The Ocelot cat has a yellow/tawny body decorated with irregular black edged dots and stripes of a dark brown colour. The decoration serves as camouflage and makes it possible for the Ocelot cat to stay hidden in jungles and forests. The underlying yellow/tawny coat will vary depending on in which type of environment the Ocelot cat lives. A jungle living Ocelot cat will typically display a dark yellow or even brownish base colour, while an Ocelot cat that live in a more arid environment will benefit from a paler and more cream coloured coating.

The Ocelot cat is perfectly adapted to a life in densely grown environments. It is equipped with big and strong eyes and has a remarkable vision even when light is scarce. They can climb, and like to rest in tress during the day, but most of the hunting takes place on the ground where they feed on rodents and amphibians. The Ocelot cat is night active, and uses odour trails to stalk prey and its keen vision during the final attack. The Ocelot cat will also include small monkeys, birds and snakes in its diet and can also catch fish. It’s a skilled swimmer. If the Ocelot cat gets a chance, it will hesitate to attack domesticated animals like poultry and young pigs. The Ocelot cat will however avoid animals larger than itself, and a majority of the prey is much smaller than the 20 - 35 pound Ocelot cat. This means that adult pigs, dogs, etcetera won’t be considered prey. Wild dogs and coyotes will actually attack Ocelot cats and eat them.

An Ocelot territory can comprise up to 3 square miles and the Ocelot cat will use excrements to mark its territory. The Ocelot cat can be highly territorial and violently defend its territory against any other Ocelot cat. Territorial disputes can even lead to deaths, but some Ocelots seem to accept other members of the same gender during the day when not competing for food. Ocelot cats have been seen resting together in the same tree during the day. Male and female cats can also share the same territory. The male Ocelot cat will travel much longer than the female each night, and a male territory can therefore overlap that of several females. Some sources claim that the Ocelot cat is a solitary animal and that male and female cats meet only to mate. Other sources do however report about males and females forming pairs, hunting together and even produce mewing sounds to stay in touch.

The female Ocelot cat will typically become sexually mature at 18 months, and can continue to breed up to 13 years of age or more. The breeding age span for the male Ocelot cat is usually 15 months to 15 years. Wild Ocelots rarely grow older than 15 years. Breeding will often occur between September and November, but the Ocelot cat can breed during other parts of the year too. The female will arrange a den in a cave, densely grown thicket or hollow tree. Thorny vegetation is appreciated. The gestation period for an Ocelot at is roughly 70-80 days. A typical litter will consist of 2-4 young. A newborn Ocelot cat has closed eyes and a dark coat. When they are around 2 months old, they will start following their mother out of the den. Ocelot kittens stay with their mother until they are 2 years old.

More info on big and small wild cats:

Bengal Tigers
White Bengal Tigers
Royal Bengal Tigers
Bengal Tigers Facts
Jaguar Animal - Jaguar Cats
Black Jaguar (Animal)
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Ocelot
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Siberian Tiger Fact
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Snow Leopard Fact
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White Tigers
White Bengal Tigers
White Siberian Tigers
Baby White Tigers