The Ocicat

Ocicat Cat Info: History

The Ocicat was created by accident by Virginia Daly in 1964. She was trying to develop a Siamese with points the same color as the Abyssinian cat breed. Virginia bred a seal point Siamese female to a ruddy Abyssinian male and the kittens from this breeding all carried the looks of the Abyssinian. She kept a female from this litter that she named Dalai She.

Dalai She was bred to a chocolate point Siamese and in this litter there were Siamese kittens with the Abyssinian points. Virginia Daly repeated the same breeding and to her surprise, a beautiful ivory kitten with golden spots was part of the litter. She named this kitten Tonga. Virginia’s daughter remarked that the kitten looked like an Ocelot and wanted to call him Ocicat – so the name for this new breed of cat was penned. A new breed was however not Virginia’s goal and Tonga was neutered and adopted into a new home. Virginia Daly mentioned Tonga in a letter to geneticist Dr Clyde Keeler. Dr Keeler replied that he was interested in working with breeders to produce a cat similar in looks to the extinct Egyptian Spotted Fishing Cat. He suggested Tonga be bred back to his mother. Obviously this was not possible, but Virginia repeated the breeding and produced a tawny spotted male. This kitten was named Dalai Dotson and he was to be used for this new breeding program. American Shorthair cats were introduced into the breeding program to provide genetic diversity.

Due to personal circumstances, Virginia had to suspend the breeding program until the early 1980’s and other breeders became interested in these spotted cats and started to develop new lines. TICA granted the Ocicat championship status in August 1986.

Ocicat Cat Info: Description

The Ocicat is a large cat breed with a sleek semi-foreign body type. It is well muscled with a short coat. Mature males weigh between 9-14 pounds and mature females weigh between 6-9 pounds. The eyes are large and almond shaped which gives this cat an even more exotic look. The overall impression of this exotic cat breed is one of athletism and grace.

Ocicats come in only one pattern but in a variety of colors such as brown (black), chocolate, cinnamon, blue, lilac and fawn. There is also a silver version of these colors. The colors resemble the tones and shades of jungle cats and silver adds a touch of shimmer. The spots are thumb-shaped and cover the body and is arranged in a bull’s eye pattern. Each hair has several bands of ticking. Cats that are full classic tabby sometimes make their appearance, but they are not eligible for competitions.

The coat of the Ocicat is low maintenance. To remove loose hair, simply run a rubber brush over the coat once a week. You can use a chamois cloth to polish the coat and to keep the coat’s natural luster.

Ocicat Cat Info: Personality & Temperament

The Ocicat is friendly, curious and active cat. They bond very strongly with its family and love to play games or just cuddle in your lap.

This exotic-looking cat breed is very smart and will quickly learn new games.

They are energetic and love to jump onto cupboards and other high places to check out their surroundings.

This stunning cat breed adapts well to new pets and to children.

Due to the Ocicat being a people-orientated cat, you will have to make sure that you do not leave him alone for long periods of time. Should this be the case, consider getting another Ocicat.