Ocicat.

Ocicat. Ocicat, breed of shorthaired cat with a light-colored, spotted coat. Named for its resemblance to an ocelot, the ocicat was developed by a Michigan cat breeder who crossed a female seal point Siamese cat with a ruddy-colored male Abyssinian cat. One of these kittens was crossed with a Siamese to produce Siamese kittens with Abyssinian colorpoints (characteristic large spots of darker fur on the face, ears, legs, and tail). During this process the ocicat was also produced. The ocicat is a long, slender cat with a medium- to large-sized athletic body, powerful legs, and a full chest. An arching neck supports the wedge-shaped head, which has a broad, square muzzle. Large, almond-shaped eyes can be any color except blue, and they slant upward slightly at the outer corners. The ears are moderately large. A long, slim tail tapers slightly to a dark tip. The graceful ocicat has thick, satiny fur with a lustrous shine, which gives it a sleek look. Each hair in the coat has several different colors arranged in alternating bands of light and dark. Spots form where the dark bands are lined up together. An ocicat can be any of many different colors, but all combinations exhibit a light background color with darker spots. The dark shading forms an M-shaped design on the ocicat's forehead with lines that extend over the head and break into spots on the neck. The ocicat can be trained to respond to human commands and will walk on a leash. The Cat Fanciers' Association recognized the ocicat soon after it was developed, but did not grant the breed full breed status until 1987. Microsoft ® Encarta ® 2009. © 1993-2008 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.