House of Oci

In 1964 Virginia Daly a noted breeder in Michigan unexpectedly produced the world’s first Ocicat named Tonga.  Tonga was the result of an experimental breeding to produce an Aby-pointed Siamese.   The Ocicats pedigreed ancestors are the Abyssinian, Siamese and the American Shorthair. 

The Ocicat was recognized for CFA registration in 1966 and was advanced to championship status in 1987.  Today’s Ocicats can be seen at many shows and even in other countries were their popularity is increasing.

The Ocicat is a large, well muscled cat who is very graceful, agile, and nimble.  It has the look and feel of a very muscularly athletic wild cat.  Males average 10-15 pounds and females weigh between 6-8 pounds.   Even though they can get large, they remain very muscular and athletic looking.  Their coats are short, tight and give off a satin sheen that shows off their muscled body and spot patterns beautifully.  While the Ocicat is not the only spotted cat in the cat fancy, its spot pattern requirements are distinct.  They should have the distinctive Tabby “M” on the forehead which extends over the head and breaks into small spots when they reach the lower neck and shoulders, splitting into two rows along the spine from shoulder blades to tail.  The spots of the Ocicat should be large well scattered thumbprint size spots.  Mascara markings are found around the eyes and on the cheeks and broken bracelets appear on the lower legs and throat, the more broken the better. The belly should also be well spotted.

CFA Breed Standard

They come in twelve colors that are accepted for show competition.  For simplicities sake let say there are 3 color groups.  The first is the “Main” group, the second is the “Dilute” group, and the third is the “Silver” group.

Main: Tawny, Chocolate, and Cinnamon

Dilute: Blue, Lavender, and Fawn,

Silver: Ebony Silver, Chocolate Silver, Cinnamon Silver, Blue Silver,  Lavender Silver, and Fawn Silver.  (This group is basically silver versions of the "Main" and "Dilute" groups) 

These groups make up the twelve accepted colors of the spotted Ocicat

Even though the Oci looks wild and will fill the need for the exotic, its temperament is far from it.  Careful breeding created the wild looks in Ocicats but not a wild temperament.   Even though they might look like they stepped right out of the jungle they have no wild feral blood in their genetic backgrounds so there is no need to fear unstable, unpredictable temperaments that can some times be associated with wild out crossed domestic cats.  They are very dog like, most being extroverted and social toward people and other household pets.  Ocicats are super affectionate, inquisitive, smart, confident and very outgoing.  They are outgoing around strangers and not at all shy about the possibility of finding a new friend that will pet and welcome them on to a nice warm lap.  They readily adapt to household rules and other household pets.  Most can be trained to walk on leashes, come when they are called, even human toilet training (like Saphira).  They are very playful and an extreme joy to have around.

The Ocicat is a robust healthy cat with hybrid vigor, vitality, and longevity.  The out-crossing between the three breeds gives the Oci a very broad genetic makeup resulting in a predominantly healthy cat.   Ocicats are not prone to any genetic diseases.

Owning one of these special little creatures can quickly become the focus of all your spare time; they are beautiful exotic companions and a great choice for you.   French Writer Fernand Mery said it best! “God made the (domestic) cat in order that human kind might have the pleasure of caressing the tiger”.  Ocicats are easy to keep and require no special care.  Their short satiny low shedding coats require minimal bathing and grooming.