Suphalak
The Suphalak is an ancient Thai breed, one of the cats described in the Tamra Maew, and its name means golden or beautiful complexion.
It is solid warm reddish-brown throughout, without the darker points of a Burmese, and traditionally regarded in Thailand as a cat of good fortune.
It weighs 3 to 5.5 kilograms and is medium, muscular and moderately built. The breed is closely related to the Burmese lineage — the cat that founded the western Burmese came from the same Thai population — and it was reconstructed in Thailand in recent decades from cats matching the historical description. It remains very rare outside Thailand, and international recognition is limited.
2 suphalak photos, newest first
Living with a suphalak
Ask about Burmese hypokalaemia testing given the shared ancestry with the Burmese lineage. The DNA test is straightforward.
The coat is short and close and needs only a weekly once-over. The warm brown colour deepens with age.
Temperament is reported as affectionate, active and people-oriented, in keeping with its Burmese relations, which also means they dislike being left alone all day.
The breed's rarity is the practical constraint. Outside Thailand there are very few cats and few breeders, and verification of pedigree is worth doing carefully.
Ordinary preventive care otherwise, with attention to teeth and to weight, since Burmese-type cats gain easily.
General guidance, not veterinary advice. Individual cats vary, and anything about a specific animal is a question for a vet who has seen it.
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