Breed of the Month - California Spangled

It’s not very often that a cat breed comes about with a specific social or moral purpose, which is why the California Spangled is such an interesting case – a cat with a moral message…

It was while he was on a trip to Africa in 1971 that Paul Casey (animal advocate, writer and seemingly all-round good guy) discovered that one of the last breeding leopards in the region he was visiting had recently been killed by poachers. Paul immediately decided something had to be done.

After discussing ways of raising awareness about the plight of big cats in the wild, Paul realised that people would have a far stronger emotional reaction to the cause if they could see a wild cat reflected in their beloved domestic pet. Paul’s reasoning was that (unless they had a Cruella De Ville/Monty Burns-like fascination with wearing the skins of domestic animals), people would be less inclined to lust after a fur coat that resembled their pet. Paul set about creating a more manageable version of his much-loved leopard by combining the Abyssinian, Manx, American Shorthair, traditional Siamese, Angora and British Shorthair breeds.

After establishing a stable line, Paul added an Egyptian Spotted Cat and a Malayan domestic cat for the ‘wild’ physical attributes they could bring to the mix.  Once Paul was happy with the result, he called on a group of breeders to help with his cause and established the California Spangled Cat Association (CSCA International) to further promote the breed. When the cats were first advertised to the public in the 1980s, there was a fair bit of controversy surrounding their deliberately engineered development, yet the publicity received ensured that Paul was inundated with orders for this new breed.

Appearance
With its lean, muscular body, spotty coat and hunter’s gate, the California Spangled really does resemble a mini-leopard – one that can’t maul you and eat you for dinner, which is a plus in any pet-choice. The coat of the California Spangled comes in a wide variety of shades and colours due to the mixed bag of breeds used in its creation, although the spots are always well defined and remain the most striking physical attribute of the breed.
Temperament

Don’t let the ‘wild’ physicality fool you… the California Spangled makes an affectionate and devoted pet. Contrary to rumour, there were never any big cat genes included in its creation so there is no need to worry about having a relentless predator or lightning-fast beast out of Africa on your hands. Having said this, the California Spangled does love to play and hunt, and will especially love active games with its human.

It is somewhat ironic that while the breed was established to focus attention on the dwindling of leopards in the wild, the California Spangled is today quite a rare breed itself.

Images sourced from: Dkimages.com and pictures-of-cats.org