Appearance and Temperament

The Khao Manee has an amiable temperament and is very sociable. They  love to follow you  around and to be picked up and stroked. They  are  confident without being aggressive. They rarely show fear and with other animals there is  never any question about who is  the boss. They are  also smart,  lively and inquisitive.

Colleen Freymuth writes this about them:

"They are full of life, not dull, they just seem to be able to understand that 'things' have to be done. They have a sense of humour, if that is possible for a cat, they do silly things, then look to see your reaction. The also purr, and I mean purr from the time they see you until you leave and go elsewhere. Even the babies purr at a very young age. I can see the babies that have been born here having total trust in me, but the older ones shipped here, were the same. I cradle all cats like a baby, a position that is not common for a cat to like, and not one of them objects. Oh, it just crossed my mind, one of the new little blue eyed ones, has taken to checking out my hair, as Chow does. The kitten has never seen Chow do this, it is just something that just started a few days ago. And you talk about smart, each and every one knows their name. No confusion at all, and they will talk and talk, but they do not sound like a Siamese, they sound like a cat, if you understand my meaning. They are so eager to please, they look you right directly in the eye, as though saying 'is there something you want me to do?' - and this is a trait of all of them, even the babies, they will look you right in the eye.

I am finding that in each litter, there is a 'haughty' kitten.  Me, me, me, and mine, mine, mine. Kind of stand offish, and aloof,while at the same time, wanting to be loved when 'they' are ready, and not until. I also have noticed, this trait is much stronger in the females, only one male has had this tendency.  Now that we have had several litters, I see where this trait has shown up each and every time, in at least one. One thing that has not changed within the group, no matter how young they are, the purring is immediate, from itsy bitsy little things.  It is so cute, this little thing taking a stand, and weighs only a minute."

The Khao Manee is a solid white, odd eyed, or even eyed, medium sized cat of robust type, with medium bone structure, good muscular development, possessing a solid look along with balance and proportion. They are very strong. The neck, legs, body and tail are neither short nor elongated. They are not extreme in any way. Males will  be powerful, more massive, and proportionately larger than females. The  skin is  pink in color.  

The head, whether viewed from the front or in profile, is a wide, heavy wedge, neither excessively round nor pointed, without flat planes whether viewed from the front or side. The brow, cheek and profile all show clean, strong contours. In profile there is a slightly convex contour to the forehead, from the top of the head to just below the eyes, where a very slight curve or smooth dip gently leads into the straight profile of the top of the nose. Thinly haired patches exist between the eyes and the base of the ears. The female has a more delicate head shape.  

The ears are medium to slightly large in size, alert, cupped forward, broad at the base and rounded at the tips. Hair on the back of the ears is very short and close lying and velvet in texture.

The eyes are large, rounded almond in shape, dominating the face with their extraordinary color and  luminosity. The outer  corners are slightly higher than the inner corners. The. distance between the eyes is  slightly more than the width of one eye. The eyes are set directly forward on the face, not to the sides. Around the pupil is a starburst pattern, which gives the eyes a  "diamond cut" look, which appears and is visible only  in natural  light.  In any artificial light the "diamond cut" appears not to be present at all. The Khao Manee is either odd-eyed, has each eye of different shades of  the same color, or has both eyes of the same color. Eye colors are: pale  ice blue to blue, deep vivid blue, light yellow to yellow or  amber, and light green to green to bright, vivid emerald. The odd eyed cat has each eye of two different colors or each eye of two different shades of the same color. True eye color develops after 3  to 5 months of age. The skin around the eyes is pink.  

The nose is quite prominent. A slight, curve or smooth dip just below eye level, gently leads to full straight profile of the top of the nose The tip of the nose is  blunt, slightly rounded in bone structure and in a straight line with the chin. Length is in proportion to the head. The nose leather is  pink.  

The muzzle is blunt, slightly rounded, not pointed, and medium in  bone structure in  proportion to the head. In profile it is squared. The tip of the well defined chin lines up with  the tip of the  nose in the same vertical plane. The lips and skin around the eyes are  pink. The chin and jaw are neither receding nor unduly massive. 

The body is medium to moderately large in size, solidly built, muscular in development, and presenting a well proportioned. balanced, moderate, solid appearance with good width in bone structure from chest to buttock, giving  the appearance of well  developed athletic shoulders, chest and  hind quarters. They are graceful and symmetrical  in appearance. The broad back is level from the shoulders to the base of the tail. The abdomen is  well muscled with slightly loose belly skin. Adult males have muscular necks and. shoulders and are  proportionately larger than females. 

The neck is medium in length, lithe,  muscular and strong, but not bulky in proportion with the body. Males have a more muscled neck than females.  

The legs are proportionate in length to the body, muscular and strong. 

The paws  are proportionate to the legs and. body and at maturity fairly large. They are rounded  in shape, with the normal number of toes-five in front and four behind. The paw pads are pink in color. 

The tail is of  medium to robust bone structure, proportionate to the body neither long or short, slightly broader at the base, tapering and straight. 

The coat is white in color shiny, thick, satiny, but not tight.  When aroused or agitated the hair stands up and comes together in a center line along  the spine.