Kuching Cat Museum
Home to more than 2,000 exhibits, the Kuching Cat Museum details the historical role cats have played in music, theater, advertising, mythology, and ancient societies around the globe. You won’t find a museum quite like the Kuching Cat Museum anywhere else in the world—an appropriate reality seeing as kucing is actually the Malay word for cat.
The Basics
Highlights of the exhibition include a mummified cat from Egypt that’s believed to be more than 5,000 years old and the world’s only mounted specimen of the Bay Cat, an endangered wild cat endemic to the island of Borneo. A separate exhibit is devoted to the five wild cats of Sarawak, whereas other corners of the facility discuss various types of global cat food and the Broadway musical Cats, and feature a section devoted to Hello Kitty dolls.
Things to Know Before You Go
- Kuching Cat Museum is a great rainy day activity and a must-visit for feline fans.
- The museum is free to enter however there is a small fee for visitors wishing to take photographs of the exhibits inside.
- There are restrooms and a gift shop, where you can buy an array of cat-themed souvenirs, at the museum.
How to Get There
The museum is located at the top of Bukit Siol (Siol Hill) in the Kuching North City Hall Headquarters, from which you can enjoy sweeping views of Kuching. To avoid a strenuous walk to the top of the hill, opt to take the K15 bus or a taxi to the museum.
When to Get There
Kuching Cat Museum is open from Monday through Sunday, 9am-5pm, except for on public holidays such as Malaysia Independence Day. Most visitors find that around one hour is ample time to enjoy the museum.
More Museums in Kuching
As well as boasting a wealth of natural attractions, Kuching is home to several excellent museums. For culture vultures, the biggest draw is undoubtedly the Sarawak Museum—hailed as the best of its kind in Borneo. Here, you’ll find an array of ethnographic and ecological artifacts relating to traditional tribal and environmental life in the state of Sarawak. The Ranee Museum tells the story of Sarawak and the White Rajahs, and is located in the historic Fort Margherita.
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- Astana
- Kuching Old Court House
- Kuching Mosque (Old State Mosque)
- Square Tower
- Kuching Waterfront (Esplanade)
- Fort Margherita
- Sarawak Museum
- Satok Market
- Kuching Cat Statues
- Tua Pek Kong Chinese Temple
- Sarawak Cultural Village (SCV)
- Matang Wildlife Centre
- Kubah National Park
- Bako National Park
- Semenggoh Nature Reserve