Meet the 5 unique cat breeds that Thailand just purrfectly pronounced as part of their "national identity"

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Blake Seidel • Managing Editor & Brand Manager
Mar 16, 2026 10:00 AM EDT

Now, alongside the iconic Thai elephant, the Suphalak, Korat, Siamese, Konja, and Khao Manee cat breeds are a part of Thailand's cultural representation. Each breed has its own mythology, purrsonality, and cute characteristics that we're pawsitively obsessed with.

We've known from the beginning that cats were going to rule the world, and this is the first step to that happening. It may be a small step, but it is still a step. The Thai government has named its 5 indigenous cat breeds as part of Thailand's "national identity". Some of these breeds are rarer than others, like the Suphalak, a chocolate-colored cat with fierce features, and others are more well-known, like the Siamese cat. 

Seeing as we love all kinds of cats here at I Can Has Cheezburger, we did some digging and found all the lore your feline-fanatic brain would ever hope for regarding these cute kitties. It's purrfectly fascinating to know that some Suphalak cats were thought to bring good luck, and others disaster. The Korat cats weren't for sale. They were instead given as gifts, especially to newly married couples. The Khao Manee were kept inside the royal palace, thought to bring good luck!

There aren't many people we can geek out about cats with, so this kind of news is purrfect for us. It's not every day you get to learn about rare and unique cat breeds that are now national symbols.

We know where our next trip is going to be, Thailand, here we come!

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  • 01
    Cheezburger Image 10615310592
    via @sighyam
  • 02
    yam @sighyam ... FINALLY Thailand declares cats as national symbols. So far only five Thai breeds have been given official titles. Here's a thread introducing all of them and the lore behind each one
    via @sighyam
  • 03
    10 WUTO AWARD
    via @sighyam
  • 04

    1. Suphalak

    Suphalak cat
    via @sighyam

    Suphalak cat

  • 05
    First up is the Suphalak, sometimes people call them copper or chocolate cats because of their deep and sometimes reddish brown coat.
    via @sighyam
  • 06
    This breed actually appears in a famous centuries old Thai manuscript dating back to the Ayutthaya period called the Tamra Maew, and is basically a book cataloguing which cats bring good luck and which ones bring disaster. you can access the book online now I believe. Most Thais nowadays don't believe in "good" or "bad" cats.
    via @sighyam
  • 07
    อ า ส ส MON 08.16707 tit༨/r QN
    via @sighyam

    Thai manuscript dating back to the Ayutthaya period containing a Suphalak cat

  • 08
    But Suphalaks were considered one of the lucky ones and were associated with wealth, prestige and noble households. For a long time people outside Thailand thought the breed had gone extinct because none had ever been exported overseas.
    via @sighyam
  • 09
    Researchers only recently confirmed the continued breeding of true Suphalaks in Thailand. This ancient and very rare breed is one of my favourites. It's incredibly intelligent and very dog-like. I'd give it a perfect score plus an extra point for good lore.
    via @sighyam

  • 10/10 would adopt a Suphalak. They look like a standard void cat mixed with a Maine coon, then dipped in chocolate. Obsessed. Some people may go to Thailand for the elephant sanctuaries, but we'll be visiting all the cat sanctuaries to find some of these meowconic kitty cuties right here!

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    2. Korat

    Cheezburger Image 10615310848
    via @sighyam
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    The Korat breed My absolutely favourite due to their lore. They are considered one of the most culturally important cats in Thailand. They come from Nakhon Ratchasima province (which locals shorten to "Korat" in the northeast region of Thailand's Isaan region, so the breed is literally named after the region.
    via @sighyam
  • 12
    Traditionally these cats weren't something you were supposed to buy or sell and many people still believe this. They were instead given as gifts, especially to newly married couples because Korats symbolised prosperity, fertility and a long happy marriage. They also appear in the Tamra Maew manuscripts as one of the lucky cats of Siam (the old name of Thailand)
    via @sighyam
  • 13
    I find the Thai descriptions of them poetic and sweet too. Their silver blue coat was compared to rain clouds during the monsoon and their bright green eyes were said to resemble young rice shoots growing in the fields. Even the shape of their face is said to resemble a heart when viewed from the front, which probably helped reinforce the whole love and marriage symbolism.
    via @sighyam
  • 14
    They are so heavily associated with Thailand's rice farming community that during droughts, they'd be paraded around during rain dance rituals by villagers and towns people to help induce rain. These days, Thai people prefer cat plushies to Korat cats to avoid stressing them out which I think is really sweet. For example, villagers a few years ago used Doraemon instead.
    via @sighyam
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    3. Siamese cats

