General DescriptionThe Thai is the breed dedicated to preserving the native pointed cat of Thailand in as close to its original form as possible. Thai is the official breed name in TICA and in many registries in Europe, but the breed is known in Thailand itself as the Wichienmaat and elsewhere as the "Old-Style Siamese." Thais are shorthaired and have the colorpoint pattern, which includes deep blue eyes, whitish beige body, and dark-colored extremities (the "points"), but they are moderate in type, never extreme. To some the Thai is synonymous with "applehead Siamese, " but to others it is not. "Applehead" is a colloquial American term, not an official breed name, and means different things to different people. The Thai is the natural pointed cat that you find in Thailand today and closely resembles late 19th and early 20th century Siamese, such as Greta Hindley's queen Prestwick Perak.
History
For at least 700 years, the Thai people have cherished a pointed breed called the Wichienmaat. From Thailand's famous Cat Poems (Tamra Maew), we know Thais bred the Wichienmaat in the Thai kingdom of Ayudhia, continued to breed them as Ayudhia was succeeded by the kingdom of Siam, and still breed them today in modern Thailand. In the 19th century, British citizens discovered the Wichienmaat, an extraordinary blue-eyed cat with a whitish body and dark points, in Thailand (then called Siam). They found them nowhere else in the world, and decided to import the cats, calling them "Siamese." The goal of the Western breeders was to improve the natural pointed breed of Siam, making it more consistent and more striking in appearance. They soon produced cats with much deeper blue eyes than those in the breed's native country. They also bred for an increasingly stylized head and body. By the 1950s, some Siamese cats in the show ring had much longer heads, finer boning, and slimmer bodies than those at the turn of the century. Many people loved the improvements in the Siamese, but others preferred the older, more moderate look of the breed.
The Thai began to diverge from the Siamese breed in the 1950s, when breeders around the world chose to breed Siamese of the moderate, early 20th century type. By the 1980s, moderate type Siamese were no longer competitive at shows, as mainstream breeders were breeding a much typier, more extreme cat. In the 1980s, the first breed clubs dedicated to the old-style Siamese appeared in Europe and North America. In 1990, in Europe, the World Cat Federation granted the breed championship status and changed the name to Thai differentiate the old type of Siamese from the show-style Siamese. In 2001, breeders began importing indigenous pointed cats from Thailand to preserve a healthy gene pool for the Thai breed and to preserve the genes of Southeast Asia's native race of cats while they are still distinct from Western cats. In 2007, TICA granted Preliminary New Breed status to the Thai, and in 2009 promoted the Thai to Advanced New Breed, making it possible for breeders in North America and Europe to work together and show together under a single breed standard.
Personality
The Thai has the personality made famous the world over by the early Siamese. They are highly intelligent, people-loving, active, curious, and endowed with a great sense of humor. Living with these cats is like living with small children. They will get into everything you own, jump to the top of your wall-mounted clock and balance there, teetering, just to see if they can. They will follow you around and try to "help" you with everything you are doing. Thais are great talkers. They aren't necessarily loud, but they're chatty. They will greet you at the door when you come home and start chatting away. They also communicate with taps of the paw or by jumping to the top of your shoulder and putting their face right in yours. They will need a response and daily attention from you. Without it, they will suffer, and suffering, they will act out. Physically, these cats are easy to maintain-self-cleaning, no grooming needed. But emotionally, they are high maintenance. For those who want a close companion, this is your breed. They will get to know you, and you them. It's a friendship that will deepen with the years-like fine wine.
Traits
The key to distinguishing the Thai from other shorthaired, pointed breeds is in the details of head shape and body style.
The Thai is a shorthaired, pointed cat of foreign type. It's moderately long and substantial, supple and lithe, but in no way extreme. The boning is medium-tail, legs, head, all medium-boned. Coming from tropical Thailand, the breed has a short, flat coat. It's loose enough to feel soft and silky, but still quite short. It's not tight and slick like glass, nor does it feel plush.
But the trademark of the Thai breed is the unique head shape. The forehead is long and flat. There is good width to the head, and its sides are rounded. From that round-cheeked head projects a distinctly wedge-shaped muzzle. At the cheekbones, there's a slight curve inward to where the muzzle begins. Then, the muzzle tapers gradually toward the nose. The end of the muzzle is somewhat spade-shaped, not pointy but not blunt. The ears are broad-based and set relatively high on the head, somewhat like fingers in a "peace sign."
Thais can have any point color and solid points, tabby points, tortie points, or torbie points. White markings are not permitted.
