The Ocicat is a captivating breed, celebrated for its striking resemblance to wild spotted cats. Developed through careful crossbreeding, primarily involving the Abyssinian, Siamese, and American Shorthair, the Ocicat is a domesticated feline that embodies the allure of its wild ancestors. This comprehensive guide delves into the breed’s physical characteristics, accepted colors, and standard requirements, offering insights for both prospective owners and seasoned enthusiasts. If you’re considering bringing an Ocicat into your home or simply admire their unique appearance, understanding their breed standard is key.
General Appearance and Body Structure
The Ocicat is characterized as a medium to large-sized cat, possessing a well-muscled, athletic build that exudes grace and vitality. Its body is solid and substantial, with a noticeable fullness in the chest, yet it remains lithe and agile. The breed’s overall appearance is alert and aware of its surroundings. Females are typically smaller than their male counterparts, a common trait in many cat breeds. When evaluating an Ocicat, judges consider the overall quality and structure of the cat, prioritizing its athletic prowess and balanced conformation over mere size.
Head and Facial Features
The Ocicat’s head is a modified wedge shape, featuring a gentle curve from the muzzle to the cheek and a slight, almost imperceptible rise from the nose bridge to the brow. The muzzle is broad and well-defined, with a hint of squareness and adequate length when viewed in profile. A strong chin, firm jaw, and a proper bite are essential. Moderate whisker pads are expected, without being overly severe. The head is elegantly carried on a gracefully arched neck, with allowances made for jowls in mature males.
Ears and Eyes
Alert and moderately large, the Ocicat’s ears are set at an angle that complements the upper, outer dimensions of the head. Ideally, they should align with an imaginary horizontal line drawn across the brow, positioned at approximately a 45-degree angle. Ear tufts, when present and extending vertically, are considered a bonus. The eyes are large and almond-shaped, angled slightly upward towards the ears, with a spacing between them that is greater than the length of a single eye. All eye colors are permissible, with the exception of blue, and there is no correlation between eye color and coat color; depth of color is preferred.
Coat, Color, and Pattern
The Ocicat’s coat is short, smooth, and satiny to the touch, boasting a lustrous sheen. It lies close to the body, appearing sleek and tight, yet is sufficiently long to accommodate the distinct color banding within each hair shaft, except for the tail tip. A key characteristic of the Ocicat is its “agouti” ticking, where each hair possesses multiple bands of color. This ticking is what creates the thumbprint-shaped spots that are the hallmark of the breed.
Accepted Colors and Contrast
There are twelve accepted Ocicat colors, all featuring darker spots in distinct contrast to a lighter background. The determining factor for color classification is the color of the tail tip. The contrast between the spots and the ground color should be clearly visible from all angles. While facial, leg, and tail markings may be darker than those on the torso, and the ground color can vary from darker on the saddle to lighter on the underside, the contrast must remain distinct. Faint or blurred spotting incurs penalties, though it’s understood that paler colors naturally exhibit less contrast than darker ones.
The recognized Ocicat colors include:
- Tawny (Brown Spotted Tabby): Black or dark brown spots on a ruddy or bronze agouti ground.
- Chocolate: Chocolate spots on a warm ivory agouti ground.
- Cinnamon: Cinnamon spots on a warm ivory agouti ground.
- Blue: Blue spots on a pale blue or buff agouti ground.
- Lavender: Lavender spots on a pale buff or ivory agouti ground.
- Fawn: Fawn spots on a pale ivory agouti ground.
- Ebony Silver: Black spots on a silver agouti ground.
- Chocolate Silver: Chocolate spots on a silver agouti ground.
- Cinnamon Silver: Cinnamon spots on a silver agouti ground.
- Blue Silver: Blue spots on a silver agouti ground.
- Lavender Silver: Lavender spots on a silver agouti ground.
- Fawn Silver: Fawn spots on a silver agouti ground.
Pattern Details
A distinct “M” marking, characteristic of tabby patterns, adorns the Ocicat’s forehead, with markings extending up between the ears and breaking into small spots on the lower neck and shoulders. Mascara-like markings frame the eyes and adorn the cheeks. Rows of round spots run along the spine from the shoulder blades to the tail. The tail displays horizontal brush strokes, ideally alternating with spots, culminating in a dark tip. Spots are scattered across the shoulders and hindquarters, extending down the legs. Broken bracelets adorn the lower legs, and broken necklaces circle the throat. The sides of the torso feature large, well-scattered, thumbprint-shaped spots, with a subtle hint of a classic tabby pattern forming “bull’s eyes.” The belly is also well-spotted. The eyes are rimmed with the darkest coat color and surrounded by the lightest color. Elongated spots that follow a mackerel tabby pattern are penalized.
Permitted Crossbreeds and Disqualifications
For the development of the Ocicat breed, outcrossing with the Abyssinian was permitted for litters born before December 31, 2030, to maintain genetic diversity and desirable traits.
Certain features are considered disqualifying according to the breed standard. These include:
- White lockets or any white spotting, except for areas around the eyes, nostrils, chin, and upper throat (unless it’s white agouti ground in silvered colors).
- Kinked or deformed tails.
- Blue eyes.
- An incorrect number of toes.
- Long hair.
- Due to genetic factors related to the sex-linked O gene, red, cream, or torbie (tortoiseshell-tabby) colorations are not allowed. Very rufous cinnamons and fawns may superficially resemble red or cream but are distinct and do not produce female torbies.
Breed-Specific Color Class Numbers
The following color class numbers are provided for reference and are not an official part of the breed standard. These numbers help categorize the various recognized colors and patterns within the Ocicat breed:
- Tawny Spotted: 0208 (Male), 0209 (Female)
- Cinnamon Spotted: 0210 (Male), 0211 (Female)
- Chocolate Spotted: 0216 (Male), 0217 (Female)
- Dilute Spotted (Blue, Fawn, Lavender): 0240 (Male), 0241 (Female)
- Ebony Silver Spotted: 0212 (Male), 0213 (Female)
- Cinnamon Silver Spotted: 0220 (Male), 0221 (Female)
- Chocolate Silver Spotted: 0226 (Male), 0227 (Female)
- Dilute Silver Spotted (Blue Silver, Fawn Silver, Lavender Silver): 0232 (Male), 0233 (Female)
- All Other Varieties (AOV): 0248 (Male), 0249 (Female) – This category encompasses non-spotted or non-agouti representatives of the breed that do not exhibit disqualifying characteristics, including classic tabby, ticked tabby, solid (with or without ghost markings), and smoke patterns.
The Ocicat’s unique combination of a wild appearance and a domestic temperament makes it a sought-after breed for cat fanciers. Understanding these breed standards ensures appreciation for the distinct qualities that define this beautiful feline.
