by Angie Pollock

Created on: March 13, 2009

The Ojos Azules is unique and rare breed of cat discovered in New Mexico. Spanish for "blue eyes", the Ojos Azules cats have distinctive coloring of the eyes that are even more vivid blue than found in the Siamese. Also more peculiar about this breed is there is no deafness or eye squint which is commonly associated with the blue-eyed cats. While blue eyes were once only seen in colorpoint or white cats, the Ojos Azules is not associated with any typical coat color.

The first Ojos Azules cat was found in 1984 and was given the name "Cornflower". After breeding of this newly found blue-eyed cat, the discovery was made that the blue eyes were dominant and all of her kittens were born with the same vivid blue eyes. Even with these unique qualities, the Ojos Azules is still quite rare. In 1991, The International Cat Association (TICA) began recognizing the Ojos Azules as an official breed in both the long and short hair but there were still less than a dozen registered by 1992.

During the development of the breed, it was discovered that problems existed and breeding was terminated until further research could be done. The genetic testing showed that Ojos Azules cats that were bred with other blue-eyed cats carried the homozygous gene which led to cranial defects. The kittens often had a curled tail, the fur was white, and the mortality rate in newborns was extremely high. Cats of this breed that were bred with cats of a different eye color carried the heterozygous gene and the kittens were free of any deformities.

A typical characteristic seen in most Ojos Azules cats is the white fur patches that can be found on the face, muzzle, the toes of the back paws, and on the tip of the tail. The eyes are rounded and will be light blue or gray-blue in color. While dark colors are preferred for the center of the eye, the heterochromatic eyes are known to either be gold, copper, or green in the center. Faults that are noted in the breed include cats that are too large, have a pointed muzzle, pale or oriental-shaped eyes and of course, eyes that are not blue. The coat should not be too fluffy and the tip of the tail must be white.

Because this breed is relatively new and only a few select breeders actually own Ojos Azules cats, this breed is not commonly seen or discussed among cat enthusiasts. The halt in breeding and with only 50 percent of kittens within a litter having the blue eyes has kept the Ojos Azules a rare and sought after breed of cat.

References:

CAT BREEDS OF THE WORLD, by Desmond Morris, copyright 1999.

Learn more about this author, Angie Pollock.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.