Jay

Cats with dark blue eyes were discovered in New Mexico among feral cat populations. The first cat, 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."

Ojos Azules are remarkable for their deep blue eyes. Unlike the blue eyes seen linked to the genes in bicolor cats and cats with point coloration, both of which suppress pigmentation, this gene is not linked to any certain fur color or pattern, giving the opportunity to have cats with dark coats and blue eyes. The eyes' color does not cause squinting, deafness or cross-eye. Ojos Azules are a very rare breed. In 1992, only ten were known.

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. It was recently discovered that cranial defects may be linked to the gene, and breeding was temporarily suspended.

Following genetic investigation by Solveig Pflueger, breeding resumed in a small way with attempts to breed Ojos Azules without the lethal genetic defects. It was discovered that when the gene is homozygous it causes cranial deformities, white fur, a small curled tail and stillbirth. However, when the gene is heterozygous, those lethal genetic mutations do not manifest.

A Ragdoll cat is a pointed breed with blue eyes. Most variations from that are not considered Ragdolls.

These points will be significantly darker than the base of their bodies. ↓↓↓

A Ragamuffin can be any color or coat pattern except pointed. They can have any eye color.

This breed was created by crossing Ragdolls with other longhaired cats, including Turkish Angoras, Himalayans, Persians and longhaired domestic cats. ↓↓↓

CONTROVERSY

The founder of Ragdoll cats and owner of Josephine (founder mother cat of the Ragdolls), Ann Baker, held stringent control over the breed and its classifications. This didn’t sit well with some admirers and caused a group of Ragdoll breeders to depart from Baker and her strict rules. After some hostile years, the group ended up with the Ragamuffin breed.

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