Portraits of Popular Breeds at Home and Abroad – Korat

This old, naturally occurring breed is named after the Thai province of Cao Nguyen Khorat where it originally comes from. In the country of its origin, it is called “si-sawat” which translates as “brings luck”. It was even forbidden to sell them there until recently, you could have only got them as a gift. They were also traditional gifts for newly-weds for a happy marriage. We can find some mentions about a cat with grey silver-tipped hair even from the time of Siam. At the end of the 19th century, the first Korats got abroad, to the United States, and shortly after that also to Europe. Nowadays, we can find them all over the world, but they are very rare.

These cats have a special nature. They are cuddly and like being close to people. To be happy, they also need a lot of attention. They are playful, lively and very intelligent, you can teach them various tricks easily. They usually get on well with other cats as well as dogs, even though they can be jealous sometimes if they feel the other pets are getting too much attention. Their hearing is very well-developed and they are particularly sensitive to loud and sharp noises. Therefore, they aren’t perfect for families with little children. They are very talkative on their own and use a lot of diverse noises for that. 

Their bodies are of a moderate oriental type. They have heart-shaped heads with big ears and eyes. They look very noble thanks to their lean and elongated body which emphasizes their glowing hair. The hair is short and looks and feels like satin. It is blue or chocolate, lighter at the roots. Each tip is silvery which creates a very special and attractive effect. 

It is prohibited to crossbreed Korats with other breeds because of the efforts to keep the breed as pure as possible. This is also the reason why they are so rare. Their ancestors always have to be traceable back to Thailand.