Save 10% off your purchase!!
|  | Home > Contests, Photos & Fun > Pet Articles > Cat Breeds > Cat Breeds – The Korat
Home > Contests, Photos & Fun > Pet Breed Info Links, Rescue Links > Cat Breed & Rescue Information > Korat > Cat Breeds – The Korat
| Cat Breeds – The Korat
“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.
They are considered a symbol of good fortune by the Thais. Many good luck traditions surround the Korat: they are the color of silver, signifying wealth; they are the color of rain clouds, with eyes the color of young rice, meaning good crops. The gift of a pair of Si-Sawat cats to the bride ensures a fortunate marriage.
The earliest known picture of a Korat, or Si-Sawat, cat is to be found in the ancient book of paintings and verses known as The Cat-Book Poems in Bangkok’s National Library. It is believed by the Fine Arts Department, a division of Thailand’s Ministry of Education, to have been produced some time during the Ayudhya Period of Siamese History (1350-1767).
A high-ranking monk, Somdej Phra Buddhacharn Buddhasarmahathera, was commissioned by King Rama V (1869-1910) to copy The Cat-Book Poems on special Khoi paper. Known as the Smud Khoi of Cats, it hangs in a high glass case in the Minor Arts Room of Bangkok’s National Museum. Books were folded, not bound as is a more recent version, known as The Book of the Cat, also in the National Museum, which is apparently a twentieth century version of the cats and their accompanying verses. This shows seventeen cats, whose ownership brings good fortune and six with boding of the very reverse. Among the Good Luck cats is the Korat.
The Korat also possesses powerful senses of hearing, scent and sight, and these heightened senses can cause them to be quite sensitive. The Korat tends to move about cautiously and softly, and to dislike sudden noise or harsh sounds.
The Korat also bonds strongly with the humans in their lives, and while they tend to like the companionship of other cats they tend to take the lead position in a multi-cat household. The Korat is an active and playful breed, but they are also very gentle, making them a great pet for children and a great addition to households with children.
In addition, the hair of the Korat does not come off as easily as many other breeds when the cat is petted or stroked, and this means that many people with cat allergies are able to tolerate a Korat. The unique coat of the Korat is also quite shiny and beautiful, making the breed one of the most striking and beautiful in the cat fancy.
|
|
|
|
