Thai Cats

Thai cat sitting against a white background

Thai cat eating from a bowl in a kitchen

History

This breed is a technically a very old breed, however in the west it is newly classified. This breed is related to the Siamese cat, but is different. The breed has been bred for probably over 700 years. The first records of this breed is in Thailand's famous Cat Poems (Tamra Maew). The breed was known as Wichien-maat in Thailand and was first imported to the west from Thailand (known then as Siam) in the late 19th/early 20th century. The breed was named the ‘Siamese’ in the west and early breeders aimed to breed the Siamese to have a more striking appearance. They achieved their goals fairly quickly, soon having a cat with much deeper and darker blue eyes than their native counterpoints. By 1950 breeders had managed to make the Siamese look pretty different from the original Wichien-maat cat.

Although most breeders were working hard to make the Siamese look even more unique there was a group of breeders who preferred the older looking Wichien-maat cat. These breeder set about developing the older look in the 1950s. This is where the Siamese and Thai breed diverted. To begin with these more moderate looking Siamese were called the ‘Old Style Siamese’ or ‘Traditional Siamese’. In 1990 the World Cat Federation recognised the breed and named it the ‘Thai’ cat. Pointed cats from Thailand were imported and used to increase the gene pool of the breed. By 2009 The International Cat Association granted the breed advanced breed status.

Behaviour

These cats have a great personality. They are the clowns of the cat world and are very people orientated. They love to follow their owner around the house helping out where they can. This is a very playful breed and will constantly want to play with you. Thai cats enjoy to be up high, whether that be on top of doors or on your shoulder helping you make dinner. They are a chatty breed and will greet you at the door with their quiet chatter.