A spotted athlete with mascara marking around her eyes

“Ocicat” is a combination of the words “ocelot” (a spotted wild cat of the American) and “cat.” Indeed, this breed has a spotted coat that makes it resemble a small wild cat. In 1964, Virginia Daly, a breeder in Berkeley, Michigan, crossed a Siamese-Abyssinian mix with a chocolate point Siamese in an effort to obtain tabby point Siamese cats. A male in the litter named Tonga and wearing an ivory coat with gold spots was unfortunately neutered. Daly continued her work while other breeders, including Tom Brown, crossed Abyssinians, Siamese, spotted Oriental Shorthairs, Egyptian Maus, and American Shorthairs in order to obtain the Ocicat’s current morphology.

The breed was officially recognized by the C.F.A. in 1986, and T.I.C.A. published a standard in 1988. Outcrosses with Abyssinians are now forbidden. In 1989, the first Ocicats were sent to France. Though popular in the United States, the Ocicat is still very rare in Europe.

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Characteristics

The Ocicat is very lively, highly active, curious, and playful. Despite his similarity to a small wild cat, he is very friendly, gentle, and affectionate. In fact, he will not tolerate solitude.
Ocicats are loyal and exclusive like the Siamese, but they have a softer voice. They are very accepting of children but fairly dominant toward other cats. They adapt easily to new living conditions. They are easy to groom, as they simply require regular brushing.