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THE SINGAPURA
"The best kept secret in the cat fancy!"
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Leonardo da Vinci said "the smallest feline is a masterpiece". That is what the Singapura is. With large almond-shaped eyes, an angelic face, a short, silky coat, and an enchanting personality. Female cats usually weigh 5-6 pounds and males 6-8 pounds. Only one color and pattern called sepia or brown agouti is allowed. The coat is ticked like the Abyssinian's.
The Singapura was probably made in America in the 1970s. Tommy Meadows claimed she used three "drain cats" from Singapore initially. Later custom records were found that showed that the three foundation cats were from the US, not from Singapore. In 1991, Tommy Meadows had to explain this discrepancy. Then she said they were the grandchildren of four unnamed cats she had exported from Singapore to the US before.
There is still controversy and denial surrounding this breed's origins. Tommy Meadows was breeding Abyssinian, Burmese, and Siamese cats at the time. The Singapura probably is a hybrid of these breeds. .
At a board meeting in 1990, Joan Miller stated:
"Everyone generally agrees that the gene pool that created the Singapura has always been in Southeast Asia. Naturally, it came from the Burmese gene pool, the Copper Cat has been there since 1350 that we know of, and the Abyssinian. Whether they mated on the streets of Singapore or whether they mated in Michigan, it doesn't really matter. 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." (1991-1992 CFA Yearbook, 629)
Singapura cats are very rare. Only 144 Singapuras were registered in CFA in 2000, up from 139 in 1999 and 143 in 1998. 2006, only 88 Singapura kittens were registered. The gene pool is very small and no outcrosses are allowed in most associations. Genetic studies have confirmed that the Singapura has become so inbred that the amount of genetic variation is getting dangerously low. The Singapura and Burmese had the least diversity. That tends to lead to higher levels of illness, Lyons said (see citation and source below).
It is very difficult to breed Singapuras. More imports are needed to keep the breed healthy and strong. But the offspring of such cats must have a four- or five-generation
pedigree showing only Singapura ancestors to be registered in most associations.
Using DNA to track the origins of cats:
The Burmese and Singapura breeds had the least diversity, she said, while Siberians had the greatest, along with Norwegian forest cats, Maine coons and Japanese bobtails." More
"The separation of eight breeds, four pairs, was not consistent. Singapura and Burmese, Havana Brown and Siamese, Korat and Birman, and Exotic Shorthair and Persian could not be distinguished as distinct breeds. However, these four breed pairs could be unequivocally differentiated when analyzed independently of other breeds.
Although listed as different, most of these derived breeds vary only by a single gene variant, such as hair length, color patterns, and fur coloration; thus, these derived breeds will likely be inseparable as distinct breeds, as was shown with the Havana Brown and Siamese. The Burmese and Singapura grouping proved to be an additional example of recent breed derivations. The close associations of the Persian and Exotic, the Siamese and Havana Brown, and the Burmese and Singapura resulted in the highest branch supports in the neighbor-joining tree and the inability to separate members of each pair by the genetic markers used in this study. However, it is important to remember that most breeds have a written/oral history in addition to a genetic fingerprint. Cat breeding folklore contends that both Burmese and
Singapura are indigenous to ancient Burma. Folklore also suggests that Burmese cats from the USA were taken to Singapore, purposely bred with native cats, and then, later returned to the USA as the new breed, the Singapura." More
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