Published Sep 5, 2025
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Siamese cats are one of the oldest and most recognized cat breeds in the world, famous for its sleek body, contrasting color pattern of light body with dark points of color, and friendly, talkative nature.
If you have a Siamese cat, you might wonder what type it is. The good news is, it’s quite simple to identify the different types of Siamese cat—it all comes down to color.
History of the Siamese Cat Types
In the United States, Siamese cats are recognized by two breed registries: the Cat Fanciers’ Association (CFA) and The International Cat Association (TICA). Each registry uses its own breed standard, which is the written description of how the ideal cat of a given breed should look and act. The breed standard is like a blueprint for a breed, allowing cat breeders to produce kittens in a standardized way, thus preserving the breed for future generations.
The two Siamese breed standards followed by the CFA and TICA are very similar, with a notable difference—Siamese registered with the CFA only appear in four colors, known as “traditional” Siamese colors. The traditional colors are those that were recognized in the breed’s early history in the United States. Seal point was the only Siamese color when the breed was first recognized by the CFA in 1906. Three more traditional colors were later added to the breed standard: blue point (1934), chocolate point (1952), and lilac point (1955).
TICA is a newer cat breed registry, founded in 1979. At that time, the was one of the foundation breeds and they were originally only shown in the four traditional colors. However, over the next few decades, TICA added more accepted colors to the Siamese breed standard, including lynx point (tabby point), parti-color point (tortie point), red point, cream point, cinnamon point, fawn point, silver tabby, and smoke point.
Siamese Cat Colors—How to Tell Them Apart
All Siamese have a lighter-colored body with good contrast between the body color and the darker points of color on the legs, tail, and head. Another thing all Siamese have in common: deep, vivid blue eyes.
If you’re wondering what type of Siamese you have, take a close look at their color points as well as the color of their body. Siamese come in multiple shades of brown, red, gray, so it might be challenging to differentiate between the various colors, but paying attention to the subtleties of the color can help reveal your Siamese cat’s color type.
Solid Colors
Within the solid color category, we have the four traditional Siamese colors (seal, chocolate, blue, and lilac), plus four more solid colors recognized in the TICA breed standard (red, cream, cinnamon, and fawn). Here’s how to tell them apart:
1. Seal Point
The Seal Point Siamese has a warm-toned pale fawn to cream body color, contrasted by deep seal brown points—the darkest of all Siamese types. Its nose leather and paw pads are also a rich, dark brown. vivver / Shutterstock.com
The body color of a seal point Siamese an even, warm-toned pale fawn to cream. The points are a deep seal brown—this is the darkest brown Siamese type. The nose leather and paw pads are also dark brown.
2. Chocolate Point
The Chocolate Point Siamese features an ivory-colored body with soft milk-chocolate points, lighter than those of the Seal Point. Krissi Lundgren / Shutterstock.com
Chocolate point Siamese have an ivory-colored body and milk-chocolate points that are lighter in appearance than those of the seal point Siamese. The nose and paw pads are a cinnamon-pink color.
3. Blue Point
The Blue Point Siamese has a cold, bluish-white body complemented by deep blue-gray points. Jagodka / Shutterstock.com
Blue point and lilac point are both shades of gray, but blue point Siamese are a cool-toned gray and lilac point Siamese are a warm-toned gray. A blue point Siamese’s body is a cold, bluish white with deep blue points and a slate-colored nose and paw pads.
4. Lilac Point
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The body color of a lilac point Siamese is glacial white, and the points are frosty gray with pinkish undertones. The nose and paw pads are lavender-pink in color.
5. Red Point
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Also called flame point, the red point Siamese has a warm, creamy white body color with deep orange, “hot” red points, with deep color preferred.
6. Cream Point
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A cream point Siamese has a creamy white body with pale sand to deep cream points.
7. Cinnamon Point
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The cinnamon point Siamese has an ivory-colored body with points in light, warm, reddish brown—reminiscent of the color of a cinnamon stick.
8. Fawn Point
TICA describes the fawn point Siamese body color as “magnolia white” and the points as a warm pinkish beige or taupe.
Patterned Colors
Aside from solid colors, Siamese are found in lynx point (tabby point), parti-color point (tortie point), silver tabby, and smoke point. Here’s how to tell them apart:
9. Lynx Point (Tabby Point)
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This pattern can occur with any of the Siamese colors. Lynx point Siamese have striped tabby markings on their color points. Although the body color is generally solid, ghost striping may appear (very light tabby markings).
10. Parti-Color Point (Tortie Point)
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These Siamese have tortoiseshell patches (red or cream) mixed into the base color of the cat’s points.
11. Silver Tabby Point
Like the lynx point (tabby point) pattern, silver tabby point Siamese have tabby markings within their color points, but the presence of the silver gene leads to cool-toned pigment on the body and points. Silver tabby point Siamese usually have more contrast between the stripes and the base color, so their markings stand out more.
12. Smoke Point
“Smoke” is a unique color pattern where the base of each hair shaft is white or silver, but the ends of the hair shaft are colored. This makes the hair look solid colored, but with a smokey or misty effect. In Siamese, the smoke color pattern occurs within the points, which can be any color found in Siamese (seal smoke, chocolate smoke, blue smoke, etc.).
What Type of Siamese Do You Have?
Now that you know the different colors that appear in Siamese, what type do you have? Whether your Siamese is one of the traditional pointed colors or one of the other colors or patterns found in the breed, living with a beautiful Siamese cat is a joy and a privilege.
You might be wondering if the different types of Siamese have different personalities. The short answer is no—Siamese of all colors exhibit the exceptional and unique personality traits people love about Siamese cats. All Siamese are intelligent, curious, playful, friendly, affectionate, and very chatty, especially with their favorite people.
Siamese are known as “Velcro cats” for their tendency to stick as closely to you as possible. Once you get to know this breed, you’re likely to be just as enamored with your Siamese as they are with you!
