Siamese & Oriental Shorthair Breeder

The Foreign White (FW) cat is a very specific breed of cat created in the early 1960s by Patricia Turner, a well known cat geneticist, to solve the problem of deafness that can occur in many blue-eyed white cats.  Patricia directed the breeding of a white British Shorthair with a seal point Siamese to create this breed. 

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True FW are genetically different from blue-eyed white Oriental Short Hair (BEW OSH) cats although they are often believed to be interchangeable because physically (phenotypically) they are similar.  They are in fact, a different breed (Siamese vs OSH).

 

In FW, the glacial white coat comes from the dominant W gene which also masks the typical Siamese points on the ears, nose, paws and tail.  This occurs because the W gene inhibits the pigment cells (melanocytes) from forming in the skin and fur.  

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Genetic defects in this W gene can also result in the Waardenburg Syndrome.  This defect is responsible for the blue eyes of other white cats and carries with it an increased risk of deafness.  

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It is critical to note that the deep blue eye colour in the FW comes from the Siamese gene NOT from a pigment defect like in the BEW OSH. They are in fact, anatomically different.  BEW OSH lack the eye structure which reflects light and assists in night vision called tapetum lucidum.  This results in an optical illusion of being blue eyes. That is, the BEW OSH cats have a non-pigmented eye which appears blue rather than a blue pigmented Siamese eye (the so called Turner eye).

 

True FW can only be produced by breeding a Siamese to a FW with no genetic defect.  This eliminates the risk of deafness in these kittens and results in a spectacular pigmented Turner blue eye.

 

Why is all of this important for a pet buyer?  Primarily because of the absence of a risk of deafness in the cats.  Responsible cat breeders should always eliminate any controllable risks to the health of the cats they produce.  That is, the white coat and blue eyes of the true FW are NOT being created by a gene defect which also can cause deafness and weak eye colour.

 

Why is all of this important for a breeder?  Because you know that you do not have a gene defect in your pedigrees that can result in deaf kittens and poor eye colour.

 

Unfortunately there are only a few cat associations world-wide who recognize the FW as a separate breed and because of their physical appearance, must be registered and shown as OSH here in North America.   

 

For those of you familiar with the EMS system of categorization of cats.  

 

FW =  Sia w 67 

BEW OSH = OSH w 61

 

In sum, we breed only true Foreign Whites here at OrientOpulence.  That is, all of our cats have the coveted Turner blue eyes. There is no Waardenburg Syndrome in our lines and as such we only produce cats with “intense deep blue - Siamese eye colour” who are free from any risk of genetically derived deafness. 

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As you can see, the Foreign White - "the white Siamese" - is a SPECTACULAR cat with a glacial white coat that remains pure for their lifetime. This is offset by dark and brilliant blue eyes.  

 

They are as rare as they are spectacular and are as loveable and intelligent as any Siamese.   

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Stay tuned for more updates as we expand our breeding program to include this incredible breed.