The Ocicat is a still-rare breed of cat which has spots resembling a 'wild' cat and the temperament of a domestic animal, named for its resemblance to the ocelot .

Despite its appearance, there is no 'wild' DNA in the Ocicat's gene pool. The species is actually a mixture of Siamese and Abyssinian, and later American Shorthairs (silver tabbies) were added to the mix and gave the breed their silver color, bone structure and distinct markings.

The Ocicat will usually live up to 13 years of age, but with proper care and nutrition can live up to 15 years of age.

The Ocicat Cat Origin

The origins of the Ocicat can be traced back to 1964. The first breeder of Ocicats was Virginia Daly, of Berkley, Michigan, who attempted to breed an Abyssinian-pointed Siamese. The first generation of kittens appeared Abyssinian, but the surprising result in the second generation was a spotted kitten, Tonga, nicknamed an 'ocicat' by the breeder's daughter, due to its resemblance to its wild cousin, the Ocelot. Tonga was neutered and sold as a pet, but further breedings of his parents produced more spotted kittens, and became the basis of a separate Ocicat breeding program.

The Ocicat was promoted to provisional status in the Cat Fanciers Association in 1986. At that time, the registry was closed to Siamese and American Shorthair out crosses, although the use of Abyssinians is allowed until 2005. The Ocicat reached championship competition status in both CFA and TICA for the 1987 show season. The breed is recognized in all other registries as well.

The Ocicat Cat Appearance

The Ocicat has a large, long, and muscular body. It is neither stocky nor angular in appearance. The torso is solid, hard and rather long-bodied with depth and fullness.

The head is a modified wedge, slightly curved from the jaw to the cheek and is proportionate in size to the body. The muzzle is broad and well defined with a suggestion of squareness and in profile shows good length. The chin is strong and the jaw firm with a proper bite. The moderate whisker pinch is not too severe. The head is carried gracefully on an arching neck. An allowance is made for jowls on a mature male.

The eyes are large and almond-shaped and angling slightly upwards toward the ears with more than the length of an eye between the eyes. All eye colors are acceptable for this breed, except blue. There is no correspondence between eye color and coat color. Depth of color is preferred.

The ears are alert, moderately large, and set so as to corner the upper, outside dimensions of the head. If an imaginary horizontal line is drawn across the brow, the ears should be set at a 45 degree angle (i.e.; neither too high nor too low). When they occur, ear tufts extending vertically from the tips of the ears are a bonus.

The legs are muscular and fairly long. Feet should be oval and compact with five toes in front and four in back, with size in proportion to legs.

The tail is moderately long, thin to medium in width, and slightly tapered with a dark tip.

The Ocicat is a medium to large sized cat with the females usually weighing up to 5.2kg and the males up to 6.5kg.

The Ocicat Cat Colors and Coats

The coat is short, smooth, and satiny, in a spotted pattern with distinctive marking on the head, spine, legs and tail.

All hairs, except the tip of the tail, are banded. Within the markings, hairs are tipped with a darker color, while hairs in the ground color are tipped with a lighter color.

There are twelve colors approved for the ocicat breed. Tawny, chocolate and cinnamon, their dilutes, blue, lavender and fawn, and all of them with silver: black silver (ebony silver), chocolate silver, cinnamon silver, blue silver, lavender silver and fawn silver. All colors should be clear and pleasing. The lightest color is usually found on the face around the eyes, and on the chin and lower jaw. The darkest color is found on the tip of the tail. Contrast is scored separately.

Ocicats require very little grooming. Weekly brushing is recommended, as it is for any low-maintenance cat.

The Ocicat Temperament

Ocicats are a very outgoing breed. They are often considered to have the spirit of a dog-in a cat's body. Most can easily be trained to fetch, walk on a leash and harness, come when called, speak, sit, lie down on command and a large array of other dog-related tricks. Most are especially good at feline agility because they are very toy-driven. Some even take readily to the water.

Ocicats are also very friendly. They are dedicated to their human families. These cats will typically march straight up to strangers and announce that they'd like to be petted. This makes them great family pets, and most can also get along well with animals of other species. Because of their sociable nature, Ocicats are not suited for people who are away long periods of time, but are happy in a household with other pets.

Ocicats make excellent pets for people who want to spend a lot of time with their cat, but they do require more attention than cats who aren't so people-oriented.