Singapura

The Singapura is among the smallest of all cat breeds, and it is named for Singapore, where the local name for its type is kucinta, meaning love cat. The cats lived on the streets and in the drains of the city, and in the 1970s American breeders Hal and Tommy Meadow brought several back and began the breed.

The coat is the first clue. It is a soft ivory with warm brown ticking, a pattern called sepia agouti, in which every hair is banded with dark and light. The effect is a gleaming, antique-ivory look, with a dark outline around the eyes and a soft, glowing shimmer.

The eyes and ears are enormous for the size of the cat. A Singapura has large, almond-shaped eyes in green, hazel or gold, rimmed in dark, and big, wide-set ears with a deep cup. The face is small and rounded, and the body is compact and muscular.

Size is the headline. A full-grown Singapura weighs only four to eight pounds, about as much as a kitten of other breeds, and it is often described as a pocket-sized cat. Despite the size, it is strong, agile and a keen climber.

The personality is playful, curious and people-loving. Singapuras are sociable, and they like to be in the middle of everything, from the laundry to the cooking. They keep a kitten’s energy into old age, and a Singapura often rides on a shoulder, in a pocket or in the crook of an arm.

The coat needs almost no care. Health notes include a pyruvate kinase deficiency, an anemia that can be tested for, and a tendency toward small litters. Choose a breeder who screens, and keep the cat warm and lean. A healthy Singapura commonly lives to about fifteen.