If you think that Singapura cats just had to have naturally originated in Singapore, you are absolutely right. The name actually came from the local Malay name of the island meaning 'Lion City'. Having sprung from cats native to Singapore, they are sometimes referred to as the 'drain cat' of Singapore. Singapura cats made their first debut in the United States sometime in the mid-seventies by a geophysical workboat crew, and the people there just fell in love with them.

Bearing genes indigenous to South East Asia, these cats have both the brown of the Siamese and the agouti or ticked pattern of the Burmese. The end result can be called brown-ticked agouti or sepia agouti, but they both mean that the cat has a warm beige, brown-ticked fur, and that color is the only acceptable hue they come in. The ticking comes from bands of different color that are present on each hair shaft. Their eye color can be yellow, green, or hazel.

A gentle and outgoing cat, these good natured beauties are both mischievous and curious, investigating thoroughly anything and everything, and they very much want to be a part of their owners' activities, making them vigorous cats who love living a lively and active life. Singapura cats love their human owners and actually seem to genuinely need them, a trait common to all Singapuras. They make sensitive, caring friends and seem just like another important member of the family. They also get along wonderfully with other pets.

Singapura males also have a unique quality that usually is not found in most male cats; they love, and actually prefer to live together. While most unneutered male cats would be at each other's throats, fighting constantly, you are more likely to find a bunch of male Singapura studs sleeping all together in a pile. They actually enjoy each other's company, rarely squabble, and are basically non-confrontational. One Abyssinian breeder noted that when her Abys start to spat, the Singapura merely leaves the room. You can't get much more unconfrontational than that.

Slow to mature, the males generally do not begin to breed until around fifteen months of age, while the females usually don't come into heat until after they pass the one year mark. They make excellent mothers and seem to be willing to nurse their kittens forever. Rita Kay Bee, who had been breeding Persians and Exotics for twenty-five years before breeding Singapuras, describes their attitude thus: "The world is my oyster. Get out of my way - I'm going for the pearl and you can't stop me." In other words, they are just like children looking at you with large, pleading eyes, and before you know it, you give them whatever they want.