Ojos Azules

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
For the Latin American song, see Ojos azules (song).

Ojos Azules
Foundation bloodstock
Feral cat population
Breed statusExtinct. Not recognized as a standardized breed by any major breed registry.
Breed standards
TICAhistorical standard
Domestic cat (Felis catus)

Ojos Azules (Spanish:

tricolors), colorpoints, and intermediate colors with a characteristic white tail tip were permitted.[1] The breed also had a semi-longhaired coat variety, the Ojos Azules Longhair.[1] Due to the lethal side effects of the Ojos Azules gene, breeders stopped working with this blue eye mutation.[3][unreliable source
]

History

In the 1980s cats with dark blue eyes were discovered among

feral cat populations in New Mexico. The first cat with the characteristic, discovered in 1984, was a tortoiseshell named Cornflower. She was bred to males without the trait, which proved to be dominant, as all her kittens showed it. The breed was founded and named Ojos Azules, Spanish for 'Blue Eyes'.[3]

Registration and popularity

Ojos Azules have always been a very rare breed. In 1992, only ten cats were known.[3] The breed, in both short and long hair variety, was accepted for registration by TICA in 1991. The TICA Ojos Azules Breed Group Standard is dated January 5, 2004. Only cats descending from the original foundation female Cornflower and expressing the deep blue eye gene have been called Ojos Azules. It was discovered that cranial defects may be linked to the gene, and breeding was temporarily suspended. Eventually, breeders stopped working with cats bearing this blue eye mutation and the breed became officially extinct.[3]

Ojos Azules gene

Ojos Azules were remarkable for their deep blue eyes. The depth of color in the eyes is described as being greater even than that seen in a Siamese and does not cause squinting, deafness or cross-eye. This eye coloration depth in Ojos Azules is due to currently unknown polygenetic variations.[3]

Unlike the blue eyes seen linked to the genes in

colorpoint, all of which suppress pigmentation, this gene is not linked to any specific fur color or pattern,[1][3] giving the opportunity to have cats with dark coats and blue eyes. The blue eye color seen in cats such as the Siamese and the Ojos Azules is due to the same physical phenomenon, the absence of melanin in the iris.[4] Although the cause of the absence of pigment differs between Siamese, white cats, and Ojos Azules, the result is pigment loss and blue eyes. One indicator of the Ojos Azules gene was a flattened, white tail-tip.[1][3]

Following a genetic investigation by

heterozygous, those lethal genetic mutations did not manifest.[2]
The result was that breeders crossed the blue-eyed cats with non-blue-eyed cats, assuring a litter of about 50/50 blue/non-blue-eyed kittens.

Description

Appearance

The medium-sized Ojos Azules was known for its bluish eyes, which were large and round.

tricolors), colorpoints, and intermediate colors with a white tail tip were permitted.[1][3] White markings were common on most extremities (tip of the tail, muzzle, and paws).[1] However, belly spots or chest spots were not acceptable and were considered faults.[1] Solid white coats were not desirable, as they could only be distinguished from common white blue-eyed cats with genetic tests.[1] Solid white blue-eyed Ojos Azules were susceptible to deafness, as is common in white blue-eyed cats without the mutation.[citation needed
]

Revival of dominant blue eyed breeds

Modern dominant blue-eyed black tabby kitten of the Celestial experimental breed, which is approved by Livre officiel des origines félines (LOOF)

Apart from the extinct Ojos Azules, several other dominant blue eye (DBE) genes have been found in cats worldwide. These are not Ojos Azules, as they are not descending from Cornflower. The cats bear DBE mutations, and are developed into new cat breeds or approved as eye coloration variants in existing breeds by certain cat registries.[5]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k The International Cat Association (2001). "Breed standard in the 2001 Semi-Annual Board Meeting" (PDF). tica.org. p. 35. Archived from the original (PDF) on August 7, 2023. Retrieved September 24, 2023.
  2. ^ a b "Ojos Azules". icatcare.org. Retrieved September 24, 2023.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h "Blue-Eyed Breeds / Dominant Blue Eye (DBE)". MessyBeast.com. Retrieved September 2, 2023.
  4. PMID 7372414
    .
  5. ^ "Blue Eyed Breeds". Messy Beast. Retrieved January 19, 2024.
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