History of Singapura
Singapura is the Malaysian word for Singapore. The streets of Singapore are the origin of this breed. They are nature's combination of both the ticked coat pattern and the dark brown color, both of which are indigenous to South East Asia. The breed was brought into the U.S. in the early 1970s by Hal and Tommy Meadow, expatriates moving home. Early Singapura breeders quickly went to work to establish purebred characteristics such as breeding true, uniformity of appearance, and above all, health and disposition. This careful development of the breed has lead to small numbers of diversified pedigreed cats but one that is widely desired and accepted. Today the breed is worldwide and recognized by most registration associations. In CFA, Singapuras were accepted for registration in 1982 and for championship competition in 1988.
Nature of Singapura
The Singapura's disposition is that of a "pesky people cat,"
an extroverted, curious, playful but nondestructive cat that insists on
helping you with everything. They are very intelligent and interactive
with people and remain so even into old age. Disposition is one of their
most endearing attributes. If you want a cat geared to "four on the
floor," don't consider owning a Singapura.
Feature of Singapura
The Singapura is a smaller than average, shorthaired cat with noticeably
large eyes and ears. On first impression, you might think you were looking
at some new color of Abyssinian. The pattern is nearly the same but on
closer inspection you will note that the only other similarity is the large
ears, everything else is different. The light beige coloring is unique
and thought by some to be similar to cougars. The tail is normal length,
the feet are very small, the body is smaller, of a medium length and should
be muscular. Eyes may be hazel, green or yellow but mature eye color is
not predicable in kittens. Many veterinarians seeing a Singapura for the
first time are apt to think something might be wrong with the kitten since
it is so small. The Singapura is slow to develop and will not attain its
full size until about 15 to 24 months of age. There isn't much difference
in size between mature males and females, females weighing approximately
5 to 6 pounds and males 6 to 8 pounds.
