Californian spangled

Paul Casey, an American screenwriter, created the breed in the 1970s. He had just returned from a trip to Africa and wanted a cat resembling a small leopard. He also thought that people would give up wearing fur clothes not wanting to have the skin of their own animal on their back. For this he crossed many cat breeds including Abyssinians, Siamese, American Shorthair, British Shorthair as well as stray Egyptian and Asian cats. It took 11 generations to achieve the desired model and so it was in 1986 that the breed was truly launched. This breed remains extremely rare because the competition from the Ocicat and the Bengal, also with a wild look and much more popular, slowed down its development.

The Californian Spangled would be a lively, energetic but very affectionate cat. It would also be a good hunter but adapting even so to apartment life. It is also said that it loves to see everything that happens and share its life with its owners with whom it loves to play. These character traits remain however perfectly individual and are functions of each cat's history.

It looks at first sight like a small leopard. It is a lean cat, well muscled. An absence of muscle tone is eliminated in championship. The legs are of medium length with powerful muscles and well-developed skeletal structure. At the end, the feet are large and round with prominent toes. The tail is long and of equal thickness from the base to its tip. Its head is of medium size, rounded, with a slightly convex forehead and the nose stop very slightly marked. The cheekbones are prominent and the jaw and muzzle are well developed. The muzzle is well developed with a fleshy chin. The eyes are medium to large and almond-shaped. They must be wide open and placed obliquely. All colors are allowed provided it is suited to that of the coat. The ears are medium-sized but rather short. The tip is rounded and the base broad. The coat is short except for the belly and tail where the hairs lengthen slightly. The only permitted pattern is spotted tabby, any other pattern is eliminated. The spots can be round, triangular or square but must be well separated. They are only present on the sides of the body and the back. Fine lines descend from the head to the shoulders. The legs and tail are also striped. All colors are accepted except lilac, chocolate and their derivatives as well as colorpoint coats which are a sign of external input to the breed. No cross with another breed is allowed.