Ojos Azules Cat Picture

The Ojos Azules cat breed is very strange. The above picture is probably photoshopped by the way! We can't tell. I had believed that the Ojos Azules was a rare cat that had blue eyes but a coat type that was not associated with blue eyes. The genes that produce certain coat colours and patterns also turn the eyes blue or odd eye color. The classic combination of coat and eye color is the blue eyed Siamese cat. Cats that are bicolor - white and another color - sometimes have odd eye color, one eye blue and the other yellow for example. This is because the piebald gene that produces a partly white coat also affects eye color.

The Ojos Azules is meant to be different: a blue eyed cat that does not have a coat color and pattern that is normally linked to blue eyes. The black cat above, if it is genuine, would be an Ojos Azules. One note of caution is that kittens have blue eyes so you have to wait until a cat is adult before you can make a judgment.

However, all my preconceptions are shot to pieces on reading the TICA breed standard for the Ojos Azules. It says that this preliminary new breed can have any coat type and color. The cat can be a bicolor or solid or anything. The eyes must be clear blue or blue-grey. As we don't know what genes are at work all we can say is that the breed standard describes a random bred cat (a moggie) and not a purebred cat. I really think that TICA has simply agreed to define a new breed out of a commonplace moggie. Any cat can be purebred of course if it is bred that way and has a pedigree. Many purebred cats started out as household random bred cats. I think TICA have simply started a new breed and are willing to let breeders develop it as they wish on the basis that the eyes are the "dominant feature". Despite my assessment, TICA say the cat is very rare. The breed standard does not describe a very rare cat. I will be happy to be corrected and probably will - please leave a comment if I have this completely wrong.

Note: you will see only a few photographs of this cat breed indicating rareness. However, in my opinion the lack of photographs is not due to rareness. It is due to the fact this cat breed does not yet exist (2011). Read more...