Origin of the Khao Manee Cat
Native to Thailand , the Khao Manee cat is considered an ancient breed , with records already in the mythical Tamra Maew , a collection of poems about Thai cats dating back to the 14th century.
From 1868 to 1910, King Rama V bred them in his palace, as he believed they brought good luck and happiness , making them the cats of royalty. In addition, he hid the existence of these cats from the English and French and, instead, presented them with the Siamese cat as if it were the cat of the court.
The Khao Manee cat thus remained anonymous in the West until 1999 , when it was on the brink of extinction. Breeder Colleen Freymouth brought the first specimens to the United States , where she began a breeding program to preserve them.
Even today, despite the Freymouth breeding program, the cat is still relatively unknown in the West. Its name means “ white gem ,” although it has also been known as the “white jewel,” “royal cat of Siam,” or “diamond eyes.”
Types of Khao Manee
The Khao Manee cat only has a white coat , which is a uniform characteristic in all specimens. Occasionally, they can produce cats with colors other than white, although they would not be recognizable as Khao Manee. Even so, they are capable of following a breeding program for the breed, since this white color comes from a dominant gene . These cats with colors other than white would have to be crossed with white cats in order to continue the breed.
This cat is also medium-sized , with an agile and strong body. Its legs are sturdy and long , with oval feet. Its head is wedge-shaped and is also medium-sized, with a small, straight nose and prominent cheekbones. Its tail is long and wide at the base , and finally, it has medium-sized ears with rounded tips.
Colors
As we have already mentioned, the Khao Manee cat breed can only be white , so any cats of this breed that have a coat of another color would not be recognized as Khao Manee.
These cats are also characterized by their eye color , which can be blue, green or amber, all very bright and striking, or even have heterochromia , that is, one eye of a different color than the other.
Hair type
The typical coat type of this cat is short, soft and dense . As it lacks an undercoat, its hair loss is minimal .
Khao Manee’s puppy
The Khao Manee puppy is born with a white coat typical of the breed, although in some cases it has a small grey spot between the ears which, as it grows, disappears to give way to a full coat of white fur.
Character and behavior of the Khao Manee
Considered active, affectionate and sociable , Khao Manee cats create a very strong bond with their owners . They are also very playful cats , capable of bringing back a toy like dogs do.
Its intelligence makes this cat very curious , and it may even be capable of running away , although its strong bond with its family means that it always returns home . Its sociability means that it is not afraid of strangers , but quite the opposite, approaching them to welcome them.
Being a distant cousin of the Siamese, the Khao Manee cat breed tends to be very talkative , meowing to get attention, ask for food or receive affection. Finally, although it is not considered a very gluttonous cat, it does need daily exercise to maintain its flexibility and stimulate its physical abilities.
How to feed a Khao Manee based on its age?
The Khao Manee cat does not need a very special or specific diet due to its characteristics. Thus, as with other cats, its food must have the necessary nutrients for the correct functioning of its organism. As cats tend not to hydrate enough, leaving a bowl of water nearby so that it can see it or combining its food with wet food will be enough.
Feeding in stages
Depending on the age of the cat, it should be fed according to its stage of life . For this reason, the baby Khao Manee cat should be fed with a specific food for kittens. If you have had a litter of kittens, their first food should be their mother’s milk and, when they are approximately one month old, they should start to be given a combination of breast milk with a porridge of feed mixed with water, which will be increased as the milk decreases.
At one year of age, your cat will be considered an adult , so its food will have to be changed to food for adult cats. If your cat has been sterilized, to avoid the overweight that may arise from this, it should be fed with food intended for sterilized cats.
Finally, in the senior stage , when cats become more sedentary, their food will have to have a lower fat content to avoid, again, being overweight. If they have started to suffer from any physical ailment, allergy or intolerance or illness, they will have to be fed with a specific food for these cats with ailments.
Health
These cats are not characterized by suffering from any type of disease associated with their breed, although, due to their characteristic white fur and light eyes, they may be at risk of deafness , something that is becoming less common in the breed thanks to breeding programs and the selection of specimens without deafness.
The diseases that they may suffer from are common to other specimens and breeds of cats, so you will have to take them to the vet for a check-up and to clear up any doubts regarding their health.
Caring for a Khao Manee Cat
Because they are not usually overweight and their hair does not fall out very often, these cats do not need much special care to keep them healthy. Simply brushing their hair once a week and visiting the vet once a year would be enough.
However, don’t forget to keep your pet’s vaccinations up to date and to deworm them frequently , especially if they tend to run away from home. Put an anti-parasite collar or a pipette on them and, if you notice anything suspicious or harmful, go to the vet immediately.
Hair
Their white fur is prone to getting dirty very often , but they will be responsible for their own hygiene. As we have just mentioned, a weekly brushing would be more than enough to keep their hair shiny, healthy and lustrous.
Fur
The skin of the Khao Manee does not stand out for having any special or particular characteristics, but like many cats, observe it if you see that your cat scratches a lot, to the point of causing wounds or leaving bald spots, as it may have some skin disease or allergy that should be professionally inspected.
Others: Eyes and ears
The eyes and ears of cats are very sensitive organs in these animals, regardless of their breed.
Although these cats may suffer from deafness, this does not mean that their ears cannot become infected. To avoid this, clean them regularly with a sterile gauze and a solution specifically for cats’ ears or, failing that, saline solution and, carefully, clean them of any wax or dirt.
You should take the same care with the eyes. To avoid
conjunctivitis , clean them in the same way as the ears and make sure to remove all the
eye discharge you find. These animals are very clean, but some areas may be left uncleaned.
Adopting a Khao Manee
The Khao Manee breed is relatively unknown in the West , so adopting a cat is practically impossible. The breeders are mainly located in its country of origin, Thailand, so if you are not very interested in going to the other side of the world to get a cat of this breed, we recommend that you look for another cat with similar characteristics in a shelter or refuge.
In Tiendanimal’s physical stores you can ask any of the professionals who are there to advise you on adopting a cat similar to the Khao Manee. There are many cats that you can give a second chance to, so forget about flights to the other side of the world and share your life with a mixed breed cat . You will forget that what you wanted in the beginning was a Khao Manee cat!
