Ocicat
Temperament:
*Sociable and Responsive
*Hardy
*Intelligent
*Easily Trained
*Adaptable
"The Ocicat is friendly to strangers, almost doglike in its wish to be with and
please its owners, and loves to play with other animals and children." |
| Head: Modified wedge; broad muzzle, short nose |
| Eyes: Large, almond shaped, slightly slanted toward the ears; all colors except blue |
| Ears: Moderately large, erect |
| Body: Females medium, males large; solid, long, athletic, lithe, sleek |
| Coat: Short, glossy, fine |
| Tail: Fairly long, slim, slightly tapered; darker at tip |
| Patterns: Many colors; agouti banding forms spots darker than background color |
Breed History: Thousands of years ago the Egyptian Spotted Cat roamed the shores of the Nile,
then disappeared into the mists of time, never to be seen again. Unless, of course, you
happen to own an Ocicat, which looks like that extinct spotted cat- but has the wonderful
temperament of a loving housecat.
The Ocicat is the happy, unexpected result of a breeding experiment with Siamese cats by a
Michigan breeder, Virginia Daly. Along the way, a little golden spotted kitten with bright
copper eyes was born. Mrs Daly named him Tonga, and her daughter called him an
"Ocicat" because he looked so much like a wild ocelot. But Tonga didn't fit in
with the Siamese breeding program, so Tonga was sold as a pet. A short time later, Mrs
Daly read an article suggesting that someone should try to breed back the long extinct
Egyptian Spotted Fishing Cat. Excitedly, she wrote back to the author to say she had done
just that- but had nothing to show for it! No matter. She rebred Tonga's parents, and
fortunately another little "wild cat" resulted. By now, Mrs Daly had given up on
breeding Siamese, in order to focus on the new Ocicats. Other breeders soon joined in,
crossing in some American Shorthair to widen the gene pool and give the Ocicat the
athletic, "wild" look we see today. The breed was accepted for championship
status in 1987. |
| Additional Notes: |
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