Korat Cat

Korat Cat - Photo:
copyright Innath
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the photos and text on this page are protected by copyright © except
where indicated. Violations of copyright are reported to Google.com
(DMCA).
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Note: Nearly all the
cat breed photographs on this website are by Helmi Flick a professional
photographer of distinction. She mainly photographs show cats with a full pedigree. 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 (formerly Siam the country of origin of the Siamese cat) with a "silvery sheen"1 originating in the court of King Rama V1. It was known as "Si-Sawat, a symbol of good fortune.
A similar cat,
in terms of its naturalness and colour
comes immediately to mind, the Chartreux. The Chartreux is
a native of France while the Korat, as mentioned, originally comes
from Thailand (see map below) where the cat is associated with
good luck.
Apparently, a pair of
Korats are, on occasions,
given to newly
weds as a way of wishing good luck (and on other special occasions, I
presume). They were also said to have been used to guard homes and
villages in Siam1.
View Larger Map
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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; the coat being the color of grey
rain clouds.
This cat is relatively rare in its native country. My research did
not revel reference to this breed of cat on websites about Thailand.
The Korat is spoken about in a reverential way by the Thai people in
respect of its 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 |
Korat cat 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) |
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Korat cat photo: © Nick Hodges -
creative
commons
Appearance and Character
The coat is special in its make up and appearance. This cat has
only one color, blue (solid division, traditional category) - the color you see in these photographs (any slight
differences is due to color reproduction). Other cats with a
similar
single color are the Chartreux,
Russian
Blue and Nebelung.
These are the Grey
Cat Breeds . There are no tabby markings.
The coat is a single coat (no undercoat), which means easier
maintenance and medium in length. Also the fur
doesn't come off quite so easily, making this cat 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 are 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.
The face is said to be "heart-shaped"1. This comes from TICA's breed standard, "Face is heart- shaped with smooth curved lines.."
The eyes the colour of "peridot gem-stones"1
- what are they!? Answer: see picture adjacent right. TICA's breed
standard says this about the eyes, "Luminous green color preferred,
amber cast acceptable.."
The body is semi-cobby, cat fancy language for about average or between slender and stocky in conformation - see cat body types. The body is compact and muscular.
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. They are said to be intelligent.
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Photo: © catalin2
Breeders
See a full Korat cat world
list of breeders on this page.
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 (2009) listed in the first 3 pages on the above
criteria at the time of building this page. This site malfunctions in
its operation and it is not clear
where the cattery is
or whether it is still operating - please advise.
Sources:
- 1. Legacy of the Cat by Gloria Stephens & Testsu - page 92 - see below
- Moggies
- Wikipedia
- CFA
- Me
- Cats of Thailand
From
Korat Cat to Home Page
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