Cat Khao Manee

The Khao Manee Cat is one of the rarest cats in the world, if not the rarest. Until the end of the nineteenth century, no one knew of it outside Thailand, where it originated, and even there, there are not very many of them and they even risked extinction. An endangered species specialist decided to import the breed to the United States to establish breeding farms and breed it. This was in 1999.

This breed is very old, mention of it was found in the ‘Tamra Meow’, an illustrated manuscript from 1350, under the name Khao Plort. In Thailand, its land of origin, it is believed to be a good luck animal, even the King of Siam, who ruled this region from 1868 to 1910, is said to have hidden these cats when the British and French arrived in these territories, for fear that they would be stolen by these foreigners. He gave them Siamese, passing them off as the royal breed, solely to preserve this species.

It was called Khao Plort which means all white, while now it is called Khao Manee and also known as the diamond-eyed cat, because of its truly spectacular eyes.

It was an American breeder Colleen Freymuth, specialised in the preservation of endangered species, who started a selection for the breeding of this breed. Later it was a Frenchman, Frédéric Goedert, who continued the breeding and for many years was the only breeder of Khao Manee in the West.

A curiosity: these extremely rare cats are also very expensive, ranging from a minimum of 10,00 euro up to 15,000, making them one of the most expensive breeds in existence.

Character of the Khao Manee Cat

The Khao Manee is a very affectionate, curious, cheerful and very intelligent cat. It is a very docile animal and especially loves contact with its favourite human, whom it adores very strongly, although it is sociable with all members of the family, including animals. It does not like to be alone, so it is not suitable for those who are away from home for many hours; in this case it is good to give it a feline companion with whom it can keep company.

Because of his patience and lack of aggression, he is ideal for children, who will find in him a tireless playmate. However, he appreciates quiet moments in which to sleep, perhaps on his human's lap. They are classic flat cats, as long as they have a corner where they can climb, with some high shelves, a scratching post and some toys.

He likes to welcome people who come into the house and has a peculiarity, he is very talkative, communicating with a powerful meow for everything. He is quite noisy. If properly introduced, the Khao Manee also gets along well with dogs.

Appearance of the Khao Manee Cat

The Khao Manee is a medium-sized cat, the male weighing a maximum of about 5 kilograms, the female a kilogram less. Its body is slender and slender, agile and muscular. It has an elegant figure, with slender legs, the front ones slightly shorter than the hind ones. The tail is thick, thick at the junction, with a rounded tip.

The head is triangular, with very rounded features and accentuated cheekbones. The medium-sized ears are very open. But the particularity of this cat are the eyes. They are gem-shaped, slightly oblique, with a very penetrating gaze. They stand out very much against its completely white coat. The colour varies from very light blue to sapphire, through emerald green to yellow. Very often they are two different colours.

The coat is short, smooth, close to the body and very soft, despite having almost no undercoat. The colour: strictly white. The nose, the pads under the paws and the skin are pink. Pink are also born to the kittens, which after a few months start to turn the colour that characterises them, i.e. ermine white.

Health and Care of the Khao Manee Cat

The life expectancy of the Khao Manee is about 15 years. No predispositions to particular genetic diseases have been recorded, this cat can suffer from the diseases common to all felines. Although he is white and normally all white cats have hearing problems, this cat seems to have less than other white breeds, although deafness can also afflict him.

As he has almost no undercoat, he does not tolerate the cold very well, so it is good in the cold season not to expose him to draughts. As far as nutrition is concerned, he is not prone to obesity, but the diet must be made with particular attention to the exercise he normally does.

As far as coat care is concerned, it is a cat that takes great care of its hygiene, so just wipe its coat with a damp cloth and brush it once a week. As it has almost no undercoat, it does not shed much.