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Welcome, Crazy Cat People!
Siamese cats are one of the most popular cat breeds in the world. They have the most individual and loving personalities but can they be possessive?
Over my time studying this breed I have learned so much about how they work and their traits and have used this knowledge to answer your questions surrounding possessiveness and jealousy and what you can do about it.
In general, Siamese cats can be possessive with their owners. This breed of cat loves attention and they tend to pick a favourite person. They can be more territorial than other breeds and need a lot of attention, so they are a perfect pet for someone who can devote a lot of time to their care.
Later in this post, we delve a little deeper into what can cause this type of behaviour in cats and what you can do to rectify this as well as answering some related questions around the subject, so keep reading to find out more!
Are Siamese cats possessive – learn more!
Some breeds of cats tend to be a bit more aloof and independent but the Siamese is a breed that will love with all their hearts and get very attached to their owners.
They thrive on companionship and closeness with their humans and have a tendency to pick a favourite in the household and when they have picked you they will follow you around the home wherever you go. This doesn’t mean to say they are total lap cats but they like to be in your company frequently throughout the day.
This type of behaviour can be seen as possessiveness but in truth, they are just a lot more territorial than most breeds.
They are a very loving, devoted breed of cat and they need reminding constantly that they are loved and cared for so this is something to keep in mind if you are thinking of adopting your first Siamese cat.
Do you have the time and dedication to look after a cat that will potentially choose you as their favourite and need lots of play and care all day?
They do also get along well with other pets as long as they are given an equal amount of attention. While we’re on the subject of companionship and the siamese take a read of this blog post I wrote which goes into detail about just how much they need companionship.
Getting another cat or dog can often reduce the amount of attention they need from you and it will also keep them happy and occupied while you are away from home.
Are Siamese cats Jealous cats?
As a general rule, the Siamese cat can be more jealous than other breeds, especially if they are not given the attention they crave. They make a great pet for someone who doesn’t mind their demanding nature. Levels of jealousy can vary on many factors such as upbringing and socialization.
Although the Siamese cat is generally a really friendly breed the love they have for their owners and their territorial nature can cause them to experience feelings of jealousy. If you do your research on cats you will find out that some people don’t believe cats experience jealousy and that humans just perceive this behaviour to be jealousy.
I disagree and have seen my cats experience the same emotions that humans have such as joy, sadness etc.. so why would they not also experience jealousy from time to time if they can experience all the other emotions that we also feel?
There was a study that asked 907 pet owners to say whether their pets experienced these emotions and most dog, horse and cat owners said their pets experienced jealousy. In dogs, it was 81% and cats being more territorial than dogs surely tells us that they are more likely to experience these feelings.
One of my cats who happens to be half Siamese had a problem with my partner at first and sometimes now she still gets jealous. She may have not bothered with me for hours but when my partner comes into the home and sits next to me on the sofa, she is there straight away and she often tries to sit right in between us because she just wants all the attention.
I always give in to her though because she gives me the cutest and sweetest look ever 🙂
Take a look at the youtube video below. Sometimes your cat may even get Jealous of you doing your work!
Are Siamese cats protective of their owners?
Siamese cats are extremely devoted towards their owners and thus have one of the strongest protective instincts among cat breeds. If you find yourself in a threatening situation, they certainly are not afraid to show their love towards their owner and prioritize your protection when it is needed.
As we already know the Siamese cat is very devoted to their owners and they will guard what they see as their territory and they often see you as part of that territory. If needed they will fight to protect you and your surroundings. Anything out of routine or strange could cause your cat to act defensively.
They are very loving cats and have so much affection to give but it’s not unusual to see them change into protective mode as and when they need to, so don’t be alarmed, they are just fulfilling one of their roles as your guardian.
Historically the Siamese as always been a protector, dating back to the 15th century. They originate from Thailand (formerly Siam) where they were the king’s cats and they also played a role in protecting Buddhist temples.
The Siam people adored the cats so much that they were often buried with royal family members to protect them in the afterlife.
