A spotted cat that looks wild but is fully domestic: athletic, outgoing and a little like a dog.
The Ocicat looks like a small wild cat from the jungle, with big dark spots on a light coat. Yet there is not a drop of wild blood in it. It comes from the Siamese, the Abyssinian and the American Shorthair. It is strong, clever and fond of people. Many Ocicats fetch, walk on a harness and come when called.
Devoted to its people, but not clingy or demanding.
Sometimes likes to curl up on your lap, but does not stay there all day.
Loves chasing, pouncing and big jumps.
Athletic and busy, but calmer than the Abyssinian and the Siamese.
Talks when it wants something, but is usually not a loud cat.
Clever and eager: many Ocicats learn to fetch, walk on a harness and come when called.
Greets visitors like new friends, perhaps hoping for a new playmate.
Usually a good friend for children who play kindly. A very busy home can be a lot, though.
Often gets on with a friendly dog that is used to cats.
Does well with other cats and often likes a playmate.
Does not like long days alone. A second pet or someone at home helps.
Can live indoors with enough to climb and play with. A safe garden or run is even better.
The Ocicat has wild ocelot blood, because it looks so much like one.
It is fully domestic. Its ancestors are the Siamese, the Abyssinian and the American Shorthair. There is no wild cat in its family tree; only its name comes from the ocelot.
The breed was planned as a spotted cat from the start.
It was a happy accident. The breeder wanted a Siamese with Abyssinian colours on its points, and then a spotted kitten turned up in a litter.
A cat that looks wild must act wild.
The Ocicat is known as friendly, outgoing and easy to teach. People often say there is a dog living inside it.
In 1964 Virginia Daly in Michigan crossed a Siamese with an Abyssinian. She hoped for a Siamese with Abyssinian colours on its points. A later litter held an ivory kitten with golden spots, Tonga. Her daughter thought he looked like a baby ocelot and called him an Ocicat. A geneticist took an interest, Daly repeated the cross and other breeders joined in. Later the American Shorthair was added, for a sturdier body and the silver colour.
Virginia Daly of Berkley, Michigan, crosses a Siamese with an Abyssinian.
Tonga is born, the first Ocicat. He is neutered and sold as a pet for ten dollars.
Tonga is shown at a show in Detroit, among the 'breeds of the future'.
The American registry CFA accepts the Ocicat for registration, still without show titles.
CFA gives the breed provisional status and America's TICA recognises it fully.
CFA recognises the Ocicat fully: it may compete for championship titles.
The first two Ocicats come from America to Britain.
The European federation FIFe recognises the Ocicat.
Britain's GCCF recognises the Ocicat fully, after preliminary recognition in 1997.
In Britain the striped Aztec is called Ocicat Classic again and rejoins the Ocicat.
An athletic, muscular cat with a fairly long body. It is heavier than it looks, but never coarse or bulky. Nothing about it is extreme.
Just like an Ocicat, but with stripes instead of spots: a butterfly on the shoulders and a swirl on each flank. It is freely mated with spotted Ocicats. In Britain it was called the Aztec for a while.
Recognition: Only Britain's GCCF recognises it, since 2013, and has called it Ocicat Classic again since 2024. FIFe, TICA and WCF only know the spotted Ocicat.
Cat registries write colours as an EMS code. The letter is the colour (n black, a blue, d red, f tortie), s means silver or smoke, y golden, and the numbers tell you about white (01–09), shading (11, 12), the tabby pattern (22–25) or colourpoint (33).
Tawny(n 24)
Chocolate(b 24)
Cinnamon(o 24)
Blue(a 24)
Ebony silver(ns 24)
Chocolate silver(bs 24)An Ocicat is always spotted. Red, cream and tortie never occur, and white beyond the chin, throat and around the eyes and nose is not allowed. Solid, ticked and points count as an Ocicat in no registry; the striped form is the Ocicat Classic in Britain's GCCF.
Tonga, the first spotted kitten, was neutered and sold as a pet for ten dollars. So he never had kittens himself.
The name comes from the ocelot, a spotted wild cat from South America, because the first kitten looked like a baby ocelot.
When a judge is unsure of an Ocicat's colour, they look at the tip of the tail: that colour decides.
An Ocicat is never red, cream or tortie. Those colours come from the orange gene, which no registry allows.
In 2003 a seven-month-old Ocicat kitten won Best in Show at the big cat show in Madison Square Garden, New York.
There is little good research on it. Insurers and breed guides say about 12 to 17 years, sometimes up to 18. Take that as a rough guide.
The retina at the back of the eye slowly wears out. A kitten sees normally at birth, but an affected cat is usually blind between three and five years old. It does not hurt. Thanks to testing it has become uncommon.
How it is found: DNA test of the parents. Two carriers are not mated with each other.
Red blood cells break down too soon, so the cat has bouts of anaemia. It is then tired, thin or has pale gums. Some cats hardly notice it. A kitten only gets it when both parents are carriers.
How it is found: DNA test of the parents. Britain's GCCF requires it for imported Ocicats.
Hard little stones form in the bladder or urethra, and the cat may then pee with difficulty or pain. In a large American study of bladder stones, Ocicats turned up with urate stones far more often than ordinary house cats. Cats aged 4 to 7 had them most often.
How it is found: There is no DNA test. If your cat ever had stones, ask the vet about food and drinking, because they can come back.
The heart muscle thickens, so the heart works less well. It is the most common heart disease in cats. It can turn up in the Ocicat through its parent breeds, but how often is not known.
How it is found: There is no DNA test for the Ocicat. Ask whether heart disease has occurred in the line.
Hardly any work: a rubber brush or a chamois over the coat once a week makes it shine. Trim the nails once a month.
It needs a lot: places to climb, play together and puzzle feeders. It loves a safe garden or cat run.
An Ocicat likes to be part of things. If you are often out for long, a second cat or a cat-friendly dog is a good idea.
It needs no special food. Good food and an eye on its weight is enough. If it ever had bladder stones, follow the vet's advice.
It sheds little, but that does not make it allergy-free. If you are allergic to cats, do not count on it.
Checked on 21 October 2026
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