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A CITY CALLED "CAT" - THE KUCHING CAT MUSEUM
No cat-lover's visit to Malaysia would be complete without a visit to Kuching in East Malaysia. Kuching is located on the River Sarawak in Borneo and is capital of Malaysia's Sarawak state. Quite how it was named Kuching, or "Cat", isn't clear, but according to legend the Englishman Sir James Brooke was given the right to rule Sarawak by the grateful Sultan of Brunei in 1841 as a reward for quelling a local rebellion. Being unsure of the town's Malay name, he simply pointed to the riverside and his local guide, thinking he was pointing to a scavenging feral cat (rather than to the town) said "Kuching".
Kuching contains a cat museum, originally housed as an exhibition in Sarawak Museum. All sorts of cats are covered from the tiger through to the Singapura (Singapore is, after all, just off the tip of the Malay peninsula!). The displays range from cats made of wood, stone, porcelain, pewter or fabric through to posters, greetings cards and stamps. Man’s relationship with cats is traced through history - from Egyptian cat-worship (though most people forget that cat-worship was a local cult, not an Egypt-wide practise) though Middle Ages persecution to the modern exhibits.
The art and literature exhibits include reproductions of Old Masters which depicted cats right through to Louis Wain (1860-1939) and modern artists such as Zoe Stokes. Other areas are devoted to stories and illustrations of famous cat lovers and their cats: Dickens, Churchill and Theodore Roosevelt. One of the most popular exhibits is the one on Cats and Children which range from classic books and toys through to modern cartoons such as Top Cat and Tom & Jerry. Interesting
No cat-lover's visit to Malaysia would be complete without a visit to Kuching in East Malaysia. Kuching is located on the River Sarawak in Borneo and is capital of Malaysia's Sarawak state. Quite how it was named Kuching, or "Cat", isn't clear, but according to legend the Englishman Sir James Brooke was given the right to rule Sarawak by the grateful Sultan of Brunei in 1841 as a reward for quelling a local rebellion. Being unsure of the town's Malay name, he simply pointed to the riverside and his local guide, thinking he was pointing to a scavenging feral cat (rather than to the town) said "Kuching".
Kuching contains a cat museum, originally housed as an exhibition in Sarawak Museum. All sorts of cats are covered from the tiger through to the Singapura (Singapore is, after all, just off the tip of the Malay peninsula!). The displays range from cats made of wood, stone, porcelain, pewter or fabric through to posters, greetings cards and stamps. Man’s relationship with cats is traced through history - from Egyptian cat-worship (though most people forget that cat-worship was a local cult, not an Egypt-wide practise) though Middle Ages persecution to the modern exhibits.
The art and literature exhibits include reproductions of Old Masters which depicted cats right through to Louis Wain (1860-1939) and modern artists such as Zoe Stokes. Other areas are devoted to stories and illustrations of famous cat lovers and their cats: Dickens, Churchill and Theodore Roosevelt. One of the most popular exhibits is the one on Cats and Children which range from classic books and toys through to modern cartoons such as Top Cat and Tom & Jerry. Interesting
1 comment:
Wow, how interesting about the Kuching Cat Museum! And I think it's wonderful that it was named Cat, after a feral kitty. It is always a wonderful thing when humans celebrate and honor us kitties! *smile*
Purrs and snuggles from Marilyn.
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