BLUE-EYE ELF & BLUE-EYE SPHYNX (SEYMOUR DBE^ALT GENE)

Jacqui Stevens (Sphynxwillow Sphynx Elf & Bambino Australia) imported Violaflower's Vanessa (born 11-April-2019) in 2019. Vanessa's ancestry is Topaz, so she could have either the Roxi gene, or the Seymour gene, or both. Thesting found the Seymour gene, DBE^ALT. Vanessa was bred by Tatyana Lackies in Germany and has a dominant blue-eye (DBE) gene. She is a fully registered Elf in Australia with ANCATS and will be on the show bench as soon as shows resume in Australia after the Covid-19 pandemic shutdown. Vanessa is part of Jacqui's Elf breeding program in Australia. Jacqui is the foundation breeder of the Elf in Australia and has worked to get them fully recognised and registered to Championship Status. Vanessa is an important part of that program. Jacqui will also be importing a DBE Sphynx later in 2021 from Russia from a breeder that is past the 5th generation of that variety. These are the first DBE in a hairless breed in Australia. Vanessa is a blue tabby & white harlequin-pattern with blue eyes and DNA tests show she is negative for the colourpoint blue eye gene.

Vanessa had a litter early in 2021 and gave birth to one DBE female kitten named Sphynxwillow Azure Ono, a blue tabby and white, which has gone to Jane Cockerton (Born Bold), a registered breeder, as part of the breeding programme.

BLUE-EYE SPHYNX (ROXI DBE^CEL GENE)

It is important that breeders of Elf, Dwelf and Bambino (which already have the DBE-ALT gene) know which mutation they are working with and do not outcross to the other mutation. Experience with the Topaz breed found that mixing these 2 mutations is not desirable.

A line of DBE^CEL Sphynx has occurred in the USA. A family tree is being prepared.

Corin's Cathouse (Omaha, USA) and Destynys Sphynx (Philadelphia, USA) co-own a red Sphynx stud named Isida Aurem (Oscar) who tested positive for the Roxi gene. They did not know he carried DBE until he was mated to a Destynys Sphynx female that doesn't carry blue eyes, and kittens in the litter appeared with DBE. On Oscar's dam's side there are several generations of "with white" cats that have blue eyes, and on the sire's side there are blue-eyed white and blue-eyed colourpoint cats. Oscar comes from Russian lines which will make a detailed genealogy trace challenging. It's not known if there is any link to the DBE-CEL gene in a UK line of Sphynx descended from Mirmagnificent lines.

A line of UK Sphynxes of Russian descent tested positive for the DBE^CEL (Roxi) gene and not for the expected DBE^ALT (Seymour) gene or the DBE^RE genes. Parents and the kittens underwent BAER (hearing) testing, and there is no hearing impairment. A common ancestor was traced and is also behind DBE lines in the USA. The UK breeder does not release registered pedigree information so genealogy information is taken from publicly accessible sources, including databases and pedigrees that breeders of related cats have made available. The DBE trait seemed to have "come out of nowhere" and may have been hiding behind blue-eyed white cats that were assumed to be the more usual KIT gene mutations (dominant white/white spotting).

I was originally authorized to publish a full genealogy online (with full names of cats) on 5 January 2025 until 6 March 2025. Any full genealogy downloaded between those dates is outside of my control. Publicly available information (social media, WWW) lists Mirmagnificent Q*Sofia (aka Sofia of IconicSX) (odd-eyed, black bicolour [n 09 68 162], heterozygous); Sofia's offspring Selina Kyle (odd eyed) black bicolour; Bruce Wayne (DBE both eyes) black bicolour; Maverick (DBE both eyes) chocolate bicolour. This information is in the public domain and is lawfully referenced for research and journalistic purposes; it is also lawful to use the trademarked cattery name in a this article. I do not have further data on the UK branch of this breeding line. Images and further information can be found on the cattery website and social media.

BLUE-EYE SPHYNX (unknown gene)

DBE Sphynx are bred by a number of catteries including Golden Sphynx Cattery (tortie DBE Isabella, born 25/12/2021) and Royal Velvets (TheRoyalVelvets Jean Claude, F4 DBE male; TheRoyalVelvets Sapphire Moon, DBE female) which also breeds DBE Lykoi.

DBE DEVON REX (GOSHA MUTATION)

A DBE mutation from Gosha, a shorthaired cat in Russia (registered as XHS - Experimental Shorthair), has been introduced into Munchkins and Devon Rexes .