The California Spangled Cat is a breed of cat that were bred to resemble spotted wildcats, like the ocelot and leopard. Though the California Spangled Cat looks wild, it has no wild blood in its ancestry. They were originally bred in the 1980s and were only ever a rare breed, and were usually expensive, priced between $800 to $2,500. California Spangled Cats are a crossbreed of many strains of cat, including the Abyssinian, American Shorthair and British Shorthair. These cats are generally healthy and require weekly grooming.

California Spangled Cat Origin

The idea for the California Spangled Cat came about in the early 1970s. Inspired by the poaching death of a leopard, the anthropologist Louis Leakey motivated Californian Paul Arnold Casey, Jr. to breed a domestic cat resembling a small leopard, and that this would emphasize how important it is to preserve the leopard. Using only domestic cats, including Abyssinians, American and British Shorthairs, Siamese and spotted cats from Egypt and Malaysia, he began a breeding program to produce a cat that resembled a leopard in miniature. By 1986, he had succeeded, and the cats with the exotic look made their first appearance in the Neiman Marcus Christmas catalog. Casey passed away April 23, 2007 in Los Angeles, California. He was 60 years old.

While there was interest in the cats, they remain rare today. They are registered with The International Cat Association (TICA) and may be outcrossed with domestic long- or shorthairs, Abyssinians, and American and British Shorthairs.

California Spangled Cat Appearence

The California Spangled Cat's strong, tubular body, short spotted coat and “hunter-like” gait give the illusion of wildness. It has a long, lean, somewhat muscular body, a low slung walk, along with those irreplaceable spots. The most desired shape of spots on the cats are round, yet somewhat blockish. Triangular, oval, or square spots are acceptable also. Males weigh 12 to 15 pounds; females 8 to 10 pounds.

These cats have an expressive face highlighted with well sculpted cheekbones. Its almond shaped eyes are expressive and lively. The eyes are  almond-shaped, well-open, set at a slight slant and well apart. Color is from gold to brown, appropriate to coat color; blue in Snow Leopards.

California Spangled Cat has light, large whisker pads. The paws are long and strong. Hind legs form nearly a 90-degree angle, giving the appearance that the cat is sitting back on its legs and lowering the body close to the ground.

Tail is moderately long, with thickness at the base equal to that at the tip. Tail has dark rings and a dark tip on the ground color. Well clad.

Spangles may look wild, but are purely domestic and adore playing and interacting with their people.

California Spangled Cat Colors and Coats

The coa of California Cat is short, except on the belly and tail where it is longer. Spots covering the back and sides of the body are round, square, or triangular in shape and must be well-defined and separate. Stripes on the head, throat, legs, and tail. The top of each foreleg has a dark band. Colors include silver, bronze, gold, red, blue, brown, black and charcoal. The Snow Leopard has a white coat with black markings and blue eyes.

The California Spangled Cats Temperament

California Spangled Cats are affectionate, social, curious, and extremely devoted to their owners. They are big on eye contact and being in on the action. Like its leopard counterpart, the California Spangled Cat likes being in high places so that they can see exactly what is going on. It gets along with other cats but has no objection to being an only cat. Also these cats may or may not be vocal.

California Spangled kitties are known for their well-honed intelligence, athletic abilities, high energy level, and accidental acrobatics. The cats love to pounce and have very sharp hunting skills, they also enjoy games that involve a large participation part by their owner.