Cat fountain statues, cat graffiti, and cat cafés—cats are everywhere in Malaysia’s “Cat City”

▲Cat City Kuching, Malaysia. (Photo / Wikimedia Commons)

By Rita

Kuching, a city in Sarawak, Malaysia, has long been known as the “Cat City.” Visitors to this area can see traces of cats all over town, from sidewalks and traffic signs to parks.

According to the entertainment website Planet Fun,many of the cat statues in Kuching were installed by local cat lovers. The city has historical ties to cats dating back centuries, and it’s said that “Kuching” means “cat” in the Malay language.

▲Cat City Kuching, Malaysia. (Photo /sarawakborneotour)

In Kuching, visitors can find cat fountains, cat statues, cat graffiti, cat cafés, and various cat-themed souvenirs. Interestingly, the acronym of a local university—Sarawak International College of Technology (I-CAT)—also references cats. Those wanting to learn more about felines can visit the Cat Museum, which houses 4,000 cat-related artifacts, allowing visitors to explore the history of cats dating back to ancient Egypt.

Another story behind the city’s cat connection involves the 1950s, when a malaria outbreak killed many people in Borneo. To combat the disease, the government used excessive amounts of pesticides to kill mosquitoes, which also led to the near-extinction of the island’s cat population. This resulted in a rodent infestation, so the British Royal Air Force dropped over 10,000 cats from airplanes to solve the problem—thus deepening Kuching’s ties to cats.