I searched some popular forums to get some examples about how Siamese cats may use their protective instincts and here is what one person said.
When she told me the cat “guarded” her I wasn’t so sure until I witnessed it myself. She stayed with us recently so I saw how the cat positioned herself on the edge of her bed, always facing the door. She would be vigilant in monitoring her space to protect her. She would also do this if we were sitting in a room. She would position herself towards the entry point (back to us) to ensure that she could vet whatever imaginary intruder might “harm” her owner.
Even though your cat will be protective if needed they are not a mean breed by nature, if your cat is being mean towards other pets or people then there is often a reason for this. To find out more about what to do if your Siamese is acting violent or mean, I wrote a whole blog post on the subject so click here to find out more.
How do I get my cat to stop being Jealous?
There are several reasons why your cat may start showing Jealousy towards you or becoming overly possessive towards you.
Some of those reasons are –
- Big changes in their environment
- Not enough personal space per cat and not enough items they can call their own
- Changes in daily routine such as feeding schedule or the arrival of a baby
- When you spend more time with a person or even an object than you normally do – As an example you cat may experience jealousy when you are reading a book or watching TV and not giving them the attention they require. This type of behaviour should be ignored as giving them attention will teach them they can do this all the time and get away with it
One of the biggest things you can do to help your cat and to solve any clinginess, jealousy and other behaviour problems is to rule out any health problems by taking your cat to the vet for a check-up.
This is true of all sudden changes in behaviour, once you have ruled out any health issues it’s time to then make sure your environment is fully enriched for your cat!
In their territory, especially in multi-cat households, it’s very important for your cat to feel like they own parts of their territory and if they feel like they are fighting for space with others they may become jealous and angry towards other pets as well as other members of the household.
So how do I enrich my environment for my cats?
You can enrich your environment and make it a fun, exciting place for your cats in so many ways. Cats need to feel entertained and they need to live out their instincts of stalking and catching prey, so having enough toys is crucial. Just make sure to rotate their toys frequently so they don’t get bored.
Some great toys you can find easily on amazon are –
Automatic laser toys will keep your cat entertained for HOURS! 🙂
Please tell me you have seen the ”Flippy Floppy Fish” – if not check them out here! 🙂
Who would have thought that cats LOVE plastic springs! Cheap and cheerful too! 🙂
As well as providing toys for your cat it’s also super important to have lots of vertical space in your home, cats love to have places to hide and observe their territory.
Creating vertical space can be easy and it doesn’t have to cost you an arm and a leg to do this. One of the things that I did was to clear everything off the top of my kitchen cupboards so my cats were able to jump onto them and move around, this gave one of my cat’s access to the top of the boiler and she loves it up there especially in the cold winter.
I also moved a bookcase next to my wardrobe so my cats were able to easily gain access, they often like to get on top of the wardrobe and then jump down onto the bed, which is quite entertaining to watch at times.
I would recommend wall mounted shelves so your cat can get into high places, you can even get cat beds that sit on your wall with steps leading up to them!
Its important for cats to also keep to a routine and a fixed schedule is ideal for them.
Schedule changes can cause jealousy amongst other cats so this step is super important.
If your cat still displays jealousy or has behaviour problems after ruling out health issues, enriching their environment and making sure their routine is on point then it’s time to seek the help of a behavioural specialist who should be able to help you get to the root cause of the problem.
If you cant help the change of routine such as when you are introducing a baby into the home and your cat gets jealous then take a look at this blog post I wrote that gives you step by step instructions on how to introduce your cat slowly to the new family addition.
Key takeaways – Are Siamese cats possessive?
- Siamese cats are very devoted to their owners and tend to pick their favourite
- They are more territorial than other breeds
- They will follow you around the home and want to be by your side frequently
- Enrich your environment for your cats to reduce behavioural problems
- Introduce changes in their environment slowly
Are you interested in training your Siamese cat to do some super cool tricks? Check out my ”ultimate guide to training your cat”!
As always take care of yourself and your fur babies! 🙂
Mark (The Crazy Cat Man)
