Singapura cat

History

Tommy and Hal Meadow returned to the United States in 1975 with three brown-ticked cats they claimed were local to Singapore: a male and female from the same litter and another young female. These cats formed the foundation of the Singapura breed, whose name derives from the Malay name for Singapore. In 1981, a breeder visiting Singapore found a cat matching the Singapura profile at the local Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and imported it to the US for the breeding program.

The breed was accepted for registration by TICA in 1979 and by CFA in 1982, gaining championship status in 1988. Breeders discovered that two of the three foundation cats carried a recessive gene for solid colour, leading to test matings to remove carriers. In 1987, American breeder Gerry Mayes found importation papers in Singapore showing the three foundation cats had been taken into Singapore from the US in 1974. Lucy Koh tried to correct the breed's history, but attention grew only after the Singapore Tourist Promotion Board began using the Singapura as a national mascot in 1990, prompting reporter Sandra Davie to publish an article in The Straits Times.

Because the cats were registered as Abyssinians on import certificates and the Meadows had bred Abyssinians, Burmese, and Siamese, some speculate the Singapura is a Burmese/Abyssinian cross, a description used by CFA judges. The breed's small litter size, uncommon in natural breeds, further cast doubt on the Meadows' story.

Characteristics

The Singapura is moderately stocky and muscular with a very short, fine coat. It is the smallest cat breed widely accepted on registries, with females weighing about 1.8 kg and males about 2.7 kg. The breed has large, slightly pointed, deep-cupped ears and large almond-shaped eyes. Its tail is slender, slightly shorter than the body, with a blunt tip.

The coat pattern is a ticked tabby, with individual hairs showing alternating dark and light bands, typically two dark bands separated by two light bands and a dark tip. The underside, chest, muzzle, and chin take the light band colour. Registries recognize only one colour: sepia agouti, described as dark brown ticking on a warm old ivory ground colour.

Health

Uterine inertia, an inability to expel the foetus due to weak muscles, was present in one foundation cat and appears in some Singapura females today, sometimes requiring caesarean section deliveries. Pyruvate kinase deficiency (PKD) causes haemolytic anaemia in the breed, with symptoms including lethargy, diarrhoea, lack of appetite, poor coat quality, weight loss, and jaundice; a test can determine if a cat is affected, a carrier, or clear, and affected cats usually live a normal life.

A 2007 DNA study found the Singapura, along with the Burmese, had the least genetic diversity among 22 breeds studied, raising concerns about inbreeding from a small gene pool. CFA breeders have discussed outcrossing to increase diversity but many prefer using less closely related Singapuras from around the world. In April 2013, the UK's Governing Council of the Cat Fancy began allowing outcrossing for the breed, with individuals required to meet health and appearance standards. The Singapura has one of the lowest heterozygosity values.