Ocicat

For cat lovers who is fascinated by the "undomesticated" look. The Ocicat is a beautiful, wild looking cat bred to resemble the wild Ocelot. Judging by appearances, you may think the Ocicat has some wild cat blood in it, but strangely enough, this is not the case. When Virginia Daly tried to create a new breed from the Abyssinian and the Siamese cat, in Michigan, the second generation of this breed produced a single spotted kitten. Virginia's daughter named the spotted cat, Ocicat, and this clever name was later used for the breed. You might think that Ocicat was the father of all Ocicats, but this was not the case, because its owners had it neutered! However, the next litters from Ocicat's parents contained more of these strange wild looking kittens. Other breeders came to hear of this phenomenon and successfully recreated it themselves, also using the American Shorthair, thus the new cat breed, Ocicat was born. The Ocicat breed was recognized by the CFA in 1966.

Because Ocicats don't actually contain any wild genes, their personality highly contradicts their looks. Ocicats are loving, friendly and attention-seeking cats. They are described as being very dog-like in their behavior and can be trained to do various tricks and walk on a leash. Do not acquire an Ocicat if you are not prepared to spend a lot of time with it. Ocicats are high maintenance cats that like all the attention they can get. Grooming wise they don't need much except a weekly brush. Ocicats are generally active, strong and healthy cats.