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About the Khaomanee

Khaomanee cat
Photo from The Cat API
View Khaomanee breedersSee Khaomanee kittens

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.

Typical life span
10-12 years
Size
Medium — from its typical weight
Weight
3.6-5.4 kg
Height
25-30 cm
Registry status
Recognised by TICA
Breed group
Short-haired
Origin
Thailand
Known hereditary risks
1 documented condition, with the test for each

Often written Khao Manee.

About

What is a Khaomanee?

Medium-sized, muscular white cat with striking blue, gold, or odd-colored eyes. Ancient Thai royal cat.

Khaomanee history and origins

Ancient Thai breed, kept by royalty for centuries. Name means 'white gem' in Thai. Also called Diamond Eye cat. Recently introduced to the West and recognized by TICA.

Khaomanee appearance and size

Typically 3.6-5.4 kg and 25-30 cm at the shoulder — published as one range rather than separately for males and females.

Khaomanee temperament and personality

Generally described as calm, relaxed, talkative, playful, warm, intelligent and social.

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.

Pros & cons

Pros & cons for the Khaomanee

What you get with the Khaomanee

  • Commonly described as: “Calm, Relaxed, Talkative, Playful”

What you are taking on

  • One documented hereditary condition, none of them classed as serious — each with the test to ask a breeder for, on the health guide tab.

Drawn from sources rather than written as an opinion — cited health research, the registry’s own standard, and peer-reviewed longevity. The Cat API. One breeder’s animals can differ from any of it, and an empty column means we hold nothing for that side rather than that there is nothing to say.

Characteristics

Temperament

CalmRelaxedVocalPlayfulAffectionateIntelligentSocial

Breed-level information from The Cat API. It describes the Khaomanee in general; any individual animal can differ.

Health guide

Health & screening guide for the Khaomanee

Known hereditary risks for the Khaomanee 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.

1 condition documented

Health checklist (PDF)

Hearing

Congenital deafness associated with the white coat

MonitorInherent to the breed

The dominant white gene that produces the Khao Manee's all-white coat — a requirement of the breed standard — can also affect pigment-dependent cells in the inner ear, and white cats with blue eyes are more likely to be born deaf in one or both ears than differently coloured cats. CFA's own breed profile notes this association directly and states that breeders sometimes use the occasional off-standard, non-white kitten (which cannot be shown) for breeding to help reduce the rate of deaf kittens.

What to ask for

BAER (brainstem auditory evoked response) hearing test on the kitten or parents; there is no DNA test for the deafness itself

1 source

Gallery

No photographs yet

This is where Khaomanee owners’ own photographs will go, from the pet profiles they keep here. Nobody has added one to a public page yet.

A photograph in a pet profile stays private to its owner. We will not put one here unless they ask us to.

Kittens

No kittens listed right now

No Khaomanee breeder has a record on this platform yet, so there is nothing to list. That is a gap in our coverage, not a fact about the breed.

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