My name is Cedar Glen's Minde Dawn. I am a Korat (pronounced Koh' rawt') and I would like to tell you about myself and my family.

Perhaps I should describe myself. (My picture simply doesn't do me justice. I am really prettier because of my personality.) Some people think we look like Russian Blues, but we don't. Our head and body are a different shape and we tend to be shinier.

I was one of the Korats that started life as an "ugly duckling". As I matured, my head broadened and my eye set took proper prominence. My large rounded ears looked more at home on my head, and my lion-like nose with its downward curve began to look like it belonged on my heart-shaped face.

Korats are silver-blue from birth to death, and any other color is not a Korat. We have close-lying, soft, dense and short fur with a "color like the clouds" at the roots to white tipping that was once described as seafoam. My fur doesn't float off when I am stroked, so I do not appear to shed; although I do change coats seasonally.

We are medium-sized cats with semi-cobby bodies (that means not long and slinky like the Siamese or short and stocky like the Manx). Our bodies are hard and muscular with smooth curved lines and we feel heavier than we look. Our tails are thick at the base and tapering to a round tip. Girls are very dainty, while boys are larger and powerful looking.

We have extraordinary powers of hearing, sight and scent. We are gentle pets, love to be close to our owners at all times and try to be the center of attention whenever possible. Sometimes, I can even read my owner's mind. She really can't understand how I know when we are going somewhere or if she plans to leave me with someone, but I do. I must take after my mother. When my owner came to get me for the first time, my mother had cleaned me the night before and told me to be good. The next day she went out to meet my new owner and then came to get me. Mom knew I was finally leaving home and so did I. My owner calls it intuition, I call it intelligence.

To the people in Thailand, Korats (also called Si Sawat cats) are a symbol of good fortune. Our color, silver, stands for wealth. We are the color of rain clouds and our eyes look like young rice, symbolizing good crops. If you give a pair of Si Sawat cats to a bride, it will insure a fortunate marriage. The Thai people value us so much, they rarely sell us, but will give us to people they hold in high esteem as a special honor.

Our history can be traced back as far as four hundred years ago by means of an ancient verse in THE CAT-BOOK POEMS. Our appearance has not changed in all that time. According to THE JOURNAL OF CAT GENETICS, a Korat was first exhibited in England in 1896; and in America in the 1930's we are mentioned in the PET DIGEST MAGAZINE. A Korat must be able to prove its origin in Thailand to be shown in America.

The Korat Cat Fanciers Association keeps close track of all Korats bred in America and more information can be asked for from their organization.

REMEMBER: All Korts are silver blue from birth to death and any other color cannot be a Korat.