  • Golden
  • Silver

The patterns can be found in Tabby, Bicolor, Tortoiseshell, Solid color, Tricolor, and Shaded.

What Does a Siamese Look Like?

Siamese cats have an exotic Asian aesthetic appearance, boasting a lean and extended tubular-shaped body with darker shades on the tail, feet, and face. This is topped with a wedge-shaped head, substantial triangular ears, and bright blue slanted yet almond-shaped eyes.

Siamese cats come in a range of colors, including brown, chocolate, blue-gray, lilac, ivory, cream, and glacial white.  This cat can come in a Tabby pattern also. 

Their relatively muscular bodies are generally a lighter color tone. They are medium-sized cats, with males growing to weigh around 11 – 15lbs, and females weighing around 8 – 12lbs.

Siamese cats have slender legs with longer hind legs, which results in a distinctive stance and strut, and they have long thin tails that taper towards the tip. They also appear to have a ‘mask’ on their face, with shades surrounding the whisker pads and eyes.

American Shorthair Hypoallergenic vs Siamese Hypoallergenic

Are American Shorthair Cats Hypoallergenic?

American Shorthair cats are not hypoallergenic. You should expect that this cat breed will affect your cat allergies if you have them.

Do American Shorthair Cats Shed?

American Shorthair cats usually shed moderately.  These cats have short but dense hair, and you should expect them to shed moderately throughout the entire year.  This means that you will want to be ready for the shedding hair if you plan to own an American Shorthair cat. 

Our article discussing cats that shed a lot includes vital information on the American Shorthair and other higher shedding cat breeds:  Click Here.

Are Siamese Hypoallergenic?

Siamese cats are not hypoallergenic, and their silky fur coat sheds far less than other cat breeds.  Since they are not hypoallergenic, they may affect your allergies if you have them.

Do Siamese Shed?

Yes, Siamese cats shed, but they do not shed much.  This cat is a great option if you are looking for a relatively low shedding feline friend. These cats love humans, so they will love it when you do end up brushing them.  They will probably think you are showing affection!

We look at the Siamese cat’s shedding and other low-shedding cat breeds in our article:  Click Here.

Maintaining an American Shorthair’s Fur Coat

American Shorthair Cat

The American Shorthair cat’s fur is dense and relatively easy to maintain. All it needs is to be brushed once or twice a week to eliminate any loose fur.

It is unnecessary to bathe this breed too often, although sometimes bathing a cat will help control shedding fur. Ideally, you should get the cat used to the bath from a young age to become comfortable with the process.

 Maintaining a Siamese’s Fur Coat

Since their fur coats do not shed very often, maintaining a healthy and soft coat is quite simple. They will need to be combed at least once a week to keep them tangle and mat-free. However, they should not be over groomed, as this could cause negative effects.   Additionally, you will not want to bathe them very often. 

American Shorthair Personality vs Siamese Personality

American Shorthair Personality

Video: American Shorthair Personality

The American Shorthair is easy going and gets along with people. It doesn’t crave too much attention, although it wouldn’t mind if it is given the same.

The American Shorthair cat is on the quiet side with its meows. It is easy to keep this breed amused; whether it is with a paper ball or a multi-colored string, it will find a reason to get amused!

American Shorthair Left Alone

The American Shorthair cat is comfortable being left alone or brought around by different people in the family.  Since they are comfortable being left alone, this makes them an excellent option for single people, spend a decent part of the day away from the house or just only want one cat!

A big concern of people that leave their cats alone with regularity is if their cat will remember them.  We talk more about if cats will remember their owners in our article:  Click Here.

Siamese Cat Personality

Video: Siamese Cat Personality

The Siamese breed is highly active and energetic and loves to play and run jump around. They are very loving and attentive cats and enjoy the company by spending time with other adults, caregivers, children, and other pets like cats or dogs.

They are most comfortable when they have another cat in the home to share their time and space, mainly if it’s another Siamese, and they hate being left alone at home.

Siamese cats are incredibly chatty and emit a broad range of naturally resonating sounds, including a sound that somewhat resembles a human infant’s cry. They will talk to anyone keen on listening to them, as well as to those who are not.

They thrive off having company and friendship, to the extent that humans cannot always offer. Getting a playmate for this breed is famous for caregivers to ensure they are getting the social activity they demand.

