Singapura cat
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The Singapura is the smallest breed of cat, noted for its large eyes and ears, ticked coat, and blunt tail. Reportedly established from three "drain cats" imported from
Singapore Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, borde ...
in the 1970s, it was later revealed that the cats were originally sent to Singapore from the US before they were exported back to the US. Investigations by the
Cat Fanciers' Association The Cat Fanciers' Association (CFA) was established in the United States in 1906. The CFA is currently the world's largest registry of pedigreed cats. Originally headquartered in Manasquan, New Jersey the CFA moved to Alliance, Ohio in 2010. ...
(CFA) concluded no wrongdoing and the Singapura kept its status as a natural breed.


History


Foundation

In 1975, after working in Singapore, Tommy and Hal Meadow returned to the US with what they say were three local brown-ticked cats. These three cats, a pair of male and female kittens from the same litter and another young female, were the foundation used to establish the Singapura. The breed takes its name from the Malay name for Singapore. In 1981 a breeder visited Singapore and chanced upon a cat fitting the profile of the Singapura (with the exception of the tail) in the local
Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals A Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) is a common name for non-profit animal welfare organizations around the world. The oldest SPCA organization is the RSPCA, which was founded in England in 1824. SPCA organizations operate i ...
. The cat was imported to the US and adopted into the breeding program. The Singapura was accepted for registration by the TICA in 1979 for championship competition and by CFA in 1982 and granted championship status in 1988. During this period, breeders found that the occasional litter would have a solid colored kitten, caused by the
recessive gene In genetics, dominance is the phenomenon of one variant (allele) of a gene on a chromosome masking or overriding the effect of a different variant of the same gene on the other copy of the chromosome. The first variant is termed dominant and t ...
for solid color. In a desire for the Singapura to
breed true Purebreds are "cultivated varieties" of an animal species achieved through the process of selective breeding. When the pedigree chart, lineage of a purebred animal is recorded, that animal is said to be "Pedigree (animal), pedigreed". Purebreds b ...
, many breeders chose to do test matings to pinpoint and remove from their breeding programs individuals with the recessive gene. It was discovered that two of the three foundation cats carried this gene.


Controversy

In 1987, while on a cat finding trip to Singapore, American breeder Jerry Mayes discovered importation papers which revealed that the three foundation cats were actually taken into Singapore from the US in 1974. Lucy Koh, a friend of Mayes, made efforts to correct the history of the Singapura presented by the Meadows but that went relatively unnoticed until 1990, when the
Singapore Tourist Promotion Board The Singapore Tourism Board (STB) is a statutory board under the Ministry of Trade and Industry of the Government of Singapore, tasked to promote the country's tourism industry. History The board was first established on 1 January 1964 and w ...
(currently Singapore Tourism Board) started a campaign to use the Singapura as a national mascot. Reporter Sandra Davie was informed of the discrepancy and published an article about it in the national broadsheet ''
The Straits Times ''The Straits Times'' is an English-language daily broadsheet newspaper based in Singapore and currently owned by SPH Media Trust (previously Singapore Press Holdings). ''The Sunday Times'' is its Sunday edition. The newspaper was established ...
''. Because the cats were registered as Abyssinians in the import certificates, and because the Meadows had been breeders of Abyssinian, Burmese, and Siamese, some have speculated that the Singapura is a Burmese/Abyssinian cross and it has even been described as such by CFA Judges. The resemblance of some Burmese/Abyssinian cross to the Singapura, as well as the Singapura's small litter size, which is uncommon in natural breeds, added more doubts to the Meadows' story. The CFA investigated the incident at the request of a Singapura breed club. In the investigation, Hal Meadow told the investigation board that the three cats were grandchildren of four local cats he sent back to the US during a previous sensitive business trip to Singapore in 1971, contradicting the Meadows' earlier claim of the foundation cats' origin. Apparently Tommy Meadow lied about it to conceal the secret trip. The CFA found no wrongdoing and kept the Singapura's status as a natural breed. CFA's Joan Miller said that "Whether they mated on the streets of Singapore or whether they mated in Michigan, it doesn't really matter." Referring to the cat picked up from the SPCA in 1981, she said that "In addition, there is at least one documented cat that is behind many Singapura pedigrees and it was picked up at the pound. Even with none of the cats the Meadows brought in we still have a legitimate cat from Singapore behind our Singapuras." Recent studies in 2007 based on feline DNA showed that there are very few genetic differences between the Singapura and Burmese, adding support to the claim that the Singapura is not a natural breed. Random-bred cats have higher overall genetic diversity than pure-bred cats, Singapura has one of the lowest heterozygosity values in pure-bred cats. The Southeast Asian breeds, including Singapura, form a distinct grouping and at the opposite end of the genetic spectrum from the Western breeds, as depicted by the FCA.


