Ocicat Kitten Breed

This spotted breed began in Michigan in the 1960s with an accidental mating oaf Chocolate Point Siamese with a Tabby Point Siamese/Abyssinian hybrid which was then deliberately repeated to provide the foundation stock. Other lines were developed from similar matings in the USA and Europe and some American Shorthair blood was also introduced to add size and silver coloring. Championship status was gained in the USA in 1987 and the breed is now accepted by some European clubs. Though outcrosses to Abyssinians were previously permissible, from the beginning of 1995 only mating to true will be allowed. The resulting cat is of an intermediate type, neither cobby like the American and European Shorthairs nor completely svelte like the Orientals. The coat is tight and close-lying but must be long enough to allow all the hairs except those on the tip of the tail to carry color bands. The pattern is specific. It features an intricate 'M' on the forehead with markings extending over the head between the ears and breaking up into spots on the lower neck. Dark rims to the eyes are surrounded by lighter color and there are lines from the eyes and on the cheeks. There are rows of spots down the spine and from the shoulders to the tail and scattered across the shoulders and hindquarters, extending as far as possible down the legs, with broken necklace son the throat and on the lower legs; the tail has horizontal strokes on top, ideally alternating with spots

Solid, rather long but with depth and fullness, athletic-looking but surprisingly heavy, well-muscled medium long legs and oval feet; tail fairly longhand only slightly tapering.

Modified wedge with a slight curve from muzzle to cheek with a gentle rise from the bridge to the brow; a strong chin; alert, moderately large ears which corner the upper outside dimensions of the head, and with more than an eye width between the eyes.

Large, almond-shaped, angled slightly towards the ears, all colors except blue.

Short, smooth and satiny with a lustrous sheen with no wooliness.

Tawny, chocolate, cinnamon, blue, lavender, fawn, silver; all these in silver forms, all patterned with thumbprint-like spots.