American Shorthair Intelligence

The American Shorthair is not known to have high cat intelligence. There seems to be some debate about how intelligent this cat breed is; however, it looks like this cat is one of the less intelligent breeds from my point of view.  It is possible some people feel this way due to the American Shorthair being easy-going.

We mention the American Shorthair and other cat breeds with lower intelligence in our article on the subject:  Click Here.

The American Shorthair loves being challenged with new games. Give it new puzzles or introduce it to interactive toys, and it will significantly enjoy itself!

It enjoys showcasing its hunting skills. This is no surprise since initially, it was bred for keeping away vermin and rodents from food stores!

Are Siamese Cats Smart?

Siamese cats are superbly intelligent and will consistently seek out activities or distractions to keep themselves busy. Paired with their high energy levels, this can amount to plenty of built-up liveliness and shenanigans.

But, they are relatively easy to train and channel this energy and intelligence constructively. Activities for building their intelligence such as puzzle feeders and games will help keep your Siamese out of trouble.

American Shorthair Lifespan vs Siamese Lifespan

There are significant differences (but a tiny bit of overlap) in each of these cat breeds’ feline lifespan. 

American Shorthair Lifespan

The normal American Shorthair Lifespan is 15 to 20 years. This is a pretty healthy lifespan, and you should have many quality years with your American Shorthair.

Siamese Cat Lifespan

Siamese cats typically live for approximately 12 – 15 years.  You will likely want to use good nutrition and keep your Siamese cat active to give them their best chance at maximizing their lifespan.  You should consult a veterinarian to do proper planning for this.

Enriching Your American Shorthair and Siamese Cat’s Life

Merely owning an American Shorthair cat or Siamese cat is not enough.  As a good feline owner, you will likely want your cat to live their best life possible.

Let’s explore some ways to enrich your cat’s life:

Give your Cat Affection

Being affectionate and giving your feline friend a little more affection is crucial to the bond between humans and cat. A loved cat is usually a content cat (and probably purring!). Cats might not show their love back like some other animals, but it certainly doesn’t mean they don’t need that love. Felines just express themselves in different ways.

An excellent example of this is my feline friend, a domestic shorthair cat named Charlotte, who just followed me around the house.  It turned out that she just wanted some pets.  I spent some time giving her affection, and she was purring a lot.

Cats can benefit from your love and affection so much. If you choose to ignore your kitten, it will gradually develop disinterest and may not feel lively. Most people don’t even consider this aspect of life at all. But the simplest form of affection might make your cat a happier feline!

Take Your Cat Outside

It is NOT recommended for house cats to explore outside by themselves freely; however, there are plenty of ways to take your cat outdoors with you. If your cat is curious about the outside world, you might want to take them outside with a harness and a leash.

It’s essential to find a harness that fits your pet snugly and makes sure that they feel comfortable wearing it before they venture outside. We take a closer look at cat harnesses and if they are safe in our article:  Click Here.

If your feline is more of the observer type, then a unique cat backpack or cat stroller might be more their speed. Don’t be fooled, though; these forms of going outdoors can be just as awesome as walking on a leash. Your cat gets to enjoy new scenery, new smells, and fresh air.

For more information on whether your cat might like a cat stroller, take a look at our article on the subject:  Click Here.

  • The cat stroller on Amazon I recommend for Siamese Cats because it is robust and versatile (affiliate link): Click Here
  • The cat stroller on Amazon that I recommend for American Shorthair Cats because it is robust and can go anywhere (affiliate link):  Click Here

Cats and Cat Condos

Cat condos or cat trees are a must for felines because they tend to live in both vertical and horizontal dimensions. Having a high spot to hang out in helps with your cat’s sense of security; they have the high ground, after all.

A cat condo is also a good spot for viewing the home’s indoor world, especially if the cat condo has integrated toys or scratching posts. Make sure that your cat tree has areas that are big and sturdy enough to hold your cat.

Our article on if cats really do like cat condos / cat trees:  Click Here.

My cat, Charlotte, uses her cat condo multiple times a day.  I frequently find her perched on the top platform, in the cat house, or scratching on the scratch posts – which is exactly where I want her to scratch her claws (not my furniture!).

I recommend this cat condo / cat tree for both the Siamese cat and the American Shorthair cat (see links below).

