Ocicats
International
January 7, 2011                                                                           Volume 2012, No. 1


Ocicats International is a CFA affiliated breed club dedicated to the Ocicat breed. We strive to increase public awareness of the Ocicat breed and promote the responsible ownership, breeding, registration and exhibition of the Ocicat.


In This Issue:

1. CFA Club Dues

2. Ocicats International Membership dues for 2012

3. Understanding Tabby

4. Dispelling the HSUS Myth

5. Ocicat Breed Booth on Display

6. Follow us on Facebook

7. Membership Application

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

HAPPY NEW YEAR!
 FROM
OCICATS INTERNATIONAL
 


Ocicats International Club Dues and Membership List

Some of you may have seen the recent “Tempest in a Tea Cup” on the various CFA and cat fancy lists related to the lack of notice from CFA reminding clubs of their annual dues and membership list requirements. Just a quick note to assure you that OI paid their 2012 dues with the 2011 show license (as we do each year) and that our membership list was mailed to CFA in plenty of time to meet the January 3, 2012 deadline. Ocicats International is a club in good standing with full voting privileges in CFA. And now that you are assured about that ---- a gentle reminder...

2012 Membership dues for Ocicats International are Now due

Just a gentle reminder to send in your 2012 annual membership dues. Please either send a check made out to Ocicats International care of David Bennett 4167 Wyndham Ridge CT Buford GA 30519 or you can also pay via pay pal at payments@ocicatsinternational.com


Associate dues are $15 – individual, $20 – household, $18/23 – overseas
Voting Dues are $25 – individual, $35 – household, $28/38 – overseas


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Understanding Tabby
Jacqui Bennett

All cats are tabby cats (or so we are assured.) However the term tabby is usually reserved for a cat with a distinctive coat that features stripes, dots, lines or swirling patterns, usually together with an "M" mark on its forehead. The tabby pattern is found in both wild and domestic breeds of cat, as well as among the general mixed-breed population. For the purpose of this article, we will be discussing “agouti tabby” This refers to multiple bands of color on the hairs of the cat making up the pattern and is not to be confused with ghost markings.
In cat genetics, pattern is unrelated to color, and so the tabby coat pattern can show up in combination with a variety of coat colors, including tortoiseshell (Tortoiseshell Tabby cats are often called 'Torbies' although this is not a classification recognized by CFA).

There are four basic agouti tabby patterns that have been shown to be genetically distinct.

Mackerel tabby
The Mackerel Tabby pattern has vertical, gently curving stripes on the side of the body. The stripes are narrow, and may be continuous or broken into bars and spots on the flanks and stomach. Often, an 'M' shape appears on the forehead. Mackerels also feature a 'peppered' nose, where spots appear along the pink tip of the nose. Mackerels are also called 'Fishbone Tabbies' probably because they are named after the fish. Mackerel is the most common tabby pattern

Classic tabby
The classic tabby has body markings are often described as a whirled and swirled pattern with wider stripes that make what are referred to as "butterfly" patterns on their shoulders, and usually a bulls-eye or oyster pattern on the flank. The legs and tail are more heavily barred and the pattern is variable with respect to the width of the bands.

Ticked tabby
The Ticked Tabby pattern has even ticking over the body demonstrated by distinct bands of color on each hair. The Abyssinian and Singapura are two CFA breeds which are only available in the ticked tabby pattern. Residual ghost striping or "barring" can sometimes be seen on the lower legs, face and belly and sometimes at the tail tip.

Spotted tabby
The Spotted Tabby is actually a modifier that breaks up the Mackerel or classic tabby pattern resulting in spots.
 

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Dispelling the HSUS Myth of 420,000 cats

This is from the Feral Cat Project
www.feralcatproject.com
 
The urban legend that one female cat can produce 420,000 kittens in just 7 years is unbelievable and baseless, yet no one seems to question it. But think about it. If feline reproduction were really that successful, then wouldn't we be covered in cats like those old movies with locust clouds invading the African plains?

Why we aren't buried in cats is the same reason that a female turtle lays 400-500 eggs each year. Not all babies survive to reproductive age, and not all adults successfully reproduce. Species with high newborn mortality produce more offspring in order to increase the odds of one individual surviving to maintain the species. Fish lay hundreds of eggs. Birds lay dozens. Mammals bear fewer offspring but still give birth to "extras". It's Mother Nature's strategy. Litters of cubs - cougars, cheetahs, lions, leopards - increase the odds that one cub will survive to perpetuate the species. In the wild or in homes, newborns often don't survive - an unpleasant fact of life, but fact all the same.

According to the studies of wildlife biologist Dr. Michael Stoskopf and his students, the reproductive and offspring mortality rates of feral cats are similar to wild carnivores. In North Carolina feral cat colonies, Dr. Stoskopf documented the birth rate of one female to average six kittens per year and the kitten mortality rate is 75%

FCSNP President, Dr. Christine Wilford, sought expert answers to this question and contacted the University of Washington's Math Department. To calculate the reproductive potential of one female cat, she provided the professors with the scientifically collected data from Dr. Michael Stoskopf 's population studies of feral cat colonies in North Carolina.

Here are the assumptions used for the population projection: One female cat gives birth to six kittens per year. Kitten gender is 50% female, and only 25% of kittens survive to reproductive age. All surviving female kittens become adults and reproduce with the same birth and kitten mortality rates. If no adult cats ever die, how many cats/kittens would there be at the end of seven years?

Within 24 hours, five Math Department professors responded, including one who brought feral cats to FCSNP several years ago! The consensus of these experts based on these assumptions is this: one female cat and her offspring could produce between 100 and 400 cats by the end of seven years. This is astronomically lower than the old estimate of 420,000 and much more aligned with what we see in colonies that we've known across the country.


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Ocicat Breed Booth will be on display at the upcoming CFA Sanctioned Shows

The CFA Ocicat Breed Council will proudly display our breed booth sponsored in part by Dr Elsey’s at the following shows:
 

* Heart O Fire, Concord, NC - February 2012
   
   





 

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Ocicats International is now on Facebook!!!
 Did you know you could follow Ocicats International on Facebook?

Do you know someone who might enjoy joining our club?
 Use this link to fill out a membership application!


Ocicats International is a CFA affiliated breed club dedicated to the Ocicat breed. We strive to increase public awareness of our breed and promote the responsible ownership, breeding, registration and exhibition of the Ocicat.