Ocicat

The Ocicat was created in 1964 in the United States by a breeder, Virginia Daly. She wished to obtain Siamese tabby point and for this crossed a mixed Abyssinian-Siamese with a chocolate Siamese. Among the kittens in the litter, she obtained a male with a very original coat reminiscent of an ocelot. It was nevertheless neutered. Meanwhile, other breeders crossed Abyssinians, Siamese, Orientals, Egyptian Maus and American Shorthairs to obtain a cat resembling the current Ocicat. The breed was thus named "Ocicat", from the contraction between "ocelot" and "cat". TICA and CFA recognized the breed in 1986. The first Ocicat arrived in France in 1989, but remained rare there, unlike its country of origin where it is very popular.

Character traits are not described in the standards and constitute temperaments generally observed in the breed. They remain perfectly individual and vary with each cat's history. The Ocicat is described as a cat that is sociable with humans and other animals, affectionate and very active. It would tolerate solitude poorly and it is also the term "dog-cat" that often describes it. It would be as affectionate as the Siamese but not as expressive.

The Ocicat is a medium-sized cat, with a fairly balanced profile of medioligne type. The body is long, with a straight back and hindquarters slightly longer than the front quarters. Its powerful musculature gives it the appearance of an athlete. The legs are of medium length and well muscled, the feet are oval and proportional to the body. The tail is medium to long, quite thick at its base and tapers toward the tip. The head forms a softened triangle from the front, with marked cheekbones and a square muzzle. If looked at from the side, one can notice a slight hollow between the forehead and nose but there should be no sharp break. The eyes are oval, well spaced from each other and placed slightly to the side. All colors are accepted except blue. The ears are medium-sized with, preferably, plumes at the tip. The coat is short, close to the body. The hair is fine but dense. The only authorized pattern is spotted tabby. The breed has seven colors: brown (genetically black), blue, chocolate, lilac, cinnamon and fawn. Each variety presents dark spots in agreement with the rest of the coat, which is lighter. The latter is made up of hairs marked with ticking, that is an alternation, on the same hair, of light bands and dark bands. Somewhat apart, the silver variety exists in the six varieties mentioned above. The particularity of a silver Ocicat is its very light base coat, almost white, which reinforces the contrast with the spots.