Welcome to Chiangmai and Chiangrai magazine
 
Site Map

Siamese Cats

We are Siamese if you please...

When Westerners think of Siamese cats, what comes to mind are the elegant, long-limbed chocolate, or lilac point Siamese cats with their blue eyes and creamy body coats. As in Western culture, there was a wide gap between the taste of the Siamese royal court and that of the commoners and these sleek felines were palace animals, the darlings of Siam's elite as long as 500 years ago. But the common cats kept by the villagers as pets and to keep down rats and mice in the house and rice granary are certainly no less Siamese than their better-known counterparts.

Thai villagers have a keen sense of omens and feel that certain things found in nature are auspicious or ill-favored and this classification extends to village Siamese cats as well. Village cats are classified according to their characteristic markings. On this basis, some cats are thought to be auspicious animals and if well-cared for will bring their owners good fortune. Others, such as pure black cats Westerners think of as ill-omened are thought to bring their owners bad fortune. "Welcome to Chiangmai"" magazine would like to introduce our readers to some of these auspicious and inauspicious cats

Auspicious Cats

cats
'Grobwaen' (glass frames) is white with black markings including the characteristic saddle and black glass frames. The cat called 'Seem Sawate' has golden eyes and black with white.

cats
'Wichian Mars' is a white feline with black markings including boots tail and a slash across nose and whiskers. The cat called 'Goanjar' is another entirely black cat, but is distinguished by a pair of green eyes.

cats
The ''Gao Taem' has a white coat with nine auspicious black spots. The unusual cat 'Ratana Gumpon' is all white except for its formal black cummerbund and has golden eyes.

cats
'Grajorg' meaning small is another black cat with only a patch of white fur around its mouth. 'Nilarat' is an entirely black cat including its eyes, claws, tongue and teeth, and has a long tapering tail.

cats
'Wilart' is a mainly black cat with a white stripe from the crown of the head to the end of the tail, white fur on its chin, and four white socks. The cat called 'Pat Sawate or Pat Talord' is entirely black save for a white stripe from the upper part of the mouth to the end of the tail.

cats
'Supalak or Thong Daeng' has reddish or copper colored fur, thus its second Thai name. 'Songhasape' is another black bodied cat which has a white nose and bit of white fur around its mouth.

cats
'Jatubot' is a yellow-eyed cat which is entirely black except for some white fur on all four feet. The body of the cat called 'Malate or Dawk Lao' is covered enitrely in light gray fur.

cats
'Nllajuk' is totally blue-black except for its unusual white collar. The attractive 'Moolela' is all black except for white ear caps.

cat
'Garaweg' is all black except for a white nose.

Inauspicious Cats

cats
The cat called 'Tupolapate' has an entirely white body and red eyes, like an albino. 'Hin Thoat' is another entirely black yellow-eyed cat which will surely bring its owner misfortune.

cats
The cat 'Peesard' is entirely black with wrinkled skin. It is reputed to be so evil it eats its own newborn kittens. 'Nep Saniad' has an entirely black body but its black tail is grizzled with white fur.

cats
An especially dangerous feline is 'Gorbplerng' ' It's fur is the color of flames in the fire and, indeed, villagers believe wherever it goes fire will occur. 'Panpayak or Lai Soea' has stripes on its body like a tiger, and very coarse fur. Its sound is long and low and scary, said the old People, like a forest spirit.


Home | Site Map | Sponsors | Feedback | Hot Links | Travel Help | Search

Copyright © 1995-2007 Welcome to Chiangmai and Chiangrai magazine All rights reserved.
Web site design and hosting by Infothai CM Co. Ltd.
Last modified on:  January 27 2008