Singapura Available: Playful Champion Line Singapura Cats, Kittens, and information.

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Singapuras, happily unaware of the complicated importation controversy that surrounded them for decades, go right on being what they naturally are: pesky people pleasers. At home in any kind of situation, Singapuras love to be at center stage, and they don't seem to understand the word "stranger," as they are drawn to just about everyone and everything. They're curious, people-oriented, and remain lively, adventurous, and playful all throughout their lives

"Puras" are not quite as active as Abyssinians, but they are very high-spirited nonetheless. They are extraverted, curious, non-destructive in their playfulness, affectionate, almost too intelligent, and seem very much in tune with their favorite humans' moods. They insist on helping you with everything, from the pen in your hand to the keyboard in your lap! A totally charming disposition is one of their most endearing attributes. Their voices are quiet and unobtrusive, and they trust their humans implicitly

The Singapura possesses the dominant ticked tabby gene ta, which produces the alternating bands of color on each individual hair, the same gene that gives the Abyssinian his distinctive ticked coat. The coat color is modified by the Burmese gene cb, which results in a warm sepia brown color, alternating with a warm "old ivory" ground color. This gives the coat a very refined and delicate coloration. Both of these genes are believed to have originated in Southeast Asia. Unlike the Abyssinian, the Singapura's standard calls for some barring on the inner front legs. Adult male Singapuras weigh in at a flyweight of around 6 pounds (2.7 kg), and females tip the scales at approximately 4 pounds (1.8 kg), making them the smallest of all pedigreed cat breeds.

Singapura is the Malaysian word for Singapore. The streets of Singapore are the origin of this breed, known in Singapore, disparagingly, as "drain" or "sewer" cats. They embody nature's combination of both the ticked coat pattern and the dark brown color, both of which are indigenous to Southeast Asia.

The breed was brought into the U.S. in the early 1970s by Hal and Tommy Meadow, expatriates who were moving home. Much controversy arose when claims were later made that these early cats had actually been imported to Singapore from the U.S., but careful investigation by the various breeders' associations for years proved this not to be the case.

Early Singapura breeders went quickly to work to establish purebred characteristics such as breeding "true," uniformity of appearance, and above all, health and disposition of the kittens. This careful development of the breed has led to small numbers of diversified pedigreed cats, and a breed 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.

The Singapura is a much smaller than the average cat, is a short-haired cat with notably large eyes and ears, and a very fine coat. On first impression, you might think you were looking at some new color of small Abyssinian. The ticked pattern is very nearly the same, but on closer inspection, you can note that the only other similarity is the large ears--everything else about the cat is different. The light beige coloring is unique to the breed and said by some to be similar to that of wild cougars. The tail is of normal length with a cropped end, the feet are very small, the body is small, of medium length and well muscled. Eyes may be hazel, green, or yellow, but mature eye color is not predicable from the color of kittens' eyes.

Many veterinarians seeing a Singapura kitten for the first time are prone to thinking that something might be wrong with the kitten because it is so small. The Singapura is slow to develop and does not attain its full size until about 15 to 24 months of age. Additionally, litters tend to be very small, ranging from one to four kittens. Females with only one kitten often must be subjected to a Caesarian section, since they tend to have weak uterine muscles.

Usually breeders place their kittens for sale between twelve and sixteen weeks of age. After twelve weeks, kittens have had their basic inoculations and have developed the physical and social stability needed for introduction into a new environment, showing, or being transported by air. Keeping such a rare treasure as the Singapura indoors, neutering or spaying (unless breeding, of course), and providing acceptable surfaces (e.g., scratching posts) for the natural behavior of scratching are all essential elements for maintaining a healthy, long and joyful life.

Eileen Dipaolo, owner of "Sing-Sing Cattery Singapuras," was very helpful and amusing when I interviewed her for this article. She commenced by saying that her Singapuras are "lively, enchanting, very playful, and very smart-almost TOO smart!" Her own cats have learned to push the "snooze" button on her alarm clock, because they don't like the sound of the alarm. She said that if she wants to be absolutely sure that she gets up right away, she has to put the clock in the drawer in her nightstand so that the cats can't get to it.

Even funnier to me was her story about how her Singapuras have learned to play back the messages on her answering machine, so that she often comes home, sees no flashing light, and thinks that she has no messages, when in fact, she does. They apparently have also mastered just about every kind of kitchen cabinet hardware imaginable, so they pretty much have free run of the house!

These cats are so playful that they will play heartily right up to the end of their lives. Eileen had a visiting "Pura" once that could sit on command, shake hands, and even knew how to use the human toilet. She said that they are endlessly entertaining-but are NOT the right cat for someone who wants a laid-back lap-sitter.

Eileen has been breeding Singapuras for more than twenty years now, so she knows them well. She said that they get along with just about everyone and everything-cats, dogs, children, and that "whole" male Puras (anatomically complete) will even sleep together in a pile, which is not true of the males of most other breeds. She also said that they are like teenagers their entire lives, both from the standpoint of size and disposition, but are easy to care for nonetheless. She mentioned too that the only notable change in the breed overall, since the formal breeding program began, is that the cats have become uniformly lighter in color than they used to be.

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