Siamese Cats

This is the radically revised and expanded version of the successful 1998 book The Legend of Siamese Cats. While retaining the former volume's core attraction of translations of the famous Thai Cat Book Poems from medieval times, this new book delves more deeply into the real Thai cats as they have progressed from then until the present day. Each major Thai breed--Siamese, Korat, Burmese and more--is covered extensively, including detailed genetic studies, their present status in Thailand and their history in the West. Special chapters have also been added on the cats? relations with Thai royalty and the Buddhist priesthood, and various myths about these venerable institutions are confirmed or disproved. A new chapter on the wide application of Thai cat bloodlines to develop western breeds well illustrates how Thailand is indeed a cat superpower. Finally, a new appendix reproduces the 1924 "Siamese Cat Register".