What kind of animal is Master Shifu in Kung Fu Panda?
Master Shifu is a Siamese Cat.
Master Shifu, also known as The Great Grand Master of the Jade Palace, is an aged Siamese cat who instructs Po on how to defend himself in a series of training sessions called “beginning Kung fu”. In this way he prepares Po for his inevitable confrontation with Tai Lung which will take place at the opening ceremony for the new Valley of Peace. After Tai Lung escaped from prison and invaded the palace Master Shifu engaged him in combat but was captured by Tai Lung’s tail-hold grip and then slammed into a stone column. He recovered, however, with the help of Tigress who fetched some water from one of three springs that are part of the lore of the Jade Palace.
Siamese Cats are a breed of cat with a distinctive fur pattern and point coloration, which is typically found in the brown tabby and white coloration called “point”. Siamese can have blue eyes or one blue eye and one amber, green or golden eye due to a spontaneous mutation in the TYRP1 gene. It has historical roots in Thailand, but the modern Siamese is a western creation due to British selective breeding, and it carries traits of an ancient breed of cat from Southeast Asia.
