Korat Cat
Note: Nearly all the
cat breed photographs on this website are by Helmi Flick a professional
photographer of distinction. She mainly photographs show cats. I am not
sure of the pedigree or history of the cats on this page because I
don't know the photographers. That does not mean that they are not
purebred or pedigree Korat Cats or indeed fine cats.
Introduction
The Korat is an ancient and natural cat from Thailand. A similar cat comes immediately to mind, the Chartreux. The Chartreux is
a native of France while the Korat originally comes from Korat in Thailand (new window for map of Korat,Thailand), where she is associated with good luck. Apparently, a pair of
Korats are, on occasions, (and other special occasions, I presume) given to newly
weds as a way of wishing good luck.
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Photo of Miska. Kept by Thea Robinson in
Scappose, Oregon. Korat Female Silver-tipped Blue. Reproduced with the
permission of the copyright holder
"Korat" cat be translated as "Good Fortune". It is said that this cat
is sprinkled with water to bring rain. Her coat being the color of grey
rain clouds.
This cat is relatively rare in her native country as research by me did
not revel reference to this breed of cat on websites about Thailand
generally.
The Korat is spoken about in a reverential way by the Thai people in
respect of her fine appearance. The coat is very fine and discussed
below.
It would seem, and I am speculating, that this cat was kept by the more
wealthy people of Thailand.
The cats of Thailand are more likely, these days to be moggies, Siamese
(Vichien Mat) or Oriental
Shorthair for example.
History
| Date |
Event |
| 1350-1767 |
Mentioned in an ancient Thai book, "The
Cat-Book Poems" |
| 1959 |
First imported into USA by Jean Johnson |
| 1972 |
First imported into UK |
| 1966 |
Accepted by CFA into full status category
(Championship Category) |
|
Photo: © Nick Hodges - creative
commons
Appearance and Character
The coat is special in its make up and appearance. The Korat cat has
only one color, the color you see in these photographs (any slight
differences is due to color reproduction). Other cats with a similar
single color is the Chartreux
and Russian
Blue.
The coat is a single coat, which means easier maintenance. Also the fur
doesn't come off quite so easily, making her less of a problem
potentially for people who suffer from cat allergies. However this
would seem to be anecdotal information.
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Veda Napha Naramit a male Korat
Cat of 2 years of age copyright M. La Roche reproduced under creative
commons
The roots of the hair is dark blue changing to a darker color in the
middle and finally silver at the top. The coat could be defined as,
"silver tipped blue". The Thais, however, describe the color with
reference to nature, a reflection perhaps of the good luck they seek in
bringing on rain by sprinkling the cat with water.
They describe the color as, "rain cloud gray". The silver aura or the
"polished silver dollar" effect (used by the CFA author) is described as, "sea foam".
There is an interesting difference in the reference to nature in
Thailand and the reference to money in the USA.
The "halo" effect may be due to the absorption of light by the dark
middle area of the hair follicles and the silver tipping.
The silver tipping is more concentrated on the muzzle (the front of the
cat's face) and the toes.
As to character, they have, like other cat breeds, (but perhaps more
so) superb hearing and a very sensitive nose. As a consequence they
like it
quiet . Plus they have all the usual beautiful and natural characteristics of all domestic cats
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Photo: © catalin2
Breeders
As usual, the listings are from the top non-directory cattery sites on a
Google search. If you'd like a listing please contact me.
Gentlegift
Korats
This is the only website listed in the first 3 pages on the above
criteria. This site malfunctions in irs operation and it is not clear where the cattery is
or whether it is still operating - please advise.
Sources:
- Moggies
- Wikipedia
- CFA
- Me
- Cats of Thailand
From
Korat Cat to Home Page
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