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Ocicat Welfare

There are adult Ocicats looking for new homes on the Welfare page, if you think you can offer them a loving home, please take a look

Foreign Breed Seminar

On Sunday, 4th May 2008, a Seminar was held for six of the Foreign Breeds at Mappleborough Green, Warwickshire. These included the Ocicat. The subjects under discussion were the recent changes to the Standard of Points, and the formal introduction of a new breed, the Ocicat Classic.

It was interesting to note that the audiences (three talks were given on each breed), seemed happy with the changes made. These are shown below *

A handsome blue male Ocicat Gr Ch Thickthorn Blue Skipper (Skipper) and a chocolate female Copernicus Crème de Menthe (Mojo), both belonging to Rita Leggett, assisted in the talk.

Picture Above:
Gr Ch Thickthorn Blue Skipper
© Mike Shammas

Picture Left:
Copernicus Creme de Menthe
© Mike Shammas

Because the Ocicat is essentially a spotted cat, the Ocicat classic can only be seen as a different breed. However, in everything but pattern it conforms to the Standard of Points for the Ocicat.

Stacie Shorten demonstrated the pattern on a beautiful chocolate kitten, Ameeka Kestrel Spirit (Kestrel), and then both Kestrel and Yesso Whirlygig (Whirly) were taken round the group, who were very impressed with their beauty.

Picture Above:
Ameeka Kestrel Spirit
© Mike Shammas

Picture Left:
Yesso Whirlygig and
Ameeka Kestrel Spirit
© Mike Shammas

Picture Below:
Thickthorn Calypso
© Mike Shammas

An adult chocolate Classic, Thickthorn Calypso (Jazzy, owned by Stacie) was also present. The Classics do of course occur in all the colours of the Ocicat.

The Seminar was arranged by the Ocicat Breed Advisory Committee Secretary, Hilary Dean, and was very well organised and enjoyable.

Thank you, Hilary!

Rosemary Caunter

All seminar photographs by kind permission Mike Shammas

*From above
The recent changes to the Ocicat Standard of Points are as follows;
Please note: The parts deleted are shown in brackets in italics, with the additions being shown in brackets in bold.

• Head - Modified wedge, longer than it is wide, showing a slight curve from muzzle to cheek, with a visible but gentle rise from the bridge of the nose to the brow.  There is no nose break as such, but a slight dip is seen in profile.  The muzzle is broad and well defined with a definite suggestion of squareness and in profile (delete - is longer than its width).  (add- shows good length).  Strong chin.  Firm jaw.  Broad, level bite.  Moderate whisker pinch.  Head carried gracefully on an arching neck.  Allowance should be made for jowls on mature males.
  
  
• Eyes - Large, (add – full) almond shaped, and angled slightly upwards towards the ears, more than the length of an eye between the eyes.  All eye colours except blue are allowed, with no correspondence between eye colour and coat colour.  Depth of colour preferred.
  
  
• Coat - Short, satiny in texture with a lustrous sheen.  Close lying and sleek, with no suggestion of woolliness.  (add – Allowances should be made for seasonal variation)
  
  
• Blue Silver - Blue spotting on a blue-silver (add – or mushroom silver) ground.  Nose leather pink rimmed with blue.  Paw (73as) pads pink.  Eye rims blue.  Tail tip blue

Withhold All Awards for:

1. (delete - White markings anywhere.  NB (The face, lips, chin and upper throat may appear almost white especially in silvers, and this should not be penalised.)  (add – White locket or spotting, or white anywhere other than around eyes, nostrils, lips, chin and upper throat (except white agouti ground in silver colours.)
2. Blue eyes.
3. Reds, creams or tortoiseshells.
4. Cats with very indistinct spotting

The Ocicat Club - Holland

We would like to wish the Dutch Ocicat breeders every success with their new Club and their Ocicats!

The following Press Announcement was issued by The Ocicat Club Holland...

It was the dream of many Dutch Ocicat breeders to raise an Ocicat breed club in Holland, because this breed is not yet well known in this country.
In march 2008 some catteries have done a lot of work to make this dream come true.
After the obligated visit to the office of notary is the “Ocicat Club Holland” a fact.
And the website has been launched as well.

Some of the activities the club will unfold is:

1. getting people interested for the Ocicat by handing over flyers and presentations at cat shows;
2. inform people by our website
3. launching an digital club magazine for our members
4. bringing  Ocicat owners and breeders in contact with each other
5. together trying to collect health matters to gain a positive way to build up this wonderful cat breed.

We hope you will visit our webpage, and maybe want to join our club.

www.ociclub.nl