OCICAT  |  ORIGINS

The Ocicat originated in the United States.

He is the result of the breeding program of Virginia Daly who, wishing to obtain a tabby point Siamese, crossed a Siamese-Abyssinian hybrid cat with a Siamese male. The result was surprising: she got a completely spotted kitten! Subsequently, several breeders, fascinated by the results of this crossing, worked to fix the character of the breed by crossing Abyssinians, Siamese and later, American Shorthair.

Today, only Abyssinians can still be crossed with Ocicat to diversify the gene pool and it is allowed to do so until 2030.

The breed was recognized by the Cat Fanciers Association as early as 1966, but it took over 20 years for the breed to be shown in competition.

The name Ocicat comes from the contraction of the words "Ocelot" (wild cat with spotted coat) and "Cat" (cat).