For the city Korat in Thailand, see Nakhon Ratchasima

Nakhon Ratchasima

Nakhon Ratchasima or is a city in the north-east of Thailand and gateway to Isan. It is the capital of the Nakhon Ratchasima Province and Nakhon Ratchasima district...

Korats are a slate blue-grey shorthair domestic cat

Cat

The cat , also known as the domestic cat or housecat to distinguish it from other felids and felines, is a small, usually furry, domesticated, carnivorous mammal that is valued by humans for its companionship and for its ability to hunt vermin and household pests...

 with a small to medium build and a low percentage of body fat

Adipose tissue

In histology, adipose tissue or body fat or fat depot or just fat is loose connective tissue composed of adipocytes. It is technically composed of roughly only 80% fat; fat in its solitary state exists in the liver and muscles. Adipose tissue is derived from lipoblasts...

. Their bodies are semi-cobby, and surprisingly heavy for their size. They are intelligent, playful, active cats and form strong bonds with people. Among Korats' distinguishing characteristics are their heart-shaped heads and large green eyes

Eye color

Eye color is a polygenic phenotypic character and is determined by two distinct factors: the pigmentation of the eye's iris and the frequency-dependence of the scattering of light by the turbid medium in the stroma of the iris....

. They are one of a few breeds where individuals have only one color.

The Korat is one of the oldest stable cat breeds. Originating in Thailand

Thailand

Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...

, it is named after the Nakhon Ratchasima province

Nakhon Ratchasima Province

Nakhon Ratchasima or , often shortened to Korat or Khorat , is one of the north-eastern provinces of Thailand...

 (typically called "Korat" by the Thai people). In Thailand it is known as Si-Sawat, meaning "Color of the Sawat Seed". They are known colloquially as the "Good Luck Cat" and are given in pairs to newlyweds or to people who are highly esteemed, for good luck

Luck

Luck or fortuity is good fortune which occurs beyond one's control, without regard to one's will, intention, or desired result. There are at least two senses people usually mean when they use the term, the prescriptive sense and the descriptive sense...

. Until recently, Korats were not sold, but only given as gifts.

The modern Korats now exist due to the diligent efforts of a few breeders inside and outside of Thailand.

The first mention of the Korat is in "The Cat-Book Poems" authored between 1350 and 1767 AD in Thailand, now in the National library

National library

A national library is a library specifically established by the government of a country to serve as the preeminent repository of information for that country. Unlike public libraries, these rarely allow citizens to borrow books...

 in Bangkok

Bangkok

Bangkok is the capital and largest urban area city in Thailand. It is known in Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon or simply Krung Thep , meaning "city of angels." The full name of Bangkok is Krung Thep Mahanakhon Amon Rattanakosin Mahintharayutthaya Mahadilok Phop Noppharat Ratchathani Burirom...

. However, the illustration of the Korat in this book is not detailed enough to be definitive as to the breed portrayed. In recent years the Korat was on postage stamp in Thailand. An example hangs in the city of Korat's post office.

Korats first appeared in Britain under the name "Blue Siamese" in 1889 and 1896, but as these solid blue cats did not conform to the cat show judges' perception of a Siamese cat they disappeared by 1901. One early import, "Dwina" owned by Russian Blue breeder Mrs Constance Carew-Cox and mentioned in Frances Simpson's "The Book of the Cat" (1903) produced a a large number of "Siamese" kittens, while the other, Mrs Spearman's Blue Siamese male, "Nam Noi", was declared to be a Russian Blue by cat show judges (WR Hawkins, "Around the Pens" July 1896). Mrs Spearman tried unsuccessfully to import more of these "Blue Siamese".

Korats first appeared in America in the 1950s and arrived in Britain

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

 from there in 1972. Jean Johnson introduced Korats to the US in 1959. She had lived in Thailand, where she encountered the breed. Her first pair were named Nara (male) and Dara (female). The Korat was introduced to the UK by Betty Munford of The High Street, Hungerford.

Although it is rare, Korats occasionally have striking or faint white markings or spots or even very faint gray stripes. Sometimes these spots increase in size with age. These are seen as flaws, and the cats are not allowed to be displayed in cat shows, although of course it has no effect on their personality or health.

Thai

The Governing Council of the Cat Fancy

Governing Council of the Cat Fancy

The Governing Council of the Cat Fancy is a cat registry, established in 1910 and the largest organisation that registers pedigree cats in the United Kingdom. It was formed from a small number of cat clubs which were registering cats at the time when the modern cat fancy was in its first stages....

 recognizes Korat type cats differing from the traditional solid blue appearance of the Korat. Such cats can be either Thai Lilacs, which are solid lilac

Lilac (color)

Lilac is a color that is a pale tone of violet that is a representation of the average color of most lilac flowers. It might also be described as light purple. The colors of some lilac flowers may be equivalent to the colors shown below as pale lilac, rich lilac, or deep lilac...

 cats, or Thai Pointed, which have the colour-point pattern also seen in Siamese. The official registration policy for Korats allows kittens to be registered as Thai if they are born to Korat parents, Thai parents or to one of each. It also requires genetic testing for gangliosidosis

Gangliosidosis

Gangliosidosis is a lipid storage disorder caused by the accumulation of lipids known as gangliosides. There are two distinct genetic causes of the disease. Both are autosomal recessive and affect males and females equally.-See also:...

to be carried out to ensure that the breed remains free of this inherited disease which once existed in Korat and Thai breeding lines.

The genes responsible for Pointeds and Lilacs were introduced into the Korat breed when new Korat breeding stock carrying the recessive genes was imported from Thailand. The first recorded Thai Lilac kitten was born to the Jenanca line in 1989, when 'Jenanca Lilac Lillee' was born from two Korat parents in the UK. In 1990 Lillee's parents were re-mated with more lilac kittens resulting. More importantly, a young male lilac was born to another pair also in the UK. This serendipitous event allowed more crossings to occur without inbreeding too closely.