About the Ojos Azules Cat Breed
The Ojos Azules, which means “blue eyes” in Spanish, is a rare medium-sized cat breed that first appeared among feral cat populations in New Mexico.
Ojos Azules Physical Characteristics
As her name implies, the Ojos Azules most striking feature is her deep blue eyes. This is further enhanced due to the cat’s triangular head shape and myriad of colors which the large eyes are set against.
Color(s)
The Ojos Azules cat breed can be seen in a variety of colors except for solid white. However, there will often be white patches on the extremities, including the face, feet, and tail.
Coat
The coat of the Ojos Azules is short, soft and silky.
Ojos Azules Personality and Temperament
Due to the rarity of the cat breed, little is known about the temperament of the Ojos Azules.
Ojos Azules Care
There are no known special requirements when caring for the Ojos Azules. Like other cat breeds, the Ojos Azules should be fed, loved and looked after to flourish.
Ojos Azules Health
There is concern amongst cat breeders about the ability to conserve the unique features of the Ojos Azules with such a limited gene pool. At one point breeding was said to have been suspended due to deformities in kittens homozygous for the dominant eye color gene.
Ojos Azules History and Background
According to The International Cat Association (TICA), cats that could be classified as Ojos Azules began appearing in 1984 in New Mexico amongst other feral cats. A tortoiseshell female named Cornflower is credited for being the first cat classified as an Ojos Azules due to the fact that when she was bred to unrelated males, her kittens exhibited the same blue eyes. This also proved that the blue eyes were a dominant trait.
TICA recognized the Ojos Azules as a cat breed in 1991, though few seem to be in existence. In fact, according to TICA, only 10 Ojos Azules cats were known to be around in 1992.
Curiously, the blue eyes gene associated with the Ojos Azules cat breed 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 New South Wales, Australia by A M Schneider despite there being no known imports of Ojos Azules to Australia.
By: Chewy Editorial
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