▁ ▁which ▁means ▁' d iam ond ▁gold '. ▁The ▁, ▁along ▁with ▁other ▁c ats , ▁was ▁named , ▁described ▁and ▁illustrated ▁centuries ▁ago ▁in ▁the ▁" T am ra ▁Ma ew " ▁book ▁of ▁cat ▁po ems . ▁ ▁Over ▁the ▁years , ▁the ▁ ▁has ▁stayed ▁true ▁to ▁its ▁original ▁bre eding , ▁which ▁is ▁still ▁seen ▁today ▁in ▁Th ailand ▁where ▁it ▁remains ▁a ▁popular ▁cat . ▁ ▁Starting ▁in ▁the ▁late ▁ 1 8 0 0 s , ▁the ▁ ▁was ▁first ▁imported ▁to ▁the ▁West ▁by ▁British ▁cat ▁bre ed ers , ▁and ▁the ▁c ats ▁became ▁known ▁as ▁" S iam ese ," ▁after ▁the ▁name ▁of ▁the ▁r uling ▁dynast y ▁at ▁the ▁time ▁in ▁S iam ▁( today ▁Th ailand ). ▁Cat ▁f anci ers ▁were ▁im pressed ▁with ▁the ▁grace ful , ▁" m arten - fac ed " ▁c ats ▁so ▁very ▁different ▁from ▁the ▁c ob by , ▁round er ▁native ▁bre eds ▁and ▁long h airs . ▁Western ▁bre ed ers ▁wanted ▁to ▁emphas ize ▁and ▁augment ▁the ▁qual ities ▁that ▁made ▁the ▁c ats ▁so ▁different ▁and ▁through ▁select ive ▁bre eding , ▁they ▁developed ▁an ▁increasing ly ▁el ong ated , ▁angular , ▁fin er - bon ed ▁type ▁of ▁S iam ese . ▁This ▁" mod ern " ▁or ▁" show - style " ▁type ▁of ▁S iam ese ▁domin ated ▁in ▁the ▁show ▁h alls ▁by ▁the ▁latter ▁half ▁of ▁the ▁ 2 0 th ▁century