California Spangled

		California Spangled
		Translation Francis Vandersteen
		Origin The Californian Spangled is a breed of cat native to the United States.


This endangered cat is characterized by its leopard-like spotted tabby coat.

A brief historical overview

Paul Casey, an American screenwriter, created the breed in 1970. He had just returned from a trip to Africa and wanted a cat resembling a small leopard. He also thought that people would give up wearing fur garments, not wanting to have their own animal's skin on their backs.
To achieve this, he crossed numerous breeds of cat, including Abyssinians, Siamese, American shorthair, British shorthair, as well as Egyptian and Asian stray cats. It took 11 generations to obtain the desired model, and it was in 1986 that the breed was truly launched.
This breed remains extremely rare, as competition from the Ocicat and Bengal, also wild-looking and much more popular, has hampered its development.

General appearance

At first glance, it looks like a small leopard. It's a long, muscular cat. A lack of muscle tone is eliminatory in championships.

Behavior / characteristics

The california spangled is a lively, energetic but very affectionate cat. It is also said to be a good hunter, although it can adapt to life in an apartment. It's also said that it likes to see what's going on and share its life with its owners, with whom it loves to play. However, these traits are perfectly individual and depend on the history of each cat.

Head
Cranial region
Head		The head is medium-sized, rounded, with a slightly rounded forehead and a very slightly marked nose stop.

Facial region
Muzzle		Well developed muzzle with fleshy chin.
Cheeks		Prominent cheekbones, well-developed jaw and muzzle.
Eyes		Medium to large, almond-shaped. They should be wide open and set at an angle. Any color is permitted, provided it matches the coat.
Ears		Medium-sized but rather short. The tip is rounded and the base broad.

Body

Tail

The tail is long and of equal thickness from base to tip.

Limbs

The legs are of medium length, with powerful muscles and good bone structure.
Forequarters

Hindquarters

Feet

Large, round feet with prominent toes.

Coat
Coat and texture		The coat is short, except on the belly and tail, where the hairs lengthen slightly. The only permitted pattern is spotted tabby; any other pattern is eliminatory. Spots may be round, triangular or square, but must be well separated. They are present only on the sides of the body and the back. Fine stripes run down from the head to the shoulders. Legs and tail are also striped.
Color and ticking		All colors are accepted except lila, chocolate and their derivatives, as well as colorpoint coats, which are the sign of an external contribution to the breed.

California Spangled