Cat breed · Thailand
The Suphalak (Thai: ศุภลักษณ์, RTGS: Supphalak) or Thong Daeng (ทองแดง 'copper') is a cat variety originating in Thailand. It is of a solid reddish-brown copper colored short-haired coat, and was described in a class of historical Thai manuscripts known as the Treatise on Cats or Tamra Maew. It is often considered an ancestor of the modern Burmese breed or a synonym thereof; others recognize it as a color variety of the native Thai cat breed known as Maew Boran แมวโบราณ), while there have been efforts by The International Maew Boran Association (TIMBA) in Thailand to have the Suphalak certified as a separate breed.
According to TIMBA, the Suphalak is a natural breed and should not be confused with the sable Burmese cat, an established American and European created breed which expresses the colorpoint Burmese gene (cb) that results in a dark points on the extremities such as the ears, feet and tail as well as a dark mask on the face.
Behavior: Like other cat breeds originating from Thailand, the Suphalak is notably people-oriented. They are intelligent, affectionate and playful, often taking on more of a dog-like personality and characteristics. They are communicative, active, playful and do not like to be left alone or ignored.
Appearance: The Suphalak's coat color should be a rich and even shade of warm brown throughout the body. The coat color is ideally more of a red-brown rather than a black-brown and does not show tabby markings. The Tamra Maew refers to this color as "thong daeng", or the color of copper. Breeders in Thailand today often compare the coat color to the pulp of the tamarind fruit pod, a common ingredient used in Thai cuisine.
The overall body and head type should be consistent with the native population of domestic cats found in Thailand. The body is medium-sized, muscular and semi-foreign in type. The head type is described as a modified wedge, medium width and moderate length. Neither the body nor head type should be extreme in any way.
The whiskers should be brown, complementing the coat color while the nose leather is a rosy-brown color. The paw pads should be light brown with a pink tone. The eye color is a bright yellow/gold color, described in the Tamra Maew as shining and sprinkling sun rays.
Health Issues: There are currently no known health issues with the Suphalak, as it is a newly developing breed. The Suphalak is, however, susceptible to common genetic diseases which are not breed-specific affecting all domestic cats.
History: Both a description and depiction of the Suphalak first appears in a collection of ancient manuscripts called the Tamra Maew (the Cat-Book Poems) thought to originate from the Ayutthaya Kingdom (AD 1351 to 1767). Over a dozen are now kept in the National Library of Thailand, while others have resurfaced outside of Thailand and are now in the British Library. and National Library of Australia. In addition to the Suphalak, the Tamra Maew also describes other heritage cats of Thailand, including the Wichien Maat (a seal point Siamese with pale blue eyes) and the Korat, which are still bred for preservation in Thailand today and have become popular in other countries.
When the capital city of Ayutthaya was sacked on 7 April 1767 at the end of the Burmese–Siamese War, the Burmese army burned everything in sight and returned to Burma taking Siamese noblemen and royal family members with them as captives. Buddha images were hacked apart for their gold, and all the royal treasures were stolen. Thai legend has it that the Burmese King Hsinbyushin found and read the poem for the Suphalak in the Tamra Maew. The poem describes the Suphalak as being as rare as gold, and anyone that owns this cat will become wealthy. He told his army to round up all the Suphalak cats and bring them back to Burma along with the other treasures. Today in Thailand this legend is told as a humorous explanation as to why the Suphalak is so rare.
The understanding of the name Suphalak, as well as other Thai cats, have continued to evolve in meaning. It has usually been regarded as an ancestor of the modern Burmese cat, and sometimes used as a Thai synonym for the breed, though there have been efforts, led by the Thailand-based TIMBA, to have Suphalak certified as a separate breed. Some breeders now regard all cats described in the Tamra Maew as phenotypic color varieties of the native Thai cat, now known as Maew Boran and registered as an experimental breed with The International Cat Association (TICA) by TIMBA.
