One of the smallest cat breeds in the world, the Singapura cat is believed to have originated from the little red dot.

Photo: Animals Club

SINGAPORE – The Singapura cat, also known as “Kucinta” is regarded by the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) as one of our national mascots. The feline, despite being very small in size, is rather active and full of ‘personality’, much like the country it was named after.

Breeders and experts have commonly described the breed as particularly energetic and affectionate. Some even describe the cat as a child that never stops moving. The cat is also known to have a long lifespan of 12 to 15 years.

THE HISTORY OF THE SINGAPURA CAT

Photo: Animals Club

SINGAPORE – The Singapura cat, also known as “Kucinta” is regarded by the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) as one of our national mascots. The feline, despite being very small in size, is rather active and full of ‘personality’, much like the country it was named after.

Breeders and experts have commonly described the breed as particularly energetic and affectionate. Some even describe the cat as a child that never stops moving. The cat is also known to have a long lifespan of 12 to 15 years.

THE HISTORY OF THE SINGAPURA CAT

PHOTO: Animals Club

The cat, one of many “drain cats” native to Singapore, was a common sight in the 60s and 70s. The Singapura caught the eye of two American expatriates: Hal and Tommy Meadows. The couple admired the breed’s large eyes, and brown and beige coat. They had no plans to breed the cat at that point of time and only admired their large eyes, and brown and beige coat.

The couple then returned to the U.S. in 1975 and brought back three Singapura cats. Tommy back in the U.S. then started letting the cats breed.

In 1979, The International Cat Association and the Cat Fanciers’ Federation recognized the Singapura as a natural breed that could compete in pedigree competitions.

CONTROVERSY OVER ITS ORIGIN

In 1987, cat breeder Jerry Mayes went to Singapore and chanced upon documents that suggested that the Meadows brought the original Singapura cats from the U.S. in 1974. The ‘drain cats’ they brought back were actually not from Singapore but their own all along.

According to Hal, the original story was to cover up a sensitive business trip to Singapore which he made in 1971. Hal was gathering data for an oil company on his trip and was instructed to keep his whereabouts a secret. From that trip, he brought back four local cats from Singapore and gave them to Tommy, who was a breeder for Burmese and Abyssinian cats. It is argued that the Singapura cat is simply a cross breed between a Burmese and an Abyssinian.

However, an investigation by the Cat Fanciers’ Association (CFA) concluded that there was no wrongdoing committed by the Meadows and the Singapura cat was continued to be recognised as a natural breed.

KUCINTA THE MASCOT

STB adopted the Singapura cat as a national mascot in 1990. A naming contest, ‘Name the Singapore River Cats’ was held for the public to come up with a name for the Singapura cat. The winning entry was Kucinta, an amalgamation of Kucing and Cinta, meaning cat and love in Malay.

A video from Animal Planet gives more details about the Singapura:

Credit: Animal Planet