  • The cat condo / cat tree on Amazon that I recommend for Siamese Cats because it has excellent platforms for watching everyone, and my cat loves it: Click Here
  • The cat condo / cat tree on Amazon that I recommend for American Shorthair Cats because my similarly-sized cat loves it! (affiliate link): Click Here

Catios are Fantastic

If you have access to a backyard, you might want to buy a cat enclosure (Catio).  Here are some key considerations when looking for (and using) a good Catio:

  1. This space should have a strong cover, and the wire should be partially buried to prevent predator attacks.
  2. Your cat should never be out in extreme weather conditions, and you should be nearby to watch them.
  3. The space should include a variety of toys and perches. If you look to purchase a Catio, you will often see places for a cat to perch or lay.
  4. Make sure it is easy for you to keep clean.
  5. Make sure your feline always has access to fresh water. Lots of people underestimate how much water a cat needs to drink.  If you take your cat outside, bring water.
  • This is the Catio on Amazon that I recommend for the Siamese cat since it provides an excellent space that is safe for lounging outside (affiliate link): Click Here.
  • This is the Catio on Amazon that I recommend for the American Shorthair cat since it provides a safe environment for this cat to jump, climb, and hang out (affiliate link):  Click Here.

Using Cat Grass: This dietary substitute is created with grass derived from barley, oats, rye, or wheat, and it’s specifically designed for household pets. It can be beneficial for overall health, helps the digestive system, and acts as a delectable snack for cats.

The American Shorthair has specific nutrition requirements, and it’s always best to ensure suitability with your veterinarian beforehand. But, they have appetites larger than their petite bodies, so this may be a good option for them.

We talk more about cat grass and the benefits in our article on the subject:  Click Here.

American Shorthair Health Problems vs Siamese Health Problems

Let’s talk about the different health issues that these two feline breeds generally have to face. This is a vital topic since a cat owner will want to know about and be prepared for their Siamese cat or American Shorthair cat’s future health prospects.

American Shorthair Health Problems

The American Shorthair is usually healthy; however, it may be susceptible to some diseases. You have to watch its weight carefully as it may get overweight and catch diseases such as diabetes and arthritis as a result.

You will want to watch for these health issues associated with the American Shorthair:

  • Hip Dysplasia: This is a hereditary condition that may result in an American Shorthair becoming less mobile, and as a result, you could see your American Shorthair lose weight.  You will want to consult a veterinarian if you suspect your feline has hip dysplasia.
  • Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy (HCM):  This is a common heart disease found in felines that is hereditary.  A veterinary cardiologist would be a vital expert to consult in determining if your cat has HCM.

Siamese Health Problems

The Siamese breed is more prone to certain conditions as a result of their unique head shape. These include respiratory illnesses, periodontal disease, retinal atrophy, and glaucoma. They may also suffer from bladder stones or heart problems at a later stage in their life, and regular visits to the veterinarian are crucial for maintaining this breed’s health over time. 

They may also hold some physical abnormalities such as a kinked tail or crosses eyes, but there is no need for concern as they add more character than discomfort for the cat. This breed may also suffer from anxiety-related conditions if left alone at home too much.

American Shorthair Price vs Siamese Price

The prices for these two feline breeds can both get pretty high depending on demand and the feline’s quality.  If you are looking for a high-quality Siamese kitten for sale or a high-quality American Shorthair kitten for sale, you will possibly be paying over a thousand dollars.

American Shorthair Price

I did some research and found data on the prices for American Shorthair kittens for sale.  There are quite a few American Shorthair cattery websites online, and I looked over 7 of them, trying to find their cost information for American Shorthair cats; however, not all of them had cat price information on their websites.

It appears the range of pricing for American Shorthair kittens for sale is $500-$5000, with the sweet spot around $1000. 

Silver Shorthairs

At Silver Shorthairs, you can expect to spend $1250 on pet quality American Shorthair kittens.  Breeder American Shorthair kittens will run you $1800.

Deposits at Silver Shorthairs are pretty low at $50.  This deposit is refundable up until you purchase your American Shorthair cat for sale.

Silver Shorthairs will transport kittens to their new owner.  They state the usual rate for transport is about $200 but can range depending on the airline used.  They may utilize a VIP transport option if that is necessary.  Your cat will arrive in an airline-approved carrier that you are welcome to ship back to them for a $30 refund.

Silver Shorthairs accepts different payment options, including credit cards, PayPal, and checks.

