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In the mid 1960s, Virginia Daily wanted to create a Siamese cat with unusual colors on the ears, feet, tail and face. The standard Siamese colors were seal-point, chocolate-point, lilac-point and blue-point. Daily hoped to add the dramatic cinnamon/red/rust color of the Abysinnian to the extremities of a Siamese. To this end, she bred a Siamese to an Abysinnian. She took a kitten from that litter and bred it to a different Aby. Much to her surprise, in a litter of five kittens, one had spots. Her daughter thought this wild-looking kitten should be named Tonga, and the first Ocicat was born. In developing the Ocicat breed, the Abysinnian and Siamese were used as foundation breeds. For a short time, the Cat Fanciers Association (CFA) allowed the American Shorthair as an additional outcross, and this introduced the silver gene. To help increase the gene pool, the Abysinnian is still available to Ocicat breeders. The Ocicat was so named because of its similarity in appearance to the Ocelot. But the resemblance is only skin deep. Contrary to their wild look, Ocicats are a totally domestic feline. They're gentle and loving, filled with energy and playfulness, devoted to their human companions and amenable to sharing space with other animals. The Ocicat makes a wonderful addition to any household. If you want a cat that follows you from room to room, sleeps in your lap and on your bed (and under the blanket), you might like an Ocicat. If you cherish a feline that adores you and wants love in return, if you like to interact, play and be entertained for hours, the Ocicat is for you. The Ocicat is of good size, the average female being 7-10 pounds, and the average male 10-14 pounds. Muscular and dense, yet long and lithe, they resemble the wild jungle cats in their body style-sort of like a mountain lion with spots. They have a lovely, wild facial expression with almond-shaped eyes and large dramatic ears. Their spots can be small to large, and the contrast of their spots to the background color can be muted or dramatic. Their colors range in hue and are as varying as human hair shades. Ocicats come in two patterns - the traditional spotted and the classic tabby bull's eye. They can also be of solid color and show "ghost spots" like a black leopard. There are 12 Ocicat colors with such variation that there should be a color to fit everyone's taste. The most common are the dominant colors of chocolate, cinnamon and tawny. Their dilute variants are lavender, fawn and blue, respectively. Each of these six colors comes in a silver variety. The dilute colors are quite magical and make them look like elfish beasts from Middle Earth. The dominant colors are dramatic and feral, and torrid jungle haunts come to mind. According to the latest CFA statistics, the Ocicat ranks 14th in registrations. Though it has climbed high in fanciers, exhibitors and judges' estimations, the Ocicat is still regarded as a minority breed. However, there are many breeders throughout the U.S., and most can be found on the World Wide Web. Sherry DeLony has been showing and breeding Ocicats since 1994 as Ociopia and Moirai Cattery. She has bred several regional winners as well as a national winner in CFA. You can check out Sherry's Ocicats at www.ocicats.com. Back to Features |
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