Genetics

In the early days of breeding in the United States some Singapura x Singapura matings produced solid brown kittens. An extensive test mating programme was begun in order to establish the genetic makeup of the breed for presentation to the registering organisations, and to establish which cats were carriers of the non-agouti gene.

After extensive test matings to Siamese, Burmese, Abyssinian and blue cats in America, breeders have been able to determine accurately that the genotype for the Singapura should be AA BB cbcb DD ii TaTa. AA denoting Agouti, BB denoting black, cbcb denoting that the cat appears brown not black, DD denoting that there is no recessive dilute, ii denoting that there is no rufus inhibiting or silver gene, and TaTa denoting that the breed is tabby agouti in pattern.  It is certain that no other recessive gene is carried with respect to colour and pattern. In test-mating Singapuras to Burmese, Siamese, and blue cats, the American breeders were able to ascertain not only carriers of the non-agouti gene but, because no agouti Tonkinese appeared, found that there was no Siamese gene being carried in the cats, and by breeding to blue cats found that no blue was being carried.

In 1982 the majority of American breeders opted for the wording in the breed standard to read “...warmer, lighter shades preferred” in reference to colour.  Breeders had inadvertently selected against solid colour carriers by choosing the warmer, lighter cats from the beginning. As a result, after test mating, only seven cats were neutered because they carried solid colours and no blood lines were lost. The most effective method of testing for the non-agouti gene was found to be a Singapura-Burmese cross. It was established that if a Singapura were to give birth to seven ticked kittens after being mated to a Burmese cat, then the chance of the Singapura parent being clear of the non-agouti gene would be 99.2 per cent. (Statistics taken from Roy Robinson's  "Genetics for Cat Breeders”, 3rd edition, Pergamon Press.)  All our British cats originate from this test-mating programme in the mid 1980's, and another later testing by Dr Bella Toga in France in the mid 1990's. And all our cats breed true to only one colour, which is ‘Brown Ticked'.   The Singapura Cat Club Rules state that Members are never knowingly to breed from Singapuras which originate from untested stock, and to re-test the line in question if any litter should contain non-agouti kittens, neutering any carrier cats from the breeding programme. Our objectives are to maintain the integrity of the Singapura breed through selective breeding only within the breed, keeping the physical appearance and only one colour of cat.