Physical Aspects of the Ocicat
The ideal Ocicat is a large, active animal with an athletic appearance. It is very solid and well-muscled and has a short, tight coat with a satin sheen that shows off muscles and spots to their best advantage.
Body
The Ocicat has a powerful body, substantial bone, a level back (or a slight rise from shoulder to tail) and ribs that are somewhat sprung. It is a medium to large breed of cat, with males weighing 6-8kgs at maturity (2yrs), and females 4-6kg. The Ocicat should have an athletic appearance; well muscled and solid, graceful and lithe, yet with a fullness of body and chest.
Head
A graceful, arching neck supports the Ocicat's modified wedge-shaped head, which curves gently from muzzle to cheek and exhibits a mild rise from the bridge of the nose to the brow.
Expression and Eyes
The Ocicat's expression and eyes are compelling. They have large, almond-shaped eyes ringed with mascara markings which angle moderately upward toward the ears and are separated by more than the length of an eye.
Muzzle and Chin
The Ocicat has a broad, well-defined muzzle, with a hint of squareness, that shows good length in profile and betrays no suggestion of snippiness. The chin is strong. The whisker pinch, moderate.
Ears
The ears - alert, modestly large - complete the Ocicat's head. The ears should be set at the corners of the upper, outside dimensions of the head. There is a thumbprint on the tip of each ear.
Coat
With the exception of the hairs on the tip of the tail, each hair on the Ocicat's short, satiny, close lying and lustrous coat has several alternating bands of colour.
Spots
At the places where these bands of colour meet, they make distinctive, thumbprint-shaped markings composed of dark tones on a lighter background.
Lines of spots or barring are less desirable than 'rosettes'. Rows of spots march along the spine from shoulder blades to tail.
Ideally three lines of broken spots should run down the cat's spine. Spots scatter across the shoulders and hindquarters, extending far down the legs.
Large, well-scattered, thumbprint-shaped spots proliferate on the sides. The spots should be obvious from which ever angle the cat is observed.
Tail
The tail is ringed.
Forehead
As with all agouti breeds, there should be a letter 'M' on the forehead.
Tummies
All Ocicats have spotted tummies!
Bracelets & Necklaces
There are broken bracelets on the lower legs and broken necklaces at the throat - the more broken the better.
Coat Colour
The background colour in non-silver Ocicats should be warm no matter what colour the spots. Examples of coat colours
are shown on a separate page - click here to see
Ocicat colours.