Cacao Cattery

Cacao Cattery generally charges between $600-$1000 per American Shorthair kitten for sale.  If you are looking for a breeder and show cat, you can expect those prices to start at $1200 and higher.  So, you will want to do some research on the type of American Shorthair cat you are looking for.

Kelloggs Cattery

At Kelloggs Cattery, you can expect to pay around $1000 for pet quality American Shorthair kittens for sale.  They sell show quality American Shorthair kittens starting at $1500.  If you decide to buy two American Shorthair kittens, you can expect to receive a nice discount of $100.

Deposits will run you $100 for your American Shorthair kitten.  You should not expect a guarantee of receiving a cat if you do not give them a deposit. So, you will want to make that deposit.

At Kelloggs Cattery, you can expect to receive the following things with the purchase of your American Shorthair kitten:

Fenton Farm

Fenton Farm will charge you the following costs for American Shorthair kittens (and cats) for sale:

SexQualityPrice
Male KittenPet or Breeder$500-$1000
Female KittenPet or Breeder$500-$1500
Male KittenShow Potential Quality$1000-$3000
Female KittenShow Potential Quality$1500-$3000
Male or Female Young AdultPet or Retired Breeder$400

At Fenton Farm, you can expect to receive the following with your purchase of an American Shorthair cat:

Siamese Cost

I was able to find some websites for Siamese breeders and looked up the Siamese price information.  The Siamese cat cost ranged from $600 to $1500.  It is important that when purchasing a Siamese cat that you do so from an ethical Siamese cat breeder.  If your gut tells you that what you are paying is too low, it is probably a scam.

Responsible breeding of Siamese cats has a monetary cost.  This is because there are costs associated with the following:

  • Breeding cats that have paperwork registering them
  • Premium cat food
  • Supplements
  • Litter
  • Scratching posts
  • Registration costs
  • Website management
  • Time spent with the cats
  • Veterinary visits

Black & Tan Siamese Cattery

Black & Tan Cattery charges a range of $600-$1500 for Siamese cats.  They consider their operating expenses when pricing their Siamese cats, which is probably a good business decision.  You should expect your Siamese kitten to be seen by a veterinarian before taking her home and the health to be guaranteed.  The Siamese cats will receive age-appropriate vaccines, but you should expect to continue this process after you take ownership as the owner. 

Rosebud’s Siamese Cattery

Rosebud’s Siamese Cattery charges $800 per Siamese kitten.  You should expect to pay a non-refundable $300 fee to have them hold a Siamese kitten for you.  If you use PayPal, you should expect the fees to total $310 for deposit and $515 for the rest of the balance. 

Rosebud’s Siamese Cattery used to ship cats, but does not ship any longer.  They do offer a reduced $100 price if you buy more than one Siamese kitten (or if you are a repeat customer). 

American Shorthair Cat Breeders vs Siamese Cat Breeders

I found quite a bit of information on both Siamese cat breeders and American Shorthair breeders when conducting research.  See below!

American Shorthair Breeders

American Shorthair breeders take pride in maintaining important standards when they breed their American Shorthair cats.  This is especially essential because you will want a healthy and ethically raised feline.

Silver Shorthairs

Silver Shorthairs is in Walla Walla, Washington, USA.  Brent and Thyra received their first American Shorthair in 2004 and fell in love with this awesome cat breed. They acquired a male American Shorthair cat and started breeding and raising these beautiful cats. Their original cattery was Talariah Cattery, which was started in an agricultural area inside Washington State wine country.

They were able to merge operations with another cattery, Silver Shorthairs.  This cattery has some great information on their website about what to expect on arrival day for your new American Shorthair cat. 

Cacao Cattery

Cacao Cattery originated in 1971 and appeared to be located in the Dallas / Fort Worth metropolitan area of Texas, USA.

Cacao Cattery not only breeds American Shorthair cats but also breeds American Wirehairs and has a Persian and Himalayan cat breeding program.  This cattery has quite impressive accomplishments, becoming a cattery of distinction through Cat Fanciers Association (CFA).    They have produced over 200 CFA Grand Champions and Grand Premier cats.

This cattery has a desire to improve the feline breeds they work with and want all their cats to go to loving homes.  This cattery will even try to place their retired adults in quality homes as well.

