PHILADELPHIA (CBS)-- A pricey domestic hybrid cat breed that is a cross between a wild African cat and a domestic cat is becoming a very popular pet. Savannahs are a cross between a serval and a ...

American Ocelot chronicles the sad history, precarious present, and optimistic future for one of the country’s most endangered wild cats.

All images are from Artists and Their Cats by Alison Nastasi. Read TIME’s 1981 cover story about the latest feline fad: Crazy Over Cats Artist Salvador Dali and his ocelot, Babou.

By the spots. An ocelot’s markings are like a fingerprint, and comparing the footage confirmed that McSpaddden’s and Ragan’s cats were “indeed the same cat,” McSpadden said.