Khaomanee cats
Khaomanee means "white jewel". Some texts refer peripherally to an "all-white" cat called Khao Plord, but with no mention of eye colour, so "Khaomanee" with its odd eyes appears to have been developed independently of the poems, but is nonetheless a popular Thai cat.
White in the temple
I was originally alerted to the existence of Wat Thong Noppakhun by a Thai TV programme by Kantana, "First Sight of Life". This maintained the white cat in the mural at Wat Thong Noppakhun was valid historical evidence for the Khaomanee cat. Looking at it closely, the cat clearly has blue eyes, so there probably were real white cats around at the time, but whether yellow-eyed or odd-eyed as well, we don't know.
Khaomanee kitsch
A Khaomanee cat, in heart collar, buttoned white shirt and blue trews, was chosen as the mascot for the 16th Transplant Games held in Bangkok in 2007, for athletes who have received organ transplants. Here's a small cuddly version and a lapel pin version.
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