The American Shorthair breeding program at Cacao Cattery started in 2003.  These American Shorthairs were Silver Tabbies.  The American Wirehair cat program was started at Cacao Cattery in 2010.  Due to the smaller gene pool of the American Wirehair cat, Cacao Cattery is able to breed them (outcross them) to pedigreed American Shorthair cats to widen the genetic footprint.

Kelloggs Cattery

Kelloggs Cattery is in Maple Valley, Washington, USA.  The operation is managed by Heinrich and Carly Kellogg and sits on 5.5 acres of ground.

Kelloggs Cattery has a passion for cats since they are such beautiful creatures.  This cattery was a Cat Fanciers Association (CFA) Breed Council Member in 2010.  This is prestigious because it means they were acknowledged as advisors on breed standards to the Executive Board of the CFA.

Fenton Farm

Fenton Farm is in Warrenton, VA, USA.  Fenton Farm has a long history of working with animals since they started as a thoroughbred horse farm with two catteries.

You can tell Fenton Farm adores their American Shorthair cats. They specifically call out the characteristics they love about this cat, such as their hunting instincts, health, and intelligence.

Fenton Farm raises their American Shorthair kittens for sale in bedrooms inside their house so that they get familiarization with the sounds and activities of home life.  Their cattery is climate controlled (A/C and heat) and is disinfected continuously to keep high standards of cleanliness.

Siamese Breeders

Siamese cats are one of the cat breeds that usually comes to anyone’s mind when they think about felines.  It is essential that if you are breeding them, you keep to the necessary standards set forth by organizations like TICA and CFA.

Black & Tan Cattery

Black & Tan Siamese Cattery is registered with CFA.  This means they keep to their standards when breeding pedigreed Siamese kittens.  Additionally, Black & Tan cattery is the owner’s hobby, and they run this operation because they enjoy it, not because they wanted a business.

Black & Tan Cattery ensures their Siamese kittens are healthy, have a good temperament, and are socialized.  They have a mission to improve the breed for posterity, which is very noble. They feed their Siamese cats premium cat foods from Royal Canin. 

This is what their breeding cats eat, and then when the kittens get old enough, they feed them Royal Canin options.

Rosebud’s Siamese Cattery

Rosebud’s Siamese Cattery is a small in-home cattery dedicated to breeding traditional Apple Head and Classic Siamese cats.  These Siamese kittens are well-socialized as they state that they are all raised with a personal touch.

Rosebud’s Siamese Cattery ensures their felines have plenty of enrichment through premium cat food, cat condos, cat toys, etc.  They feed their Siamese felines Kitten and Adult Purina Pro Plan. 

Rosebud’s Siamese cats are purebred from registered lines that are CFA, Cat Fanciers Federation (CFF), and American Cat Association (ACA) registered.

American Shorthair Adoption vs Siamese Cat Adoption

American Shorthair Cat Adoption

Adopting an American Shorthair kitten or an American Shorthair cat is a great way to give an American Shorthair cat a loving home.  It looks like the two best websites to review if you are looking to adopt an American Shorthair cat are Specialty Purebred Cat Rescue (SPCR) and Rescue Me!

Specialty Purebred Cat Rescue

This group has been working to find exceptional homes for abandoned or surrendered purebred cats for 21 years!  That is an incredibly long time to be doing this.  Specialty Purebred Cat Rescue (SPCR) allows you to search for available purebred cats on their website. 

SPCR states that the approximate adoption fee for a purebred mix cat (if you don’t mind if your cat is mixed) is $75-$175.  The adoption cost for purebred cats is $100-$400.  The adoption cost for rare breed purebred cats is $250-$600.

These adoption fees include:

  • Spay or Neuter
  • Feline Leukemia/FIV Testing
  • Distemper Vaccination
  • Microchipping
  • Deworming
  • A Flea Free Feline
  • Grooming
  • Temperament Testing
  • Dental Cleanings
  • Blood Panels for Older Cats (If Necessary)

Rescue Me!

Rescue Me is an animal rescue network that looks for loving homes for many feline breeds, including American Shorthairs.  One of the nice things about the American Shorthair Rescue through Rescue Me is that they show you a map of the United States of America and the available American Shorthair cats in each state (which makes it easy to visualize where the cats are).  

There appear to be a lot of American Shorthair feline friends currently available.

