Dominant Blue Eyes in Maine Coons
Dominant Blue Eyes or DBE in Maine Coons has become increasingly popular in various pedigree cat breeds including Maine Coons especially in the recent years. Due to the DBE gene, Maine Coons of all colors can/will have blue eyes, not just white or bicolor Maine Coons. Per the written breed standard by both CFA & TICA, only Maine Coons that are white or bicolor can/should have blue eyes. Many groups have started to decline and block breeders that are choosing to include DBE in their catteries and many also believe that DBE Maine Coons are not actually purebred. We personally do not breed Maine Coons with DBE or blue eyes.
According to the written Maine Coon breed standard by both CFA & TICA the accepted eye colors in Maine Coons outside of white or bicolor includes gold, copper, green, or green-gold. Blue eyes and odd eyes are accepted in Maine Coons that are white or bicolor. Bicolor cats are primarily white with another color such as black, red, blue, etc. Odd eyes are when one eye is blue and the other eye is either gold or green. Below is the exact wording as written in the Maine Coon breed standard regarding eye color.
TICA, The International Cat Association: Distance between the eyes is approximately one eye-width apart. Color: Any shade of green and/or gold. No relation to coat color. Blue and odd eyes accepted in only white and with white.
CFA, Cat Fanciers Association: EYE COLOR: eye color can be shades of green, gold, green-gold
or copper. White cats and all cats with white may have blue or odd
eyes.
You may be wondering what the main problem is with the DBE gene mutation. It allows for cats, such as Maine Coons to have blue eyes in coat colors that would not naturally have blue eyes, cats without white or very little white. In the Maine Coon breed, cats with blue eyes or odd eyes naturally occur when the cat is solid white or is 50-75% white such as a van, bicolor, or harlequin. The eye color in these cats are connected to the white spotting gene that is naturally occurring and has been present since the beginning of the breed. Although when a Maine Coon has blue or odd eyes but very little to no white on the body, the gene causing that is DBE or Dominant Blue Eyes.
It is said that the two most common causes for DBE are Mix Breeding & Waardenburg Syndrome.
As for mix breeding, it is said that many breeders started breeding Maine Coons out to receive or introduce the DBE gene into their Maine Coon lines. Said breeders commonly mixed Maine Coons with cats from the Altai or Topaz breeds to achieve the blue eye color in solid color cats. Then kittens from those pairings would be kept and bred back to a Maine Coon to keep the overall physical looks and traits of a true Maine Coon. Now they would have a Maine Coon with their desired eye coloring.
Waardenburg Syndrome is a genetic disorder that causes changes to pigmentation such as reduced coloration in the eyes, developmental abnormalities, and congenital deafness. In cats with DBE certain physical traits may be noticed ranging from mild to severe. It’s most commonly noted by the wide set eyes especially when compared to other Maine Coons. Telecanthus is a defect that causes an increased distance between the inner corners of the eyelids, the medial canthi. This essentially means that the eyes are spaced much further apart than normal, it can be very obvious even in photos of Maine Coons. Not all but many of these cats are also deaf, similar to many solid white cats with blue eyes. The blue eyed kittens/cats should be BAER tested.
DOMINANT BLUE EYES AND WAARDENBURG SYNDROME more regarding this topic published by Messybeast.com
When we were searching for kittens, actually when we were looking for Elysee we came across many kittens with DBE. The groups are currently flooded with dominant blue eyed cats, many that are showing the potential traits or signs as listed above for Waardenburg syndrome. Specifically the wider set eyes, it is very noticeable when compared to one without DBE. These kittens are being sold at 5 to 10 times the price of the standard Maine Coon. Many breeders are breeding DBE and offering their kittens for breeding, many at very high price points. This is happening all over the world, with many marketing the kittens as “luxury”, “rare”, or “designer”. When in reality we do not currently know all of the potential health problems or complications that are stemming from this. Breeders are purposely breeding cats, Maine Coons specifically with a genetic disorder in order to achieve their desired eye color.
It is also important to note that it is said that DBE kittens can be “latent”, meaning that although the kitten does not present with blue eyes or odd eye it can still have the mutation. “Latent” DBE cats have minimal white spotting and they do not have blue eyes but display a red-eye effect as young kittens. There has recently been a genetic test created for the DBE-RE, to read more.
(To respect breeder’s privacy, we will not be sharing photo examples here. This is not meant to be a post about bashing breeders that are working with DBE cats. This is simply just a post to try and share information regarding DBE cats.)
Polydactyl Maine Coons vs DBE
The last point we want to share, DBE DOES NOT compare to polydactyl Maine Coons. Many people have tried and continue to compare DBE to the polydactyl gene. Polydactylism in Maine Coons is not a harmful trait, it is naturally occurring in the Maine Coon breed and should be considered as an innocent phenotypic variant within the breed. The only main difference between a polydactyl Maine Coon and a non poly Maine Coon are their extra digits and claws. Polydactylism poses no threat to the health or wellbeing of Maine Coons. The polydactyl gene is a harmless genetic trait. The Maine Coon breed is one breed that the polydactyl trait is prevalent enough to be considered a normal variation within the breed. It is said that at one time more than 40% of Maine Coons were polydactyl. There is no comparison between cats with DBE and polydactyl Maine Coons.
*Please note everything listed above is just our personal opinion based on research. This is not veterinarian or breeding advice.*
