OCICAT Breed Profile
This magnificent spotted cat
never fails to steal the show, not to mention the hearts of those fortunate
enough to own them.
The ideal Ocicat
is a large, active animal with an athletic appearance. It is very solid and
well muscled and has a short, tight coat with a satin sheen that shows off
muscles and spots to their best advantage.
The first Ocicat
occurred quite by accident. In 1964, Virginia Daly was working to develop an Aby-pointed Siamese. Her plan was to cross the Abyssinian
with the Siamese and breed the best back to the Siamese. The ivory kitten with
the golden spots was a surprise! Mrs. Daly's daughter named the breed the Ocicat because of its resemblance to the ocelot. When Dr.
Clyde Keeler expressed his desire to see a domestic cat that would mimic some
of the vanishing wild species, the breeding was repeated to produce more Ocicats. They went one step further by introducing the
American shorthair for substance and it's Silver gene.
The Ocicat
was recognized for CFA registration in 1966, accepted into provisional status
in 1986, and Championship status followed a year later. In CFF, the Ocicat was accepted into Provisional status in 1994 and may
be accepted into Championship status for the 1995-96 show season.
Feline enthusiasts have always been
awed by the spotted cats of the wild. Never before was there such an effort to
breed an entirely domestic cat that can offer the spotted beauty of the wild
cats while maintaining the lovely, predictable disposition of the domestic cat.
With so many wild spotted disappearing as their native habitats are destroyed
and invaded, it is increasingly important that this man-made breed can satisfy
people who want something "exotic". So many wild spotted cats have
suffered abuse and destruction. Perhaps the Ocicat
will do its part in preventing the poaching and importation of the endangered
wild cats.
While the Ocicat
looks wild, its temperament is anything but ferocious. It is a lot like a dog
in that it is absolutely devoted to its people. The Ocicat
is not a demanding, clinging-vine type, but is confident as well as dedicated
to its owners. Most Ocicats are also quite
extroverted around strangers, not at all bashful about checking out the
possibilities for a few playmates.
Ocicats are quite bright and easily trained. Many will
fetch, walk on a leash, respond to voice commands and readily adapt to
household rules. Because of their adaptability,
they are a joy to work with and easily get used to
traveling. Their sociable nature may make them less suited than other breeds to
being left alone for long periods of time, but is does make them a good choice
for a household already blessed with other cats or dogs.
Though Ocicats
fill the need for the exotic, they are easy to keep and require no special
care. Their diets are the same as any domestic and their short coats need only
the occasional bathing and grooming. They are not prone to any particular
health problem and their broad genetic background gives them vigor and
vitality.
There has been tremendous controversy
about the genetics of inheritance associated with the spotted pattern. In the
earlier days of the cat fancy, all patterned cats were believed to display one
of the three tabby patterns: ticked, mackerel or classic. The spotted pattern
of the Ocicat is notably different from other spotted
breeds or varieties. While some believe this comes from a different gene, there
is no conclusive evidence and it might be that selective breeding is
responsible for the Ocicat's lovely pattern.
Pricing on Ocicats
usually depends on each individual kitten's bloodlines, type and markings. Many
breeders allow new kittens to be picked up at 8 to 12 weeks of age.
OCICAT SHOW STANDARD (POINTS)
HEAD (25)
Skull 5 Muzzle 10 Ears 5 Eyes 5
BODY (25)
Size 5 Torso 10 Legs and Feet 5 Tail 5
COAT AND COLOR (25)
Texture 5 Coat Color 5 Contrast 10 Eye Color 5
PATTERN (25)
GENERAL: The Ocicat is a medium to large well-spotted agouti cat of moderate type. It displays the look of an athletic animal; well muscled and solid, graceful and lithe, yet with a fullness of body and chest. It is alert to its surroundings and shows great vitality. The Ocicat is found in many colors with darker spots appearing on a lighter background. This powerful, athletic, yet graceful spotted cat is particularly noted for its "wild" appearance.
HEAD: The skull is a modified wedge showing a slight curve from muzzle to cheek, with a visible, but gentle, rise from the bridge of the nose to the brow. 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 mature males.
EARS: 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. When they occur, ear tufts are a bonus.
EYES: Large almond shaped and
angling slightly upwards toward the ears with more than the length on an eye
between the eyes.
SIZE: Medium to large. The Ocicat should have a surprising weight for its size.
Females are generally smaller than males. The overall structure and quality of
this cat should be of greater consideration than size alone.
TORSO: Solid, rather
long-bodied, with depth and fullness but never coarse. Substantial bone and
muscle development, yet with an athletic appearance. There should be some depth
of chest with ribs slightly sprung, the back level to be slightly higher in the
rear, and the flank reasonably level. Preference is given to the athletic,
powerful and lithe, and objection taken to the bulky or coarse.
LEGS AND FEET: Legs should be of good substance and well muscled, medium-long, powerful and in good proportion to the body. Feet should be oval and compact with five toes in front and four in back, with size in proportion to the legs.
TAIL: Fairly long, medium-slim with only a slight taper and with a dark tip.
COAT TEXTURE: Short, fine in texture with a lustrous sheen. Tight, close-;lying and sleek, yet long enough to accommodate the necessary bands of color. There should be no suggestion of wooliness.
TICKING: 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.
COAT COLOR: All colors should be
clear and pleasing. The lightest color is usually found on the face around the
eyes, the chin and lower jaw. The darkest color is found on the tip of the
tail.
CONTRAST: Distinctive markings
should be clearly seen from any orientation. Those on the face, legs and tail
may be darker than those on the torso. Ground color may be darker on the saddle
and lighter on the underside, chin and lower jaw. Penalties should be given if
spotting is faint or blurred, though it must be remembered that pale colors
will show less contract than darker ones.
EYE COLOR: All eye colors except blue are allowed. There is no correspondence between eye color and coat color. Depth of color is preferred.
PATTERN: There is an intricate tabby "M" on the forehead, with markings extending up over the head between the ears and breaking into small spots on the lower neck and shoulders. Mascara markings are found around the eyes and on cheeks. Rows of round spots run along the spine from shoulder blades to tail. The tail has horizontal brush strokes down the top, ideally alternating with spots, and a dark tip. Spots are scattered across the shoulders and hindquarters, extending as far as possible down the legs. There are broken bracelets on the lower legs and broken necklaces at the throat - - the more broken the better. Large, well-scattered, thumbprint shaped spots appear on the sides of the torso, with a subtle suggestion of a classic tabby pattern - - a spot circled by spots in place of the bull's eye. The belly is also well spotted. The eyes are rimmed with the darkest coat color and surrounded by the lightest color. Penalties should be given for elongated spots following a mackerel pattern.
DISQUALIFICATIONS: White locket or spotting, or white anywhere other than around eyes, nostrils, chin and upper throat (except white agouti ground in silvered colors). Kinked or otherwise deformed tail. Blue eyes. Incorrect number of toes. Due to the spotted patched tabby (torbie) cats resulting from the sex-linked O gene, no reds, creams or torbies are allowed. Very rufous cinnamons and fawns may resemble red or cream, but never produce female torbies.
COLORS: Tawny, chocolate,
cinnamon, blue, lavender, fawn, silver, chocolate silver, cinnamon silver, blue
silver, lavender silver and fawn silver.
Text: CFA and Ocicats
International
Standard changes may occur from year to year. If applicable, contact CFA or TICA for a current copy of the standard.