The Siamese cat gets its title from the old name for Thailand.
Thailand used to be known as Siam until 1939, and briefly again
from 1945 until 1949. Natives of Thailand used to be called
"Siamese", and this breed of cat, believed to be descended from the
sacred temple cats of that country, were introduced to Britain and
America as "Siamese cats" in the 19th century.
The Siamese cat was one of the first breeds of cat recognised by
cat clubs as being of distinctly Oriental origin.
Its country of origin, Thailand, has several native breeds of
cat, so the Thais themselves do not call the Siamese cat by that
name (all their native cats are technically "Siamese" cats!).
Instead, the breed that we know as the Siamese is known in Thailand
as the Wichien-maat, meaning "moon diamond".
The word "Siam" itself is said to be derived from a Sanskrit
word, "Syama", which means "brown", or "dark".
