Siamese cats come in a four standard colors in the United States. These are
- seal point
- chocolate point
- blue point
- lilac point.
The first of the point colors was the seal point. The chocolate point is a variation. The CFA defines the differences as the seal point cat having darker brown points and a “fawn” body color. The chocolate point has chocolate brown points and a creamy white body color.
The blue point and lilac point Siamese cats are dilute variations of the seal and chocolate point cats. The blue point was officially recognized by the CFA in 1934 and the chocolate point was recognized after that. Finally in 1955 the lilac point was recognized.
Other coloring points are recognized in Great Britain but in the United States, these are called Oriental Colorpoint Shorthairs. These include the tortipoint and the flame point.
Siamese cats are typically born white. Siamese cats are partly albino. There is a mutation in one of the genes involved in melatonin production. This gene is heat sensitive. It doesn’t work at body temperature but it does work on cooler parts of the body. As Siamese cats age, the points start darkening. Points are usually the face, ears, paws and tail–all parts that tend to get cold easier.