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Ojos azules |
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TranslationFrancis Vandersteen |
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OriginThe Ojos azules is a breed of cat native to the United States. |
| This cat is characterized by its blue or odd-colored eyes, regardless of coat color. |
A brief historical overview |
| The history of the Ojos Azules began in the early 1980s with the discovery in New Mexico of Cornflower, a tortoiseshell cat with blue eyes. In general, blue eyes are reserved for white cats, Siamese and some bicolors. But azure eyes in a tortie, black or red cat were unheard of. So it was decided to breed Cornflower to American Shorthairs to find out if she would pass on her eye color to her offspring, and it came as a pleasant surprise to discover that this was indeed the case. As the gene responsible for this unusual eye color was dominant and independent of coat color, any combination was possible. In 1984, TICA drew up the first standard for this novel breed. |
General appearance |
| The Ojos Azules is a short- to medium-haired cat of moderate type. Its main attraction lies in its azure eyes, which give it a very gentle expression. It is particularly sought-after in coat colors where blue eyes are not usual. |
Head |
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Cranial region |
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Head |
Viewed from the front, the head forms an equilateral triangle with prominent cheekbones and a pronounced pinch. In profile, the slightly rounded forehead is followed by a slight stop at the birth of the nose. | |
Facial region |
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Muzzle |
Square, terminating the triangle of the head. | |
Eyes |
Almost round and as large as possible without being bulging, the eyes are the dominant feature of this breed. Set at a slight angle, they are no more than one eye's width apart. The color is light blue or blue-gray, never lavender or turquoise. Odd-eyed cats have one blue eye and one green, gold or copper eye. | |
Ears |
Medium-sized and slightly rounded at the tip, the ears are set relatively high on the head, with the distance between the ears slightly less than their base. | |
Neck |
| Well grafted, arched neck. |
Body |
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Generality |
Semi-foreign in shape, the body is well proportioned, with suppleness taking precedence over power. Height at withers is roughly equal to length from shoulder to croup. | |
Chest |
Oval chest and ribs. | |
Tail |
| Medium length, tapering slightly to the tip. |
Limbs |
| The slightly angulated hindquarters are higher than the front legs. Fairly fine bone structure. | ||
Forequarters |
Hindquarters |
Feet |
| Small, delicate feet. |
Coat |
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Coat and texture |
Shorthair: short to moderately short, the coat is silky, fine and soft. All three types of hair are present: topcoat, guard hair and undercoat. The texture is denser and frothier in cats with diluted colors. Longhair: of medium length, the silky coat is of medium density. The ruff and pants may have a slightly ruffled appearance. The tail is plumed. |
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Color and ticking |
The gene responsible for blue eyes in Ojos Azules is also responsible for white markings on the peripheral parts of the body (paw tips, ears, tail). Colorpoint cats, which have blue eyes due to the Cs gene, and bicolor cats, which have blue eyes due to the S gene, must have white tail tips to prove the presence of the Ojos gene. White color, although accepted, is not encouraged, as Ojos cats cannot be distinguished from ordinary blue-eyed white cats. |
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English (United Kingdom)