The Kuching Cat Museum in Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia is a cat-themed museum (or rather “meowseum”), founded on 6 November 1993 by Sarawak Chief Minister Abdul Taib Mahmud and his wife Laila Taib.
The museum is a celebration of Kuching, otherwise known as ‘Cat City’ (Kucing means cat in Malay). The common old domestic puss, Felis Catus, had smooched its way into the hearts of Malay families even before the time of the Melaka Sultanate, authorities believe. One of the museum’s galleries has fascinating accounts of the cat’s role in the Chinese, Japanese and Malay societies.
Historical background
Ancient Egyptians shaved their eyebrows in mourning when the family cat died. Malays attached superstitions to cats believing they possessed supernatural powers. In Medieval times, black cats were associated with witchcraft and there is a Javanese instrument, the saron that is shaped like a cat with extended paws and an open mouth. These are some of the facts found in the Cat Museum, a unique treasure trove of kitty artefacts and memorabilia in Kuching, Sarawak.
Cats even today are the most popular pets kept by Malay families and several beliefs, legends and superstitions are associated with them. In Malay society, for instance, cats were not allowed in tin mines as they brought bad luck. The museum also suggests that some Malays used to believe that an effective method of making rain was to ‘soak a cat in a pan of water until it was half drowned.’ Generally, Malays believe that it is good luck to keep a cat.
Visiting the Cat Museum in Malaysia
There are four galleries in the building, containing over 4,000 artefacts including paintings and memorials related to cats. Exhibits include a mummified cat from ancient Egypt, a gallery of feline-related advertising, and the five species of wild cats found in Borneo.
These artefacts were acquired from the National Museum in Kuala Lumpur and were displayed for the first time on 1 August 1988 at Dewan Tun Abdul Razak, Putra World Trade Centre. There is plenty of cat kitsch among the 4,000 exhibits to amuse, including napping cats, cats in love, teapot cats and even rat-chasing china cats. Kitty stamps are displayed for philatelists, and cat funerals are described for the morbid.
The Kuching’s Cat Museum is the first and largest museum of its kind on the planet and is located on the Lobby Floor of Kuching North City Hall Headquarters on the top of Bukit Siol (Siol Hill) at Jalan Semariang, Petra Jaya, Kuching. It stands 60 meters above sea level overlooking the picturesque view of Kuching City and covers an area of 1,035 square metres.
For those among us who are just hopelessly and unashamedly besotted with ‘the mouser,’ and all things ‘catty’, a visit to the Kuching Cat Museum is a must.
The Kuching Cat Museum is open to the public every day from 9.00am – 5.00pm (EXCEPT PUBLIC HOLIDAY).
The entrance fee is RM3.00 and includes a DBKU Cat Museum keychain.
