Jeanne Saliss, age 12 of  Penna., for her question:

What is an ocelot?

Some say the ocelot is the most handsome member of the cat family. He is a native of South America and not much larger than a house cat. In fact, the ocelot is becoming quite fashionable as a pet. He is still somewhat wild, because until recently he was a jungle animal. Ocelot owners, however, hope and believe that in a few generations he will become a tame and friendly addition to the pet family.

The ocelot looks very much like a rather ornamental, overgrown house cat. He has the same lithe, handsome body, long tail and the same sweet pussycat expression. However, no house cat ever had such a gaudy decor. The base color of his soft coat is pearly buff. This background is ornamented with outstanding black designs. There may be dots, blotches or circles. These marks are very often arranged in long chains from head to tail. Sometimes an ocelot has a marbleized effect. And it is said that the markings on no two ocelots are exactly alike.