No breeder is on record here yet. Portugal’s FIFe member club does not list this breed in its breeder directory at all, so an absence here says nothing about whether anyone breeds it in Portugal.
Medium-sized, muscular cat with distinctive blue-gray coat and heart-shaped face. Ancient Thai breed known as good luck symbol.
Ancient Thai breed, one of the oldest and most treasured. Traditionally given as wedding gifts for good luck. Name comes from the Korat province in Thailand. First exported to the West in 1959.
Generally described as active, loyal, highly intelligent, expressive, trainable and affectionate.
That is the breed in general, not a promise about one animal. Ask the breeder what their own line is like, and meet the parents before you decide.
Breed reference from The Cat API.
Drawn from sources, not opinion: The Cat API; FIFe breed standard. An empty column means we hold nothing for that side, not that there is nothing to say.
The Korat standard is published by the FIFe (Fédération Internationale Féline), the international federation of pedigree-cat clubs, and it is what show judges apply. This section sums up what it says about coat and colour. It does not assess any one animal: use it to know what to ask the breeder.
Short to medium long
close lying
single coat.
Base colour
Silver blue only, without shading or tabby markings
Permissible
Shortened from FIFe standard KOR — each label is the standard’s own wording with the verdict lifted into the tag beside it. Read the full clause at source. FIFe lists this standard’s last modification as 2022. Text read on 31 Aug 2026.
The colour varieties FIFe recognises for this breed are listed, with their EMS codes, in the table at the end of its standard. FIFe describes each colour group in the General Part of its standards.
The colours and patterns the standard admits, and what it prefers, discourages or disqualifies in each. An accepted colour says nothing about health. Quotations from the FIFe are in English, as the standard publishes them; the headings are ours.
Known hereditary risks for the Korat breed, and the specific documentation to request from any breeder before paying a deposit. A responsible breeder will have these readily available; deflection is a red flag.
2 conditions documentedThis is breed-level literature, not veterinary advice about an individual animal — your vet knows the animal.
Health checklist (PDF)Described in this breed, but found in few or no dogs in recent screening, or only ever in one dog or one family. They are here so a test result makes sense if a breeder mentions one.
Breed-level information from The Cat API. It describes the Korat in general; any individual animal can differ.
A mutation in the HEXB gene causes a fatal build-up of gangliosides in nerve cells. Onset is early — fine head tremors from about 4 weeks old, rapidly followed by loss of coordination — with death before 8 months of age. Two copies of the mutation are needed to cause disease, and there is no treatment. It has been described in a single pedigree of Korats in the United States in the 1980s, and a 2022 screen of over 11,000 cats found the mutation in none of 51 Korats.
What to ask for
Korat GM2 gangliosidosis DNA test on both parents
A separate mutation, in the GLB1 gene, causes a related but distinct fatal storage disease. In the cats in which it has been studied, onset is around 3 months of age, reaching a terminal stage — including blindness and seizures — by 9 to 10 months; progression is slower than GM2 but equally fatal. The same GLB1 variant is found in Siamese cats, but the Korat is a separate, natural Thai breed, not one founded on the Siamese. In the Korat the disease has been described in a single cat, which fell ill at seven months, worsened slowly and was put to sleep at 21 months; that cat was never DNA-tested, and a 2022 screen of over 11,000 cats found the variant in none of 51 Korats.
What to ask for
Korat GM1 gangliosidosis DNA test on both parents
A mutation in the HEXB gene causes a fatal build-up of gangliosides in nerve cells. Onset is early — fine head tremors from about 4 weeks old, rapidly followed by loss of coordination — with death before 8 months of age. Two copies of the mutation are needed to cause disease, and there is no treatment. It has been described in a single pedigree of Korats in the United States in the 1980s, and a 2022 screen of over 11,000 cats found the mutation in none of 51 Korats.
What to ask for
Korat GM2 gangliosidosis DNA test on both parents
A separate mutation, in the GLB1 gene, causes a related but distinct fatal storage disease. In the cats in which it has been studied, onset is around 3 months of age, reaching a terminal stage — including blindness and seizures — by 9 to 10 months; progression is slower than GM2 but equally fatal. The same GLB1 variant is found in Siamese cats, but the Korat is a separate, natural Thai breed, not one founded on the Siamese. In the Korat the disease has been described in a single cat, which fell ill at seven months, worsened slowly and was put to sleep at 21 months; that cat was never DNA-tested, and a 2022 screen of over 11,000 cats found the variant in none of 51 Korats.
What to ask for
Korat GM1 gangliosidosis DNA test on both parents
