Ojos Azules

The Ojos Azules is a breed of very rare, blue-eyed cats that were developed in the United States of America. The blue hue in their eyes are very different from the blue eyes that many bicolor cat breeds have, and are not linked to any pattern or fur-color. Other than just their blue eyes, one of the indicators of the genes of the Ojos is a flattened tail-tip.

These felines, with a short coat, are accepted in any coloration, except solid white. The breed standard for these cats is still on the process of development. However, the blue-eye, that is a striking feature of these felines, must be present. The coat of these cats is soft and silky with characteristic white patches on the extremities such as the feet, the tail and the face. Typically, these medium-sized cats have a triangular head with expressively beautiful large eyes, highlighting a deep sapphire hue.

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History and Development

These cats are relatively a new breed that began appearing for the first time in the early ‘80s. It was back in 1984 that a group of enthusiastic fanciers that travelled in and around USA and New Mexico happened to come across some specimens in the local feral cat populations that had a unique trait. These cats flaunted a pair of deep-seated eyes with shades of cyan to sapphire blue. Mesmerized by the eyes of these felines, the explorers ended up rescuing a female cat having tortoise-shell markings. They named it ‘Cornflower’. It is this female specimen that became the matriarch of the present-day breed of the ojos azules.

As Cornflower attained the age of puberty, it was made to breed with some unrelated male cats devoid of the same physical trait of blue eyes. The experimental mating gave birth to kittens that exhibited the identical shades of blue in their eyes. The kittens in the litter that Cornflower gave birth to had eyes of the exact shades of blue irrespective of their patterns of coat colors. The new blue-eyed litter also proved the fact that the blue eyes were a dominant trait. Quite curiously, the gene that was associated with the blue eyes has been rumored to show up periodically and may in fact be a mutation. For instance, a blue bi-colored cat with sapphire blue eyes was discovered in Windellama in New South Wales, Australia, by A M Schneider by A M Schneider despite there being no known imports of Ojos Azules to Australia. Evidently, this breed in Australia has been considered to be the result of a spontaneous mutation in the domestic population of the country.

The fanciers in USA and New Mexico, later, applied for a new breed status from the TICA (The International Cat Association) after they concluded that the blue eye coloration in the new kittens were induced by a dominant gene, presuming that Cornflower and her progeny could mark the commencement of a of a new breed of felines. Eventually, in 1991, the application was recognized by the Cat Association.

In 1992, there had only been 10 documented specimens of these cats. The depth of the blue coloration in the eyes is because of the polygenetic variations. This breed has been considered to be very rare, and is still going through exhaustive development to the present day, while the present count of the individuals belonging to this breed is still unknown. The reason for which these cats have such striking blue eyes is explained by the fact that, they have a specific biological phenomenon, which is the absence of the iris in the eye of these cats.

Temperament and Personality

Because of the conspicuous rarity of Ojos Azules, little is known about the personality of this breed. But these cats have been known to be quite friendly, affectionate, and active.

These cats love to engage their human companions in play right from the time you bring them from the breeders or the cattery. They are loving and adorable, and would give you a taste of what you can expect. They are sociable and can easily get along with their family and other pets in the family. In fact, they love dogs too. They would love to play with your pets and kids, and would never express repugnance even if they would handle them roughly. The OA will take its time meeting new people, but eventually, would enjoy the company of visitors, whenever they find one.

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As an active breed, they certainly love to jump and pounce, but, unlike many other curious cat breeds, the Ojos Azules would never crawl up your shelves, refrigerator, or other higher high spots since. They would rather prefer chilling out on your bed, carpet of sofa. They would cherish a stroke behind the ears, or an affectionate belly rub. They are intelligent felines, and would seldom take any bad decisions that would go beyond your rules.

Care

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Interesting Facts

• In Spanish, ‘Ojos Azules’ means ‘Blue Eyes’.