Despite looking exactly like a wild ocelot, the Ocicat has zero wild-cat ancestry — it's a 100% domestic breed built from Abyssinian, Siamese and American Shorthair — and buyers drawn to the exotic look should also know it's a breed documented to carry a markedly elevated risk of bladder stones and uterine infections.
Health tests to ask the breeder for
There is no CHIC program for cats. These are the DNA and screening tests that the testing laboratories and cat health bodies name for the Ocicat. A breeder who tests will show the certificates; a DNA result of "clear" for one variant is not a guarantee against the disease.
- Bengal PRA-b DNA test (Langford Vets lists 'Bengal Progressive Retinal Atrophy' for Ocicat/Aztec) screens for early-onset PRA
- Erythrocyte Pyruvate Kinase (PK) Deficiency DNA test (UC Davis VGL / Langford Vets) screens for inherited haemolytic anaemia
- PRA-rdAc (CEP290) DNA test (UC Davis VGL / Langford Vets) screens for late-onset progressive retinal atrophy / blindness (UC Davis VGL lists the Ocicat among rdAc-affected breeds)
When to spay or neuter: by five months, whatever the breed. That is the one answer the AVMA, the feline practitioners and AAHA all give, and the spay and neuter page has why, and the two weeks after.
Sources: langfordvets.co.uk · vgl.ucdavis.edu · vgl.ucdavis.edu. Checked September 2026. Check a breeder has the questions.
Adopt a Ocicat near you
Shelters and rescues list Ocicats and Ocicat mixes on Petfinder. Enter a ZIP code to see who is waiting within 100 miles.
Listings come from Petfinder and open there. Petipedia does not take part in adoptions and earns nothing from them.
Living with a Ocicat
Despite the wild-cat look, this is a thoroughly domestic, dog-like cat that wants a job — fetching, leash walks, and constant interaction for the more energetic individuals. Ocicats don't do well left alone for long periods and do best in a household with company, human or feline, for most of the day.
Health you should know about
- Urate urolithiasis (bladder/urinary stones) — a US review of over 5,000 cases found Ocicats at a markedly elevated risk compared with other breeds, with an odds ratio of roughly 16.8.
- Pyometra (uterine infection) in unspayed females — a Swedish veterinary-insurance study found Ocicats had the third-highest incidence among all breeds studied, at around six times the rate seen in cats generally.
- Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, amyloidosis and progressive retinal atrophy — inherited from the Abyssinian and Siamese founding breeds; now screenable through genetic testing.
Read the full Cat Care Guide first — costs, daily time, and everything a cat needs before you choose a breed.
Sources — 3 references
Last reviewed October 2026. 3 sources listed below. Written and maintained by Petdeals.io. General care information, not veterinary advice — for a sick animal, call a vet.