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:''For the city Korat in Thailand, see Nakhon Ratchasima'' The Korat ((タイ語:โคราช, มาเลศ, สีสวาด), ) is a slate blue-gray short-haired breed of domestic cat with a small to medium build and a low percentage of body fat. Its body is semi-cobby, and surprisingly heavy for its size. It is an intelligent and playful active cat that forms strong bonds with people. Among the Korats' distinguishing characteristics is its heart-shaped head and large green eyes. The Korat is a natural breed, and one of the oldest stable cat breeds. Originating in Thailand, it is named after the Nakhon Ratchasima province (typically called "Korat" by the Thai people). In Thailand, the breed is known as ''Si-Sawat'', meaning "color of the sawat seed".〔 The Korat is known colloquially as the "good luck cat".〔 Traditionally, they are given in pairs to newlyweds or people who are highly esteemed, for good luck. Until recently, Korats were not sold, but only given as gifts.〔 == History == The probable first allusion to the breed is in the Thai ''Tamra Maew'' (''The Cat-Book Poems''), authored between 1350 and 1767 AD and now in the National Library of Thailand.〔 However, the illustration of the Korat in this book is not detailed enough to be definitive as to the breed portrayed. In recent years, the Korat was pictured on a postage stamp in Thailand. An example hangs in the city of Korat's post office. Korats first appeared in Britain under the name "Blue Siamese" in 1889 and 1896, but as these solid blue cats did not conform to the cat show judges' perception of a Siamese cat, they disappeared by 1901. One early import, "Dwina", owned by Russian Blue breeder Mrs. Constance Carew-Cox and mentioned in Frances Simpson's ''The Book of the Cat'' (1903), reputedly produced a large number of "Siamese" kittens; the other, Mrs. B. Spearman's Blue Siamese male, "Nam Noi", was disqualified as a Siamese, but accepted in the Russian or Any Other Blue class in which he placed first (WR Hawkins, "Around the Pens" July 1896). Spearman tried unsuccessfully to import more of these "Blue Siamese". Korats first appeared in America in the 1950s. In 1959, Cedar Glen cattery was the first to import a pair of Korats to the U.S. for breeding: a male named Nara and a female named Darra.〔 In 1966, the Korat was accepted into championship status, through the efforts of a breeder from Maryland.〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Korat」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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