Where does “Kuching” come from?

Kuching (Malay) comes from Malay kucing, from Classical Malay kucing, from Proto-Austronesian *kutiŋ.

Ancestry of “Kuching”, step by step

Step	Language	Word	Meaning
1	Malay	kucing	cat
2	Classical Malay	kucing	cat
3	Proto-Austronesian	*kutiŋ	—

Kuching — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer