History & Origins

The Singapura originates from Singapore and its name means Lion City, the local Malay name for their island.

The breed is said to be a natural breed displaying the agouti gene which is a combination of genes indigenous to South East Asia.

Tommy Meadow, an American, together with her husband Hal, were the first to import these cats into America in the mid-seventies, having been discovered in the Loyang area. The original cats, Ticle, Pusse, Tes, were to launch the breed under the expert eye of Tommy, with George and Gladys being one of the first generations from Ticle and Pusse. The genepool was further expanded by the import of Chiko into the USA in 1980 and these cats were to set the standard which remains largely unchanged to the present day.

In 1990 the Singapore Tourist Promotion Board adopted the breed as their mascot and after a contest, named the cat Kucinta which means 'Love Cat'. The cat has been named as the National Treasure by the Singapura Government.