Korat

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General Info: "The eyes of the Korat are like those of no other cat; expressive and oversized for the face with a depth and
intense gaze that takes your breath away…as sparkling as the ‘dewdrops on a lotus leaf.’ ” Like all newborn kittens at first the eyes are blue, changing to amber with a green tinge around the pupil during adolescence. Then, when the cat reaches approximately two to four years of age, the eyes are luminous green.

Korats have extraordinary powers of hearing, sight and scent. They are gentle pets, moving softly and cautiously, disliking sudden, loud or harsh noises. Those destined to be shown must be trained from birth to accept noise and handling, possibly by keeping a radio on in the nursery, and by lifting and posing the kitten as judges do. Korats form an exceptionally strong bond of affection with their owners and respond warmly to cuddling, setting as close as possible. They mix well with other cats but tend to want to have the upper hand and will not let the others keep them from their rightful place at their owner’s side. They have been cherished for centuries in their native Thailand and they naturally expect this tradition to be maintained wherever they go. Korats are active in their play, but are very gentle with children.

Their hair does not float off when they are being stroked and petted, so many people with an allergy to cat hair find their proximity tolerable. The roots of the hair are a light bluish color, darkening before the ends become silver-tipped. This silvering over the whole body should make a halo, or aura, effect and the close lying fur shines like a polished silver dollar.

Korats are extremely loyal to their owners, giving their total love and respect. Korats are either going 100 mph around the house or are in "velcro-kitty" mode! They want to be with you, near you, and helping you all the time. If I'm doing things around the house, I always have several following and "helping" me out! They aren't "in your face," but like to be involved in your activities. There isn't a night that goes by that my husband doesn't have at least four Korats on top of him. It also doesn't matter that there's no room left on
him to lay down - they'll position themselves on top of each other, never leaving their initial positions! When we have company, they're always there to investigate. Purses, coats, and anything left out all become the property of the Korat - including your friends!

GENERAL: The Korat (Koh-raht) is a rare cat even in Thailand, its country of origin, and because of its unusually fine disposition, is greatly loved by the Thai people who regard it as a "good luck" cat. Its general appearance is of a silver blue cat with a heavy silver sheen, medium sized, hard-bodied, and muscular. All smooth curves with huge eyes, luminous, alert, and expressive. Perfect physical condition, alert appearance.

HEAD: When viewed from the front, or looking down from just back of the head, the head is heartshaped with breadth between and across the eyes. The eyebrow ridges form the upper curves of the heart, and the sides of the face gently curve down to the chin to complete the heartshape. Undesirable: any pinch or narrowness, especially between or across the eyes.

EARS: Large, with a rounded tip and large flare at base, set high on head, giving an alert expression. Inside ears sparsely furnished. Hairs on outside of ears extremely short and close.

BODY: Semi-cobby, neither compact nor svelte. The torso is distinctive. Broad chested with good space between forelegs. Muscular, supple, with a feeling of hard coiled spring power and unexpected weight. Back is carried in a curve. The males tend to be larger than females. The body is semi-cobby, with a tapering at the waist. The Korat does not appear to have much weight, but
when it is lifted, one finds an unexpected weight - its heft is like lifting a stone. The feeling is that of a firm, steel-spring, with the Korat's body being compared to that of a body builder! The bulk of the weight is carried towards the front through rounded, well-developed, muscular shoulders. The neck is fairly short and heavy, connecting to a broad chest, with the shoulders somewhat wider than the chest. This body was designed by nature to be that of a surviving animal: graceful (even though it has the look of tremendous strength) and agile enough to move quickly.

LEGS: Well-proportioned to body. Distance along back from nape of neck to base of tail appears to be equal to distance from base of tail to floor. Front legs slightly shorter than back legs.

TAIL: Medium in length, heavier at the base, tapering to a rounded tip. Non-visible kink permitted.

EYES: Large and luminous. Particularly prominent with an extraordinary depth and brilliance. Wide open and oversized for the face. Eye aperture, which shows as well-rounded when fully open, has an Asian slant when closed or partially closed. Undesirable: small or dull looking eyes.

COAT: Single. Hair is short in length, glossy and fine, lying close to the body. The coat over the spine is inclined to break as the cat moves.

COLOR: Silver-tipped blue all over, the silver should be sufficient to produce a silver halo effect. The hair is usually lighter at the roots with a gradient of blue which is deepest just before the tips which are silver. Adults should be without shading or tabby markings. Allow for ghost tabby markings in kittens. Where the coat is short, the sheen of the silver is intensified. Undesirable: coats with silver tipping on only the head, legs and feet.
Nose leather and lips: Dark blue or lavender.
Paw pads: Dark blue ranging to lavender with a pinkish tinge.
Eye color: Luminous green preferred, amber cast acceptable. Kittens and adolescents have yellow or amber to amber-green eyes. Color is not usually true until the cat is mature, usually two to four years of age.

HISTORY: Many people already know the history of the Korat, but it's always good to do a quick review! The Korat was discovered in Ampur Pimai of the Korat province in Thailand.1 The earliest known record of the Korat appears in The Cat-Book of Poems or Smud Khoi of Cats, produced in 1350-1767. This book presents the seventeen "good luck" cats of Thailand, including the Korat, and is presently located at Bangkok's National Library. It 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. According to one of these folk tales, Korats with kinks in their tails are said to increase your luck.

The first Korats were imported into the United States by Cedar Glen Cattery in Oregon. They obtained a brother and sister - Nara and Darra on June 12, 1959. These cats were from the Mahajaya Cattery of Thailand.