Ratings

Breed Introduction

The Ocicat combines the wild vigor of wildcats with the calm demeanor of domestic cats. This breed was developed in the latter half of the 1950s by breeders in the United States, crossing Abyssinian cats with Siamese and American Shorthairs, making it a relatively new breed. It appeared at exhibitions as early as 1994 and was registered in 1996. Although it attracted many admirers, there were also many opponents, but after ten years of pedigree management, it was finally recognized.

American breeders used American Shorthairs to increase the size of the Ocicat and diversify its color varieties, while Europe only began breeding this variety later, using different parent cats, with the first Ocicat kitten born in Europe in 1984.

The spots on its body were carefully cultivated. Except for the tip of the tail, the coat is striped, and it exhibits a distinct spotted pattern throughout. The color of the coat and the color of the eyes can differ, but blue eyes are not allowed. Another important characteristic is its strong and powerful appearance; newborn kittens look like little leopards.

Because of their resemblance to leopard cats, they were named “Ocellette,” and due to their accidental derivation, they were also called “Accicat,” with the name Ocicat derived from the combination of these two words.