`Reproduction`
Reproductive years for females in captivity range from 2.5 to 12. Ocelots sexually mature at about 20 to 24 months.
Mating may occur at any time, usually once or twice a year. In the Tropics, breeding season is probably not fixed, but in more northern, drier habitats, two offspring are born during autumn months in a rocky den or a hollow log.
Gestation lasts about 70 days. One to four kittens are usually born. Females give birth in well protected areas such as a dense thorn thicket or hollow tree. The kittens are darker at birth but otherwise coloured like their parents. They are blind at first, but well-furred; reported to be playful and quite docile in youthful captivity.