Siamese Cat Adoption

Siamese Rescue

Siamese Rescue is working to help homeless cats nationwide. The website brings together a collaboration of individually operated rescue organizations that are non-profits.  They go on to state that each of the organizations represented has what you would expect from a non-profit:

  • Separate 501(c)(3)
  • Its own Board of Directors
  • Policies and Procedures

The four organizations that I saw mentioned were the following:

  • Siamese Cat Rescue Center
  • Rocky Mountain Siamese Rescue
  • Pacific Siamese Rescue
  • Southern California Siamese Rescue

The Siamese Rescue website states that they had rescued 25,807 Siamese cats when this article was written.  That is a huge number of cats!

Besides providing ways for you to adopt a Siamese cat and donate to their non-profit, Siamese Rescue also provides some informative articles on cat education.

American Shorthair Sounds vs Siamese Cat Sounds

American Shorthair Sounds

Video: American Shorthair Meow

American Shorthair cats are well-known to be less vocal than other felines.  This doesn’t mean they don’t make meow sounds, but you will probably hear them meow less than other felines.

Siamese Cat Sounds

You are going to hear the famous sounds from a Siamese cat.  Siamese cats are known to be especially vocal!  To prove this, see the below video of a Siamese meow.  

Video: Siamese Cat Meow

American Shorthair Origin vs Siamese Origin

American Shorthair Origin

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bedmWQEniOw
Video: American Shorthair Facts and History

The American Shorthair cat is believed to have first originated in Europe and migrated to America along with European settlers to the new world.  The first American Shorthair cats were probably valued as mousers, meaning they likely were excellent hunters focusing on rodents.

The Cat Fanciers Association (CFA) recognized a feline that was meant to represent the North American working cat breeds in 1906.  This cat was originally named the Domestic Shorthair but is known as the American Shorthair now.  The cat breed was renamed American Shorthair in 1966.

Since then, catteries and breeders have looked to breed excellent American Shorthair cats by selectively breeding to control today’s American Shorthair cat’s traits.

Siamese Origin

Siamese cats are known to have been originally exported from Siam (Thailand) in the 1800s.  These felines are known to be an ancient breed of cat that is recognized anywhere now.  Siamese cats have been temple cats in Siam that were given to an American President in 1878.  

A breeding pair of Siamese cats are thought to have traveled to the United Kingdom in 1884.  After this, the Siamese cat breed started showing up in more places worldwide, especially Europe and Asia.  The Cat Fanciers Association officially recognized the Siamese cat breed in 1906.

Conclusion

Video: Siamese Cat Facts

When considering American Shorthair vs Siamese cats, you should consider a wide range of criteria, such as appearance, personality, cost, health issues, and more.  Personally, I think the Siamese cat edges out the American Shorthair in this comparison of spectacular felines!

You will need to decide which cat breed is better for yourself, but whichever one you choose, just make sure that you give them a ton of love and focus on enriching their lives as best you can.  Both of these cat breeds have much to offer people.

Here are some of my favorite cat products

In addition to checking out some other More Meows articles, I hope you’ll check out some of my favorite cat products as well.  These are affiliate links, so if you end up using them, I’ll get a commission at no extra cost to you.  These are the products I really do find most helpful.

Litter Box:  I started out with normal, traditional litter boxes for my cat.  Then, I tried this automatic litter box on Amazon (affiliate link), which helped reduce the litter upkeep.  Finally, I am now a believer in the Litter-Robot 3 Connect on Amazon (affiliate link).  This robotic litter box is not for everyone based on the price tag, but for me the benefits (very little upkeep, works efficiently, clean, mobile app) far outweighed the cost. 

My Cat’s Litter-Robot 3 Connect (with night light on) – See the link above the photo!

Cat Tree:  I have purchased a couple of this Amazon Basics Cat Tree on Amazon (affiliate link).  My cat spends a lot of time on and around this cat tree, which I position near my sofa.  She uses the scratching posts on this cat tree multiple times a day, which means she is not scratching the sofa instead.

Cat Water Fountain:  I love this cat water fountain on Amazon (affiliate link).  There are three main benefits to having a water fountain like this for your cat.  The first benefit is that it keeps water running so that your cat doesn’t need to drink still water.  The second benefit is that it filters the water.  The third benefit is that it will keep your cat hydrated!

Christopher Carlson

I have an Domestic Shorthair Tabby named Charlotte. She is full of energy when she isn't sleeping most of the day. I share what I learn about cats on this site.

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