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 Dept., a Division of Thailand's Ministry of Education, to have been produced some time during the Ayudhya Period of Siamese History (1350-1767). Identity of the artist is lost. Cat, as well as dog and bird books, represent a cultural tradition in Siam (which became Thailand on June 24, 1939). Of the fifteen or so ancient MSS, in the National Library, nine contain pictures of cats
A high-ranking monk, Somdej Phra Buddhacharn Buddhasarmahathera, was commissioned by King Rama V (1869-1910) to copy "The Cat Book Poems" on a 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 Library, 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.
A translation of the verses by Khun Prasit Sahkorn says: "The cat 'Maled' has a body colour like 'Doklao'. The hairs are smooth, with roots like clouds and tips like silver. The eyes shine like dewdrops on a lotus leaf". 'Maled' means seed. 'Dok' means flower, and 'lao' can be translated as 'lemon-grass', 'pampas grass', or 'reed blossom'. All of these are silvery and silky smooth, so are applicable to the Korat coat.
King Rama V is said to have named the breed when he remarked: 'what a pretty cat - where is it from?' and was told "KORAT". A Mr. Robins, of New York City, attested to their existence in that Province in 1906. It is said that their coloring protected them, among the granite areas of Pimai District, from extinction in the constrant wars that raged between Siam and her neighbors.
Nowadays in Thailand, the Korats are generally referred to as the "SI-SAWAT" cats (see-sah-waht) and, of course, they are found in other provinces. 'SI' means color. SAWAT has several meanings, including good fortune or prosperity. Si-Sawat is also a compound Thai work meaning a mingled color of grey and light green. The seed (Maled) of the Look Sawat, a non-edible fruit that grows wild in Thailand is this mingled color, with a smooth, glossy shell. There's no changing the color of the breed. It can only ever be 'Si-Sawat'. Korats are silver-blu from birth until death; a cat of any other color is not a Korat.
Korat (Nakhon Ratchasima) culture articles
The origin of all Korat Cats with their typical silver-blue colored fur (or, as they are locally called, Meaw Si Sawat) is in Ampur Phimai of Korat (Nakhon Ratchasima) province in Thailand.
Treasured by the Thai people and once owned only by royalty and members of the government, the breed spread across the globe very slowly. Korat Cats did not arrive in Europe and North America until the late 1960's.
Rare and highly prized, every modern Korat is believed to trace its ancestry to the original cats. They are very sweet natured and make wonderful pets for children.
