Norwegian Forest Cat vs Ocicat

This breed is marketed as a hardy, naturally-evolved landrace with few health problems, which is true for most individuals, but it carries a rare fatal metabolic disease that kills affected kittens in infancy or early kittenhood, and Cornell's feline health center also lists it among breeds with elevated hypertrophic cardiomyopathy risk — a DNA test exists for the fatal condition and there is no excuse for a breeder not to use it.

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.