| Coat length | Shorthair |
| Weight | Male: Ø 3.5-5 kg Female: Ø 2.5-4 kg |
| Coat colours: | Silver-grey |
| Coat patterns: | Without shading or stripes; the hair tips are silver (silver tipping). |
| Activity / playfulness |  |
| Grooming needs |  |
Appearance
The Korat has a medium-sized, moderately heavy, muscular body. Its heart-shaped head has a broad, flat forehead and a strong chin. The large, sensitive ears are set high and have rounded tips. The medium-length nose has a slight stop and an indentation immediately below the nose leather. Large, round, widely spaced eyes are a striking bright green.
The hind legs are slightly longer than the forelegs. The oval front paws have five toes each, and the hind paws four. The medium-length tail is thick at the base and rounded at the tip. Paw pads and nose leather are dark blue or lavender. The short coat is glossy and tends to part along the spine as the cat moves. It lies close to the body and feels fine and silky, with no undercoat. The entire coat should be silver-grey without shading or stripes. Silver tipping creates its characteristic sheen.
Temperament
The Korat is exceptionally affectionate and sociable, making solitary living unsuitable in the original profile's assessment. It seeks contact with both people and other cats. Its patience, playfulness and curiosity can make it a good companion for children, although it will defend itself if it feels threatened.
History
The Si-Sawat first appears in a Thai manuscript from the Ayutthaya period, the so-called Cat Poems (Thai: ลักษณะแมว ๑๗ ชนิด), where it is said to bring its owner good fortune and contentment. The manuscript is held in Bangkok's National Library.
The name Korat was given during the reign of King Chulalongkorn, Rama V (1868–1910), after the northeastern Thai province of Nakhon Ratchasima, commonly shortened to Korat, where the Si-Sawat was particularly prevalent.
A Korat was exhibited in Britain in 1896 but was described as a cross between a Siamese and a blue shorthair. Recognition followed in America in 1966 and England in 1975. A breeding pair imported in 1959 had already established a foundation for the breed's subsequent development: the names Narra and Darra appear far back in many pedigrees.
This article is based on Koratkatze from the free encyclopaedia Wikipedia and is available under the GNU Free Documentation License. Wikipedia provides a list of contributors.
The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike licence.
English translation and editorial updates by Stubentiger. Text attribution and licensing follow the source notices above; photographs have their own credits.