Since there was some question on whether the Spotted Ocicats had spotted skin and the Bengals had spotted skin, I threw the question out to other Ocicat breeders for their opinions.
Here's some of the comments (USA and Foreign breeders replies). Interesting reading and its still not settled totally. Your opinions (those that like genetics) are welcome:
"The spots are on the hair shafts, bands of color. No spots on the skin. In silvers you will see less color if that inhibitor gene (the silver gene), has taken more of that color away. If you were to look at a hair under the microscope, you would see several bands of color if the spots are darker. When the girls are shaved to be spayed, bare clean tummies, no spots. That is an important thing to know about your Ocicats"
Ellen
"This has been discussed back and forth for years - In theory since the spotting is based on ticking (agouti) the spots will not go all the way to the skin. But in very tight coats or long bands of ticking it can appear to go to skin. We don't want to give judges excuses to look for hybridization. Bengals do go to the skin and in MOST cases Oci's do not. But that is not proof of hybridization - also a kitten may have spots which go to skin as then as they grow and get adult coat it doesn't.
Jacqui
"Oci's are supposed to be ticked in the coat which means they shouldn't be spotted on the skin - although I have seen Oci's that have more or less solid spots. (The band ticking don't have so many bands on it). The Oci's I have had and others that have been shaved for some reasons has always been "blank" on the skin, no spots on the skin with other words."
Sabina
"I have also asked some judges in Sweden for some years ago about what they felt about "solid spots" as the standard ask for a ticked dot, but they didn't care so much - they just judged the cat as any other and didn't bother so much."
Sabina
"Even a so-called solid spot has to be created by bands of color on the hair. It isn't laid into the hair as a large clump, it will still be bands, I'm sure spots on the skin has to do with how close to the skin the bands of color start on the hair length.
Bengals don't always have spots on the skin either. They are just a spotted tabby too. But the majority of my Ocicats (that I've had shaved, which is or course mostly girls) I have had spots to the skin."
Anne
Here's some of the comments (USA and Foreign breeders replies). Interesting reading and its still not settled totally. Your opinions (those that like genetics) are welcome:
"The spots are on the hair shafts, bands of color. No spots on the skin. In silvers you will see less color if that inhibitor gene (the silver gene), has taken more of that color away. If you were to look at a hair under the microscope, you would see several bands of color if the spots are darker. When the girls are shaved to be spayed, bare clean tummies, no spots. That is an important thing to know about your Ocicats"
Ellen
"This has been discussed back and forth for years - In theory since the spotting is based on ticking (agouti) the spots will not go all the way to the skin. But in very tight coats or long bands of ticking it can appear to go to skin. We don't want to give judges excuses to look for hybridization. Bengals do go to the skin and in MOST cases Oci's do not. But that is not proof of hybridization - also a kitten may have spots which go to skin as then as they grow and get adult coat it doesn't.
Jacqui
"Oci's are supposed to be ticked in the coat which means they shouldn't be spotted on the skin - although I have seen Oci's that have more or less solid spots. (The band ticking don't have so many bands on it). The Oci's I have had and others that have been shaved for some reasons has always been "blank" on the skin, no spots on the skin with other words."
Sabina
"I have also asked some judges in Sweden for some years ago about what they felt about "solid spots" as the standard ask for a ticked dot, but they didn't care so much - they just judged the cat as any other and didn't bother so much."
Sabina
"Even a so-called solid spot has to be created by bands of color on the hair. It isn't laid into the hair as a large clump, it will still be bands, I'm sure spots on the skin has to do with how close to the skin the bands of color start on the hair length.
Bengals don't always have spots on the skin either. They are just a spotted tabby too. But the majority of my Ocicats (that I've had shaved, which is or course mostly girls) I have had spots to the skin."
Anne