The Australian Mist (formerly known as Spotted Mist) is a breed of cat developed in Australia. It is a cross between the Abyssinian, the Burmese, and domestic shorthair spotted tabby cats. The Australian Mist has a distinct and unique faded coat appearance hence the name. Their eyes are green, and they bear eumelanistic colours and spotted or 'marbled' tabby patterns in their coats.
History
This breed was developed in Australia in 1977 by Dr. Truda Straede with a gene-pool of approximately 30 foundation cats.
Breed recognition
On 1 January 1999 the breed received championship status with the New Zealand Cat Fancy (NZCF). The breed was accepted for championship status by the World Cat Federation (WCF) in August 2004. The first Australian Mists were imported into the United Kingdom in 2007. The breed was given preliminary recognition by the Governing Council of the Cat Fancy (GCCF) in October 2011. It was accepted at championship status in The International Cat Association (TICA) on 1 May 2014. It gained championship status with the GCCF in February 2017. The breed is not yet recognised by the Fédération Internationale Féline (FIFe).
Appearance
thumb|Brown marbled Australian Mist
The Australian Mist is a medium-sized short-haired cat, with a round and medium-sized head, a broad nose, and large green eyes. Eye colour can range in any shade of green from chartreuse to aquamarine.
There are two types of coat patterns in the Australian Mist: the original spotted coat which has distinctive spots that are symmetrical, and the 'marbled' (blotched tabby) coat which has swirled patches and streaks on the coat. Both varieties should have the tabby M-shaped marking on the forehead and a ringed tail with a dark tip.
Coat colours
Australian Mists have a paler coat on the under-parts of the body which give it the distinctive mist appearance. Colour may not fully develop until the adult is at least two years old. Australian Mists do not have a solid colour as the agouti background gives them their distinctive look but the base colours in the cat are limited to all eumelanistic colours: