Mary Allen
Every day was yesterday: the Singapura cat is a stunning rarity. The color of the cat is very special. But she can do even more!
The house tigers, known as “love cats” in Malaysia, live up to their name: they treat their mistresses and masters with great affection.
Singapura cat owners can also count themselves lucky because there are only a few seriously bred kittens on the breeding market. Getting hold of one is not that easy.
Anyone who deals with the appearance and character of the Singapura cat will quickly understand that this breed is not comparable to other house tigers either physically or in terms of character. Like a young lady, the Singapura cat conquers the world in a spirited way: graceful, intelligent, and very special.
Where does Singapura come from?
The origin of the breed is not difficult to guess: The small city and island state of Singapore is located at the southern end of the Malaysian peninsula. From this small area, Singapura is said to have conquered the world (according to most sources).
However, not all breed portraits contain the same facts about the origin. Sometimes the USA is given as the place of origin of the first breeds.
USA or Malaysia?
There is an interesting story behind this: the two Americans Hal and Tom Meadow, who emigrated to Malaysia, discovered a special breed of cat during a trip. She was noticeably short and completely unknown to them. Declared cat fans, they adopted a kitten and soon began targeted matings. They were enthusiastic about the first breeding successes.
Of course, they took the resulting offspring with them when they returned to the USA in the 1970s. In this respect, both sources are right in their own way: Both those who state Singapore as the home of the Singapura cat and those for whom only the USA can be considered.
An interesting side note is this: cats in Peninsular Malaysia are notorious for their small size. This allows them to live in precincts in the drainage system of cities. For this reason, the cats there are sometimes given the not exactly affectionate name “drain cats”.
Rare four-legged friend with many fans
Young breeds like Singapura often share a fairly small gene pool. The number of individuals is small and often localized. Due to the special feature, however, a large fan base often quickly develops at the same time. This endeavors enthusiastically to become known quickly and to spread the breed further.
Today Singapura is distributed worldwide and also recognized as a pedigree cat. In Europe, the breed was introduced in the 1980s via the United Kingdom. Amazingly, she was only recognized by the FIFe (European Federation of Cat Breeders) in 2014. Genetically, Singapura shares some similarities with Abyssinian, Siamese, and Burmese cats.
What does Singapura look like?
Are you drawn to old photographs that flatter with soft sepia tones? This is how the Singapura cat will appear to you in all its beauty when you meet it for the first time. This cat truly has a unique coloration among cat breeds.
The body
The breed is primarily known for its small size – it is one of the smallest cat breeds in the world. But the first impression is deceptive. The cats make up for their small size with an athletic build and well-developed muscles. Singapura cats are known to be little powerhouses that can jump amazingly high and are anything but fragile.
The fur
The characteristic coat is determined by two factors:
- ticking and
- agouti
Ticking means the banding of the individual hair. Seen as a whole, the animal appears to be monochromatic, but if you look closely at the hair, you can see light and dark bands. Because this banding is not the same all over the body but has lighter and darker areas, a kind of shading is created.
Cooler areas of the body such as the extremities, tail, ear tips, and parts of the face are a few shades darker than the rest of Singapore’s body. This coat pattern is called agouti in technical jargon, darker body ends often also as points.
In fact, the only Singapura coloration described and recognized by breed clubs is Sepia Agouti. Sepia is a warm coat color with beige tones. It makes it seem like the little cat could easily have stepped out of an old photograph.
Kittens are born with a light coat without ticking. Only at the age of two to three years does the full-grown short-haired cat show its final coloring.
In addition to a warm and gorgeous coat color comes a gorgeous texture. You will hardly be able to get enough of stroking the silky short hair of your new friend from the Far East.
The head
In relation to the small body, the head is noticeably large. Maybe it’s the ears with their broad base that give the head a certain bulkiness.
The eyes
Most striking are the large eyes of these cats. They are an indication that their ancestors were primarily nocturnal. They could also hunt underground in poor light conditions. If the legend is to be believed, this happened in the canal system. The eyes of Singapura already show different colors from green to yellow to brown in kittens and are oval in shape.
How big is a Singapura?
In terms of shoulder height, Singapura is one of the smallest cats at around 15 cm. Among the well-known breeds, only the Munchkin is even smaller.
To give you a better idea: the well-known British Shorthair and the Maine Coon are about two and a half times larger. What is interesting about this breed is that the cat does not reach its full size until it is about two years old.
How heavy is a Singapura cat?
The cat weighs between two and three kilograms. A fully-grown female cat weighs under 2 kilograms, with males sometimes weighing up to 2.8 kilograms or even slightly more.
