The Korat

KORATS IN AUSTRALIA

Elaine Vincent, Ratchasima (Aust) Cattery

2004 CCCA Nat. Judges Conf.

Pauline Armitt & Evelyn Clarke of South Australia imported the first Korats into Australia from America in 1969. They were a male, Jalnas Krah Ma Nee & a female, Sailaway Star. They arrived in Perth on the last voyage to Australia of HMS Queen Elizabeth. While in Bicton Quarantine station W.A, Star gave birth to her first litter but sadly all the kittens died after catching “flu”. Star was also very ill & were it not for the dedication of Mrs Helen Moffat & her vet she would probably have died also.

In 1970 Star had another litter & the only female, Valiant Austra was sold to Mrs Moffat whose prefix was Nah Trang. Later in 1970 Star died which left only two breeding Korats in Australia again, Father & Daughter!

After Star died Jalna Krah Ma Nee became very lonely so Mrs Armitt gave him to Mrs Moffat as a mate for Austra in exchange for a kitten from this mating. (This kitten later died from a twisted bowel) So, for some years to come “Jalna” was the Sire of all Korats in Australia.  Irene Bilney had a kitten from Astra and Jalna which was bred back to Jalna. 

Dr Walter von Habsburg of Sydney had become interested in Korats while on a  visit to Thailand in 1954. He later purchased two Nah Trang females from the  second litter of Jalna & Austra & later imported a total of eight Korats from the USA at great expense.

Around Christmas 1973, Mrs Moffat passed on a letter to Dr von Habsburg from a Mr Russ Ritchie who, along with his Korats was living in Hawaii. Dr von Habsburg began negotiating with Mr Ritchie for the purchase of  two males who were to become the second lot of Korat imports to this country.

It took 15 months for these boys to finally get to Dr von Habsburg. They had to travel across the US where they were held up by snow before the flight to the UK where they spent six months in quarantine to fulfil UK requirements & another six months in an approved boarding cattery to fulfil Australian quarantine requirements. On arrival  in Australia they had to undergo another 90 days in quarantine!

In 1976 Dr von Habsburg imported his second two Korats from the USA, Ch Tru Lu's Toyota of Yowie & Tru Lu's Sunetra of Yowie. Then in 1977 Solna’s Mattis of Yowie
& Solna’s Illka of Yowie arrived from California. Then in February 1977, the last of Dr von Habsburg's imports from the US, Ch. TruLu’s Gad-A-Bout of Yowie & Ch. Tru Lu's Nah Rak arrived.

Dr von Habsburg who bred under the prefix of “Yowie” was a very dedicated breeder & greatly captivated by the breed which no doubt contributed to the survival & continuation of the Korat breed in this country.

Another person who imported a Korat was Mrs Raynor Booker of Darwin in the NT. Her female Kheilan Firousi came from the UK in the mid Seventies & was a welcome addition to her Yowie stock. She bred many beautiful Korats under her “Donrenor” Prefix.

A daughter of Firousi went to Mrs Betty Newton of Perth WA who lateracquired Tru Lu's Gad-A-Bout & Yowie Tukata. From Donrenor Choa Fa Ying, Tukata & Gad-A-Bout, Mrs Newton bred several litters under her “Elrond” prefix during the early Eighties. The three breeding cats were later sent to Qld, most likely to Mrs Del McMillan who bred under the prefix “Eprapah” who, to the best of my knowledge was the only Qld breeder of Korats at that time.  Between 1977 & 1990 there were no further Korats imported into Australia.

Undoubtedly the cat to have made the most impact on Korat breeding in this country would have had to be Jalna’s Krah Ma Nee. Born in the USA in April 1968 he was to live only nine years succumbing to throat Cancer on the 15th June 1976.

Some other breeders who bred with descendants of these early cats were:-

Mrs Rose Preston………….. Istana............. SA
Mr Bill Bryant……………….. Favont………. NSW
Mrs Shirley Grant…………... Scamanda……. VIC
Mrs Beryl Girvan…………… Murndi………… SA
M & R Phillips………………. Miralea………… SA
Mrs R Serong………………. Aberavon……... NZ
Mrs R Ollington……………... Laetare………... Tasmania
Jennie Hetherington……….. Sommerglen…. NSW
Mrs J Raw…………………… Rursai…………. NSW
Lesley & Rex Perkins……… Korye………….. VIC
Mrs Jill Martyn………………. Starok…………. NSW

Irene Bilney ........................IBA...................Vic

Presently there are three Korat breeders in Australia and the Australian Korats that you are seeing on the bench now come predominantly from UK and US lines.