A silver-blue shorthair from Thailand with big green eyes and a heart-shaped head, a bringer of luck for centuries.
The Korat comes from Thailand and comes in just one colour: blue, with a silver tip on every hair. That makes its coat seem to shine. From the front its head is shaped like a heart, and its big eyes only turn bright green after a few years. In Thailand it brings luck. It is clever and playful, and likes to be part of everything.
Bonds very closely with its people and wants to join in with everything.
Likes to be near you and often cuddles, but is not always a lap cat.
Very playful, and often keeps going long after you are tired.
Lively in bursts, and then happy to settle down close to you.
Not a loud talker; when it wants something, its voice is soft.
Very clever: it quickly learns routines, fetch and tricks.
Curious about visitors, but it does not like bustle and noise. Give it time.
Gentle with calm children, but dislikes loud noise and rough play.
Not always an easy match for a dog; it likes to be the boss of the house.
Can live with other cats, but often takes charge.
Does not like being alone for long and is happiest with someone at home.
Does well indoors with room to play. It has no undercoat, so it does not like the cold.
A Korat can be any colour.
No. Only silver-tipped blue is a Korat. If a kitten of another colour is born, it does not get a Korat pedigree.
The Korat has never been crossed with another breed.
Today it is not allowed. But the first American breeders did cross in a few Thai Siamese.
The blue cat shown in London in 1896 was the first Korat.
Nobody knows for sure. The cat, Nam Noi, was shown as a Siamese. The word Korat appears nowhere in the records.
The Korat is an old Thai cat, named after the province of Korat (Nakhon Ratchasima) in north-east Thailand. Old Thai cat-books already name it as a bringer of luck. The first Korats only came to America in 1959, and to Europe in the 1970s. All Korats still go back to cats from Thailand.
Old Thai cat poems, the Tamra Maew, name the Korat as a bringer of luck. They probably date from this period.
Brother and sister Nara and Darra come from Thailand to America. They are the first Korats to be bred from.
The American registry CFA accepts the Korat for championship.
The first Korats come from America to Australia.
A litter of Korats is shown in London for the first time.
Elfi Kleive brings the first Korats from Thailand to Europe, to Norway.
Britain's GCCF approves the Korat, at first without champion titles.
The European federation FIFe gives the Korat champion status.
In England the first lilac kitten is born to two blue Korats: the first Thai Lilac.
The GCCF takes the Thai Lilac and the Thai Blue Point onto a separate, preliminary register.
Medium-sized, muscular and supple, with a glossy blue coat. Pick one up and it is much heavier than it looks.
A Korat type in solid lilac, a pale pinkish grey with a silvery sheen. It is sometimes born to two blue Korats that both carry a hidden gene from Thailand. The first known kitten was born in England in 1989.
Recognition: Only Britain's GCCF registers it, on a separate experimental register since about 2002. FIFe, TICA and CFA do not recognise it; for them only blue is a Korat.
A Korat type with blue points like a Siamese, and blue eyes. The colourpoint gene came with cats from Thailand and now and then turns up in a litter.
Recognition: On the experimental register of Britain's GCCF since about 2002. Not a Korat elsewhere; in Australia such a kitten may only be shown together with its litter.
A Korat type with lilac points: the colourpoint gene and lilac together. Very rare; only a few are known in England.
Recognition: Only on the experimental register of Britain's GCCF.
Cat registries write colours as an EMS code. The letter is the colour (n black, a blue, d red, f tortie), s means silver or smoke, y golden, and the numbers tell you about white (01–09), shading (11, 12), the tabby pattern (22–25) or colourpoint (33).
Silver-tipped blue(a)Any colour other than silver-tipped blue disqualifies the cat. Lilac and colourpoint kittens sometimes turn up from hidden genes from Thailand; only Britain's GCCF registers them, as a Thai variety on a separate register. Faint tabby marks on kittens fade by themselves.
In Thailand the Korat is called Si-sawat, after the grey-green colour of the sawat seed.
In Thailand a newly married couple is sometimes given two Korats, for luck. In the past they were never sold, only given.
In villages in north-east Thailand a Korat was carried around and sprinkled with water, so that rain would fall on the rice fields.
Korat kittens first have blue eyes, then amber ones. The green only arrives when they are two to four years old.
All Korats go back to cats from Thailand. That is why it is also called the blue cat with the Thai passport.
How long a Korat lives has not been studied well. Vets usually say 9 to 15 years, and many Korats live longer. It is a sturdy, natural breed, and the best-known inherited diseases can be prevented with a DNA test.
A rare inherited nerve disease in young kittens that cannot be treated. A kitten only gets it when both parents are carriers; carriers themselves are healthy. In 1999 about 1 in 7 tested Korats was a carrier. Thanks to the test it is much less common now.
How it is found: DNA test of the parents. FIFe and GCCF require the test for breeding cats; two carriers are never mated together.
Similar to GM1, but rarer: in 1999 about 1 in 20 tested Korats was a carrier. Here too a kitten only falls ill when both parents are carriers.
How it is found: The same DNA test as for GM1; the laboratories test for both at once.
In a large Finnish owner survey about 1 in 5 Korats had asthma. The airways narrow, so the cat coughs or wheezes. A vet can treat it, though often for a long time.
How it is found: There is no DNA test. Ask whether cats in the line cough or wheeze, and keep the home free of smoke and dust.
Very little work. A brush once a week is plenty. It has no undercoat, so it does not mat and sheds little.
Daily play, with small toys and puzzle games. It loves to climb and explore.
No special food needed. Measure its meals, so it stays lean and muscular.
The Korat is not hypoallergenic. If you are allergic to cats, spend some time with a Korat first.
A Korat dislikes loud noise and bustle, and does not like being alone for long. A calm home with someone around suits it best.
Checked on 21 October 2026
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