The temperament of the Singapura cat
Have you got hold of one of the rare Singapura? Then you – even as a cat professional – will be amazed at the nature of this velvet paw. She may seem shy at first, but that’s changing. You have to be patient and give her the time she needs.
At first, the cat behaves very reservedly towards its new people, the new pack of cats and the dog. This is not a sign of fear. It just needs some time to warm up. Once she has gained trust, she will demonstrate her loyalty to you and your children on a daily basis. She will accompany you like a dog at every turn. It’s hard to find a more social or even more human-centric breed of cat.
Your Singapura will quickly find and accept her place and rank in the family between children and the dog if present. But her character is only really happy when she can deal with other dogs. It is, therefore, better not to keep them as individual animals, as that would damage their nature.
Four-legged friend with a family wish
A large family with children, several cats, and a dog is best for a Singapura. There should always be something going on within your four walls. Within a short time, she regards and accepts humans, cats, and dogs as her pack.
The Singapura cat, however, is small and delicate. It is therefore not suitable for families with small children under the age of four or five. Even very wild, playful, and dominant dogs are not suitable companions. It takes a sure instinct and a certain gentleness not to frighten the Singaporea.
There is no way this breed would fit into a full-time worker household. They come home tired in the evening and the animal is left to its own devices during the day – a torment for the social cat breed.
Curious and pretty smart
Singapura is very playful and curious in character. His extraordinary intelligence is already evident in the kitten. As the owner of this cat, you will always have a lot of laughs, because she is always in the mood for jokes. If you gift them with intelligence games for cats and a lot of time, you will experience unforgettable years together.
Proper posture of the Singapura cat
In terms of character, Singapura is a real bundle of energy. She, therefore, needs a little more food than is stated on the pack for her body weight. You should definitely talk to your vet about this if housing and care issues arise.
Also, provide your cat with a stimulating environment with opportunities to climb, run, and jump. By character, the cat is very studious, which is why it will easily accept family rules. She also quickly learns to be housebroken. So don’t forget to provide her with an attractive and always clean litter box from the start.
What care does the Singapura cat need?
You won’t need to invest a lot of time caring for your Singapura. It has a silky coat with short individual hairs that do not have a matted undercoat.
Cats like Singapura clean their short hair on their own. They do not need human grooming of fur, ears, and eyes. A gentle brushing every few weeks is sufficient. However, if you find that your cat loves this type of grooming, feel free to pamper her with it more often.
Proper care also includes a species-appropriate diet with food that has a high meat content. Cats need a high level of animal protein in their food for health.
Last but not least, you as the owner must ensure that the cat receives the necessary vaccinations when caring for it. Health is also taken care of in this way.
What are the typical diseases of the Singapura cat?
First of all, inbreeding affects the health and age of this cat. Due to the small number of individuals, there is only a small gene pool. In this way, genetic defects and thus hereditary diseases are passed on more easily from one generation to the next. In addition to a lower life expectancy, inbreeding causes above all immunodeficiency diseases.
How Old Does a Singapura Cat Get?
On average, Singaporea cats live to be around 12 years old. However, if it is carefully bred, the velvet paw can live up to 15 years.
A special feature of this breed is that it is still playful and active even in old age. The cat will retain this endearing trait to the end.
How much does a Singapura cat cost?
As this cat has become better known and more popular in recent years, kitten prices have risen accordingly. Reputable breeders can easily charge upwards of €1,000 and as much as €1,500 for a Singapura.
If the type of breeding is not so important, you can get a Singapura for half or less. However, we expressly advise against this! Even if the price is attractive, the kitten’s health usually suffers soon. It was probably caused by inbreeding between father/sister or mother/son.
Responsible breeders often travel long distances to find non-family breeding cats or tomcats to mate with. In this way, many hereditary diseases can be avoided. The better way is therefore always to either pay more or to do without a purebred kitten. So many beautiful kittens with cuddly cat souls are waiting for a good place in the animal shelter. They give us humans just as much love and trust as any pedigree cat.
What Makes the Singapura Cat So Special?
A special feature of this cat breed is its Malaysian nickname: Kucinta, which means love cat in German. He tells us a lot about the main characteristics of this special and lovable cat. She showers her love on all of her family members—humans, dogs, and cats—on a daily basis.
Because the gene pool of this breed is so small, the representatives of their primordial dam and ancestor are still very similar. When breeding other cat breeds, on the other hand, there is no agreement in a comparison. The “end product” of breeding has already strayed too far from its origin. This is another reason why the Singapura cat is considered one of the most exquisite breeds in the world. Consider yourself lucky if you should soon be able to call such a kitten your own.