    Cheezburger Image 10615312640
    via @sighyam
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    The Siamese cats (original version) They are easily the most famous cat in the world and are one of the oldest ancient cat breeds in the world too.
    via @sighyam
  • 17
    But historically they were much more exclusive. Siamese cats were closely associated with royal courts and temples in Siam and foreigners didn't really start seeing them until the late 1800s when the Thai royal family began gifting them to diplomats during their trips to Europe. That's how the breed ended up exploding in popularity in the West.
    via @sighyam
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    Cheezburger Image 10615312384
    via @sighyam

    Siamese cats from The Lady & the Tramp

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    There's also an old legend explaining why Siamese cats were once known for being crossed eyed and kinked tail. They were said to guard sacred goblets belonging to the king and because they took their duties as guards so seriously and stared at the cup so intensely and wrapped their tails around it so tightly their eyes crossed and their tails bent permanently.
    via @sighyam
  • 20
    There's actually a lot I could write about the Siamese but I'll end this tweet by saying that you shouldn't get them mixed up with the modern European bred Siamese breed. The older Siamese breed has an apple head and is more balanced compared to the slender and goofier looking modern Siamese. Anyway, love both of them. Very good cat but they are intense and extremely clingy. Oh and their kittens are born almost pure white. You can read up about their coat and why they change colours, it's very i
    via @sighyam
  • 21
    Thai Siamese Helmi
    via Helmi

    A picture showing the difference between versions of Thai and Siamese cats

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    4. Khao Manee

    Cheezburger Image 10615313920
    via @sighyam
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    The Khao Manee They might honestly be the most striking of the Thai cats. Completely white fur with clean pink paws and often two different coloured eyes, usually one blue and one gold/green. Their name literally means "white gem" which I think is such a lovely way to describe them because they really do look almost unreal.
    via @sighyam
  • 24

    Khao Manee

    Cheezburger Image 10615314176
    via @sighyam
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    Historically these cats were closely associated with Siamese royalty and old records link them to the reign of King Chulalongkorn in the 19th century When kept inside the royal palace they are believed to bring luck, wealth and protection to the kingdom. They are another breed that appears in the old Tamra Maew manuscripts under the name "Khao Plort" which means pure white.
    via @sighyam
  • 26

    Khao Manee

    Cheezburger Image 10615314432
    via @sighyam

  • We're a sucker for cats with heterochromia (AKA different colored eyes). It just confirms to us one of the many reasons why the Egyptians thought cats were divine. This breed of cats looks awwbsolutely beautiful and we hope to meet one one day!

  • 27
    There's even a story that when foreigners were actively collecting and exporting Siamese cats to Europe for the pet trade market that the royal family deliberately kept the Khao Manee hidden so they wouldn't leave the country. It's probably one of the reasons the breed remained almost unknown outside Thailand for so long.
    via @sighyam
  • 28

    Khao Manee

    Cheezburger Image 10615314688
    via @sighyam
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    5. Konja

    5 Konja solid black, panther-like yellow-green eyes elegant gait THAILAND NOW
    via THAILAND NOW
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    Last one is the Thai Konja Auramaxxed black cats. I never got the appeal until I hung out with them in Thailand. They are composed, independent, watchful and much less vocal than the Siamese, despite being related to them as a breed, and like many landrace breeds, they are attached to their homeowner
    via @sighyam
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    For context, a landrace breed is basically a type of animal that developed naturally in a specific place over a long time without modern controlled breeding
    via @sighyam
  • 32

    Konja

    Cheezburger Image 10615315200
    via @sighyam
  • 33
    If you grew up with European folklore you probably think black cats mean bad luck but Thailand basically went the opposite direction. Konja cats were actually listed among the auspicious cats of Siam and were believed to bring protection and strength to the household that kept them.
    via @sighyam
  • 34
    The name "Konja” comes from an old literary word used to describe a deep lacquer black colour and in the manuscripts a true Konja was supposed to be black from nose to tail. So black fur, black nose leather and black paw pads. They almost always support a glossy coat that reflects light, with eyes that were usually described as gold, green or amber. Some Konjas also wear a white fur patch on their chest.
    via @sighyam
  • 35
    They are less preppy and better hunters than the royal court breeds. I got to witness a group of them go after big rice field rats and a snake during my 1 week farming stay in Chiang Mai Thailand this year.
    via @sighyam

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cat breeds identity rare thailand unique Cats animals
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