What is a Suphalak Cat?

Suphalak Cats are some of the rarest on the planet, but they are also one of the most ancient breeds that's native to Thailand. These handsome cats are often mistaken for being Havana Browns and Burmese Cats because they are so similar in looks, but the breed is one of the purest and most natural in the world. Rarely found outside of Thailand, the Suphalak has always been a much cherished breed in their native land and anyone wanting to share a home with one of these striking cats might quickly discover that breeders are few and far between in other countries of the world including the UK.

A little background history

Records of Suphalak Cats date back centuries much like the Siamese and the Korat, the breed was described in many ancient Thai manuscripts which are known as the Tamra Maew that were written between 1351 and 1767 AD. Suphalak Cats were considered as valuable as gold and as such the King of Burma ordered that all of them were brought to him at the end of the Burmese/Siamese war. The breed was referred to as the "Thong Daeng" which translated means "coppered coloured" and the cats were described in many Siamese poems of the day.

To this day, only one Suphalak cat has been allowed to be exported out of Thailand which was a solid copper/chocolate coloured cat and the first ever female cat to be born outside of the country was in the United States only as recently as 2015, but the breed remains one of the rarest not only in their native Thailand, but elsewhere in the world too.

Suphalak appearance

Suphalak Cats have stunning coloured coats which in the sun gives off a reddish tinge to it. They also have striking coloured paw pads which are a light brown with a pink tinge to them. However, it is their eye colour that is so stunning and which sets these beautiful cats apart from many other because they can be a bright yellow to a stunning golden colour. They are medium sized cats that boast an athletic and well-muscled body with their heads being nicely in proportion with the rest of their bodies.

Care and maintenance

Suphalaks boast close-lying coats and are therefore low maintenance on the grooming front. They shed steadily throughout the year much like other breeds and this tends to be more in the spring and then again in the autumn.

Suphakak personality

Suphalak Cats are extremely people-oriented, they active, intelligent and fun to have around. They thrive on human contact and therefore never like to spend any time on their own. Because they form such strong ties with their families, they are better suited to families where at least one person stays at home when everyone else is out of the house.

Being so intelligent, the Suphalak learns new things very quickly and they love the one-to-one contact they are given when they are playing interactive games. They like to follow their owners around so they can check up on what they are doing and never like it when they are left out of anything that goes on in their environment. Suphalaks are very dog-like in many of their behaviours which is just one of the reasons they are so endearing to share a home with. They can be quite talkative when the mood takes them and like to communicate their feelings to everyone they meet

Suphalak health issues

Because the breed is so natural and pure having not been outcrossed with other breeds, Suphalak Cats are known to be healthy and robust cats that don't seem to be affected by any of the hereditary and congenital health concerns that often affect other breeds.

Suphalak life expectancy

The average life span of a Suphalak Cat is between 12 - 15 years when properly cared for and fed an appropriate good quality diet to suit a cat's age.

Lastly

Anyone wishing to share a home with one of these rare Thai cats may find it a real challenge to find a breeder in the UK and with so few cats being bred in their native Thailand, Suphalak Cats are also one of the most expensive breeds on the planet.