Kuching is the capital city of the Malaysian state of Sarawak. Located on the large island of Borneo, Kuching is also sometimes referred to as the City of Cats. This is due to the translation of the city’s name in Malay, but Kuching certainly plays up to this name with a variety of cat statues and attractions dotted around the city. An absolute must for lovers of felines, a visit to Kuching Cat Museum is definitely something novel and different!
Imagine everything you can think of related to cat, and you’ll find it in this museum … plus more! Kuching Cat Museum boasts the largest collection of cat-related memorabilia in the whole world – you really won’t be disappointed!
Housed within Kuching North City Hall Headquarters, the best way to access the museum is by taxi. It’s around a 15-minute drive from the city centre. Perched on top of a small hill, you can enjoy great views from in front of the building.
Your cat experience starts right from the minute you enter the museum; as you pass through the turnstiles you will walk through a giant open cat’s mouth! Inside, close to the entrance, you can have heaps of fun transforming yourself into a cat. With an assortment of sizes and colours to choose between, poke your head through the hole to give a cat your face, and have somebody snap a picture for you to giggle at later!
Display cases are packed with cat statues in all different shapes, sizes, and colours, and with exhibits from all four corners of the globe. You can see how cats are viewed in different cultures, as well as the fun and cute role that the creatures often play. You’ll see tiny little figurines and those that are looming and larger than life. Wooden, porcelain, glass, plastic, cloth, and pretty much any other material that you can think of, cats can be made from anything! There are cuddly stuffed cat toys, as well as some actual stuffed specimens of dead cats. A cat grave is simultaneously quite sad and more than a touch bizarre!
There is a large collection of cat posters and pictures, with cartoons, portraits, photographs, and more styles on display. Felines adorn a wide assortment of items, showing that people love cats so much that they are used as common decorations on everyday items. Cat clothing, cat accessories, cat watches, cat bags, cat shoes, cat tea sets, cat plates, cat mugs, cat bedding, cat cushion covers … it’s cat crazy! There are books and magazine about cats, various brands of cat food and cat accessories, cats on stamps, cats on cigarette packets, and numerous items that have used cat images in their advertising and marketing campaigns. It’s staggering to see how much cats have been used on products!
The Cat Cave features life-size statues of various members of the cat family, including domestic cats, wild cats, tigers, cheetahs, and leopards. The sounds of each fill the air, creating the ambience of a truly wild den.
Unsurprisingly, there are several stalls that sell an assortment of cat-related merchandise, allowing you to take a little bit if the cute and kitsch home with you.
There is no admission fee to enjoy Kuching Cat Museum, although you will need to pay a small fee of 3 Malaysian ringgits if you want to use your camera inside the museum.
/// Written by Sarah-Jane Williams, Thailand
