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Drain Cats

There was a small breed of cat that roamed the streets of Singapore, living in the sewers to escape the persecution it suffered from the people at that time. It was given the name 'Drain Cat' but later, when foreigners visiting Singapore became interested in the breed and began to export them to the USA in the early 1970s a more exotic name was thought-up, and the official pedigree title is now 'Singapura' which is the Malaysian word for Singapore.

The breed was brought into the U.S. in the early 1970s by Hal and Tommy Meadow, who were expatriates coming back home. Singapuras were accepted for registration by the CFA in 1982 and for championship competition in 1988.

The cat is also known today as 'Kucinta, the love cat of Singapore.' This name was introduced by the Singapore Tourist Board in 1991. In 1993 the Singapura Cat became the official symbol of Singapore, and two statues were positioned on the Singapore river, where the breed was said to have originated from.