The origin of all Korat Cats with their typical silver-blue colored fur (or, as they are locally called, Meaw Si Sawat) is in Ampur Phimai of Nakhon Ratchasima (Khorat) province in Thailand.
Treasured by the Thai people and once owned only by royalty and members of the government, the breed spread across the globe very slowly. Korat Cats did not arrive in Europe and North America until the late 1960's.
Rare and highly prized, every modern Korat is believed to trace its ancestry to the original cats. They are very sweet natured and make wonderful pets for children.
Korat Cat specifics
The Korat Cat has a unique colour matched by no other breed. It is defined as silver-tipped blue, and it gives off an aura, or shimmering effect. The Thais describe this color as "rain-cloud gray", and the silvering effect as "sea foam". The color appears to absorb light, giving a "halo" effect. It is a single coat, short, and close-lying. The roots are light silver blue with the colour increasing in shade up the shaft to a deeper blue until it reaches the tips, which are silver. The silver tipping is more prevalent on the muzzle and toes. The original Korat Cat is also only one color - silver-tipped blue; there is no other color accepted. Abundant tips are preferred.
The eyes of the Korat Cat are large, wide-open, luminous, alert and always observant. The colour is peridot green in the mature cat (two to four years of age), but kittens have an amber to golden-green eye colour which gradually changes as they mature.
Korat Cats are extremely expressive. You can look at a Korat Cat and almost know what they are thinking; they are extremely observant, will watch everything you do and then try to duplicate it. Korat Cats are also extremely loyal to their owners, giving them their total love and respect.
Korat Cat in hostory and folklore
The earliest known record of the Korat Cat appears in The Cat Book of Poems or Samud Khoi of Cats, produced in 1350-1767. This book presents the seventeen "good luck" cats of Thailand, including the Korat Cat, and is presently located at Bangkok's National Library. The Korat Cat itself was named by King Rama V when he was asked where that cat had come from.
There is much tradition and folklore behind the Korat Cat. According to one of these folk tales, Korats with kinks in their tails are said to increase your luck.
A contemporary description of the Korat Cat reads as follows:
"The cat has a body colour like Dok Lao [a local herb like lemongrass]. The hairs are smooth, with roots like clouds and tips like silver. The eyes shine like dewdrops on the lotus leaf."
Korat Cat Conservation Club
The "Korat Cat Conservation Club" is located in Phimai, where the real Korat Cats have their historical origin.
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