Cat Breeds: California Spangled

  The California Spangled is a rare breed of domestic cat created by specific breeding in the 1970s and 1980s to create a pet cat that had much of a wild cat about it. Here is a breed profile. The California Spangled is a breed of domestic cat that has specifically bred for its resemblance to wild cats such as the ocelot and the leopard. They are still a rare breed, with prices per cat anywhere from $800 to $2,500 and have been somewhat overshadowed by the popularity of similar breeds such as the Ocicat and the Bengal.

History
The original breeder of these cats was a physicist and author named Paul Arnold Casey Jnr. He wrote a book in the 1970s after a trip to Tanzania with anthropologist Dr Louis Leakey called ‘Open the Coffin’ where he chronicles both his travels and the work that led to the creation of the California Spangled.

His idea was to breed a domestic cat that looked like a miniature leopard or a house-leopard. One of his motivations was the idea that people would be far less inclined to wear leopard fur if their own cat looked just the same.

He took the scientific approach to creating the breed, making an 11-generation blueprint that began with a female Traditional Siamese and a longhaired, spotted silver Angora. The resulting kittens included a silver male with block spots. To this was added a British Shorthair, an American Shorthair, a spotted brown tabby Manx and an Abyssinian. Each breed was introduced according to his plan and results were computerized. The final generation included street cats imported from Malaysia and Egypt to achieve the wild look.

The breed was introduced to the world in 1986 on the cover of the Neiman Marcus Christmas catalog. Casey also formed the California Spangled Cat Association (CSCA) whose aim was to work on the breed but also promote the protection of the wild breeds that they imitated.

Today there are still only around 200 of the breed in existence and it has proven to be more successful at breeding in other parts of the world than its native USA. It is on course for championship status from The International Cat Association and the American Cat Association having been accepted for new Breed and Color Status. There have also been two International Grand Champions in Europe including one Best of Show in Paris in 1994.

Appearance
The California Spangled has a long and lean body along with a low slung walk much like the leopard. The preferred coat has round, blockish spots while triangular, oval or square spots are also acceptable. The background color of the coat can be bronze, gold, blue, brown, charcoal, red, silver, white or black.

Personality
These cats are said to be very affectionate and devoted to their owners, liking to make eye contact with people and perching in high up places to do this. They are generally very intelligent and like to be involved in what is going on, also be very acrobatic and energetic. They have well honed hunting skills that they demonstrate on their toys around the house and love to play with their owners, particularly being fascinated by moving objects that it can chase and play with.