Ocelot

F1hybrids cattery had the chance to see Ocelots, Margays and the Jagurandi in person at the Belize zoo last summer. While in Belize the first thing that I wanted to do was to see the Ocelots, Margays and the Jagurandi. My understanding at the time was that they would be at least slightly larger than a domestic cat. Man was I wrong. When I first walked up upon the Ocelots I was first struck by the fact that the pelt was not that clear of a pattern on the Margay cat. And the Ocelots looked like a savannah crossed with a Bengal, actually when studying the type I really know that you could make a look a like domestic rather easily. The ocelots were amazing in the head shape and very thick tails that are such a pain to archive in a hybrid. I talked with the care takers, it was my immense joy to be the ONLY person at the Zoo!!!!! So I had access to some of the caretakers as they were standing about. Ocelots can be nippy and temperamental like Bobcats, they get overstimulated.

The regular life span if in captivity is up to 20 years but in the wild the are lucky to make it to seven years of age.The ocelot is an endangered species of feline. An ocelot should not be kept as a pet and it is illegal to own an ocelot as a pet for any reason. Not every a rescue can keep an ocelot with out the proper authority to do so. Ocelots pelts were used in the fur trade which has landed them on the endangered species list. The population of Ocelots is estimated at only 800,000 to 1.5 million worldwide. However these estimates can be very inaccurate considering how elusive Ocelots are as nocturnal creatures. Ocelots cats range in color coming from light yellow to reddish gray, with dark spots and stripes. They possess dark stripes on their cheeks and their tails have rings of dark fur which is often black. Ocelots are not sufficiently large felines but they do weigh around 20 to 25 pounds at 20 to 40 inches long. An ocelots tail add another additional 10 to 15 inches to their body length. Ocelots thrive in a variety of habitats but the human is its biggest predator. Long ago they were found in Texas region of the United states. But now that is very rare. Almost every country south of the united states is inhabitant by ocelots since most of those country provide the dense vegetation cover that Ocelots require. Ocelots need dense vegetation because it is a prime hunting ground for the rodents, rabbits, birds and other smaller mammals the ocelot eats for it’s diet. The gestation period for Ocelots is very different from a domestic cat. Which would make a ocelot hybrid impossible. The average domestic cat caries 63 days but the Ocelot female carries for 79 days to 85 days! If you ever see an Ocelot hybrid for sale you should run away very fast because it’s almost a 100% guaranteed scam. Any Ocelot posted for sale is illegal as well, often scams will state “Ocelots, servals, cheetahs for sale” so be very wary. Just like Cheetahs the kittens become independent around a year old but still stay close to mom.