Siamese and Himalayan owners — what is the temperament really like?

Siamese owners always warn about the noise, and nobody believes them until they own one.

How vocal is yours, honestly? Does it cope with being alone during working hours? And for Himalayans — is the grooming the same as a Persian, or worse?

Himalayan grooming is Persian grooming. It is a Persian coat with Siamese colouring — do not let anyone tell you it is easier, it is identical work.

Siamese. The noise is not exaggerated and it is not really "meowing" — it is a loud, flat, insistent noise that sounds like a complaint, and she does it at you, about specific things, until you deal with them.

On being alone during working hours: mine does not cope. She is the most people-dependent cat I have ever had. If you are out ten hours a day, get two, or get a different breed. That is not me being dramatic, it is the single most common reason Siamese get rehomed.