Singapuras in Singapore

The Singapore Tourist and Promotion Board (STPB) proceeded with the decision to use the breed (advertised under the name Kucinta) as a tourism mascot after CFA concluded its investigation. The name Kucinta is an amalgamation of the
Malay Malay may refer to: Languages * Malay language or Bahasa Melayu, a major Austronesian language spoken in Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei and Singapore ** History of the Malay language, the Malay language from the 4th to the 14th century ** Indonesi ...
words ''kucing'' (cat) and ''cinta'' (love) and taken from the winning entry in a naming competition. Incidentally, Kucinta also means "The one I love" in Malay. Sculptures of the Singapura can be found by the
Singapore River The Singapore River is a river that flows parallel to Alexandra Road and feeds into the Marina Reservoir in the southern part of Singapore. The immediate upper watershed of the Singapore River is known as the Singapore River Planning Area, altho ...
. While brown cats with ticked coats can occasionally be seen, few if any resemble the Singapura, with the majority of cats being bobtailed tabbies, tortoiseshells or bicolor, and the move by the STPB is seen by locals to be an advertising move based on the popularity of the breed among tourists at that time. In 2004, the
Singapore Zoo The Singapore Zoo, formerly known as the Singapore Zoological Gardens or Mandai Zoo, is a zoo located on the margins of Upper Seletar Reservoir within Singapore's heavily forested Central Water Catchment, central catchment area. Opened in 1973 ...
hosted a temporary exhibit of Singapura cats in celebration of the nation's 39th National Day. Four Singapura cats were loaned by their owners for the event.


Description


Size

The Singapura is moderately stocky and muscular and is the world's smallest cats, and is best kept as an indoor cat, with a very short and fine coat. A full-grown female usually weighs while the male weighs . The large, slightly pointed, and deep cupped ears together with the large almond-shaped eyes are characteristics of the breed. The tail is slender, slightly shorter than the length of the body and has a blunt tip.


Markings

The breed's coat pattern is that of a ticked tabby. That is, individual hair strands have alternating sections of dark and light color, typically two dark bands separated by two light bands, with a dark color at the tip. The underside, including the chest, muzzle and chin, takes the color of the light bands. The Singapura is recognized by
cat registries A cat registry or cat breed registry, also known as a cat fancier organization, cattery federation, or cat breeders' association, is an organization that registers domestic cats (usually purebred) of many breeds, for exhibition and for breeding ...
in only one color, the sepia agouti, described as "dark brown ticking on a warm old ivory ground color".


Personality

The Singapura is described by the CFA as active, curious and playful. They are affectionate and desire human interaction. They have a tendency to perch on high places, to allow them a better view of their surrounding. The Singapura is playful and smart, and enjoys dog-like games such as fetch.


Price

In 2006, a pet-quality Singapura in the UK cost £1000-1500 while a show specimen can cost upwards of £2000.


Health

Of concern to breeders is the condition known as uterine inertia, an inability to expel the foetus due to weak muscles. This condition was present in one of the foundation cats and appears in some Singapura females today. Individuals with uterine inertia may require deliveries to be made by
Caesarean section Caesarean section, also known as C-section or caesarean delivery, is the surgical procedure by which one or more babies are delivered through an incision in the mother's abdomen, often performed because vaginal delivery would put the baby or mo ...
. Another issue that affects the breed is
Pyruvate kinase deficiency Pyruvate kinase deficiency is an inherited metabolic disorder of the enzyme pyruvate kinase which affects the survival of red blood cells. Both autosomal dominant and recessive inheritance have been observed with the disorder; classically, and mo ...
, which leads to
hemolytic anemia Hemolytic anemia or haemolytic anaemia is a form of anemia due to hemolysis, the abnormal breakdown of red blood cells (RBCs), either in the blood vessels (intravascular hemolysis) or elsewhere in the human body (extravascular). This most commonly ...
. Typical symptoms includes lethargy, diarrhea, lack of appetite, poor coat quality, weight loss and jaundice. A test is available that can determine whether a cat is affected, a carrier, or clear of the disease. Singapuras with PKD can usually live a normal life. Some breeders have shown concern regarding the lack of
genetic diversity Genetic diversity is the total number of genetic characteristics in the genetic makeup of a species, it ranges widely from the number of species to differences within species and can be attributed to the span of survival for a species. It is dis ...
in the breed due to
inbreeding Inbreeding is the production of offspring from the mating or breeding of individuals or organisms that are closely related genetically. By analogy, the term is used in human reproduction, but more commonly refers to the genetic disorders and o ...
caused by a small
gene pool The gene pool is the set of all genes, or genetic information, in any population, usually of a particular species. Description A large gene pool indicates extensive genetic diversity, which is associated with robust populations that can surv ...
. Researchers who completed the 2007 DNA study found that the Singapura (along with the Burmese) have the least genetic diversity among the 22 breeds studied. The possibility of
outcrossing Out-crossing or out-breeding is the technique of crossing between different breeds. This is the practice of introducing distantly related genetic material into a breeding line, thereby increasing genetic diversity. Outcrossing can be a useful ...
with another breed to increase the genetic diversity had been raised among CFA breeders, but not many were receptive to the idea, preferring to use Singapuras from around the world that are not so closely related to the CFA line. In April 2013, UK's
Governing Council of the Cat Fancy The Governing Council of the Cat Fancy (GCCF) is a cat registry, established in 1910 and the largest organisation that registers pedigree cats in the United Kingdom. It was formed from a small number of cat clubs which were registering cats a ...
started allowing outcrossing for the breed. Individuals chosen have to meet certain health and appearance requirements.


References


External links


Singapura Introduction
The International Cat Association (TICA) *
Singapura Cat Club
affiliated to the GCCF {{good article Cat breeds Cat breeds originating in Singapore