FUENTE: http://tica.org/public/breeds/th/intro.php
Thai, según TICA (traducido al español)
El thai es la raza dedicada a preservar la raza pointed nativa de Tailandia, de la forma más cercana a la original posible. "Thai" es el nombre oficial e la raza en TICA y en la mayoría de los registros de Europa, pero la raza se conoce en Tailandia como Wichienmaat, y en otros lugares como "Old Style Siamese" ("Viejo estilo de siamés" o "Siamés antiguo").
Los thais son de pelo corto y tienen el patrón de coloración tipo pointed (más oscuro en las extremidades), presenta ojos de un azul profundo, un color beige blanquecino en el cuerpo, y extremidades de color oscuro (los "puntos"). Son de tipo moderado, no extremos. Para algunos, los thais son sinónimo de "applehead siamese", pero no así para otros, puesto que "Applehead" es un término coloquial norteamericano, y no el nombre oficial de la raza. Además, puede significar diferentes cosas para diferentes personas.
El thai es el gato natural pointed que se halla actualmente en Tailandia, y que se asemeja a los gatos siameses de finales del siglo XIX y principios del siglo XX, como la reina Greta Hindley Prestwick Perak.
Historia
Por al menos 700 años, los tailandeses han preciado a una raza denominada Wichienmaat. En el siglo XIX, los ingleses descubrieron el Wichienmaat, un gato extraordinario que presentaba unos ojos azules y un cuerpo blanquecino con puntos oscuros, en Tailandia (en ese entonces, llamado siamés). No lo encontraron en ningún otro lugar del muno, con lo cual decidieron importar estos gatos y denominarlos "siameses". El objetivo de los criadores occidentales fue mejorar la raza, haciéndola aun más llamativa en apariencia. Así, pronto producieron unos gatos de ojos azules más profundos que los que tenían los gatos nativos y lograron una raza más estilizada en la forma de la cabeza y en el cuerpo. En la década del cincuenta, los gatos siameses se exhibían como cabezas y huesos de forma alargados. Muchas personas han adorado las "mejoras" en el siamés original, pero otros prefieren el estilo antiguo (thai), más moderado en su aspecto.
Para la década del ochenta, el tipo moderado de siamés (thai) ya no competía a nivel de shows, ya que los criadores decidieron criar la raza siamesa de tipo extremo. En 1990, en Europa la World Cat Federation le concedió el nombre de "Thai" al antiguo tipo de siamés, y de dió estatus para concursar en los campeonatos internacionales. En el 2001, los criadores comenzaron a importar el tipo nativo del siamés de Tailandia, para preservar sus genes. En el 2007, TICA el estatus de "nueva raza preliminar" al thai, y en el 2009 la promovió al estatus de "nueva raza avanzada", haciendo posible en EEUU y en Europa que los criadores trabajen juntos para mostrar este nuevo estandar de raza, el thai.
Personalidad
El thai es extremadamente inteligente, amante de la gente, activo, curioso y dotado de un gran sentido del humor. Vivir con estos gatos es como vivir con niños pequeños. Los thais te seguirán a donde vayas, y tratarán de "ayudarte" con lo que estés haciendo. Además, los thais son "parlanchines", grandes charladores. No necesariamente son de voz fuerte, pero sí son elocuentes. Ellos te recibirán cuando llegues a tu casa, y comenzarán a "hablarte" ni bien pases la puerta. También se comunican tocándote con las patas, o saltando a la cima de tu hombro y poniendo su cara junto a la tuya. Los thais necesitarán respuestas y atención de tu parte; en caso contrario, ellos sufrirán, y si sufren, actuarán en consecuencia. Físicamente, estos gatos son muy fáciles de mantener limpios, no necesitan de un aseo extra. Pero en lo emocional, son de alto mantenimiento. Para aquellos que busquen una compañía cercana, esta es su raza. Será como una amistad que se profundizará con los años, como el buen vino.
El Blog de Amelie es el primer sitio que recolecta, selecciona y edita información sobre la raza de gatos Thai. En él encontrarás fotos y artículos sobre la historia de esta raza, sus características estándar y también acerca de las diferencias que existen entre el Thai (también llamado Siamés Tradicional o Clásico) y lo que nosotros conocemos como Siamés (es decir, el Siamés de Tipo Moderno), entre otros temas.
Amelie's Blog is the first site that gathers, selects and edits information about the breed of cats Thai. Here you will find photos and articles about the history of this breed, and its standard characteristics. Beside, you’ll be able to understand the differences that exist between the “Thai” (also called Traditional or Classic Siamese) and the “Siamese” (the Modern Siamese), and another breeds linked.
![Gato Thai [Thaicat]](http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_do1aGSq4tmA/Sb6b48DbXMI/AAAAAAAAAYc/n0_hr0wJsnM/S187/ilustraci%C3%B3n-thai+3.jpg)
