However, compared to their blue counterparts, they at least have some amount. Green-eyed cats also have a lack of melanin in their eyes.
Nevertheless, there are some breeds that are more likely to be born with hazel or brown eyes, such as the Cornish Rex, the Scottish Fold, or the Abyssinian. Considering this eye colour to be common is a mistake as it is usually present in feral cats that live in a temperate climate, but less so in domestic cats. Hazel eyes are a result of a combination of golden yellow and green. The coat pattern or coat colour is not directly linked to the eye colour, so kittens can be black and have deep blue eyes, for example. This is a fairly recent breed, having been recognised by the International Cat Association in 1991.Īn interesting characteristic of Ojos Azules cats is that the eye colour is the only specific feature they have. Ojos Azules are prone to dangerous genetic mutations when mated with other blue-eyed cats. It has a dominant trait that makes it possible for kittens to retain their deep blue eye colour even when they grow older. This eye colour can be more commonly encountered in certain breeds, such as the following:Ī particularity when it comes to blue eyes in cats is the Ojos Azules ‘breed’ from the United States. The colour is given by the way the light reflects into the eyes. This feature is genetically transmitted, and it appears more frequently in white cats.Įven though we see the animal’s eyes as blue, the truth is that they are clear. Blueīlue eyes are given by the complete absence of melanin in a cat’s eyes. If you want to know more about your cat’s eye colouring, read on to find out about some of the most (and least) common cat eyes colours: 1. This means that, unlike animals that have one eye of a different colour than the other, in this case, there are two colours in the same iris.Ĭats can have tiny flecks of different colours in their irises, but in those with dichroic eyes, the iris is half hazel and half green, for example (and very visibly so). The rarest colour, or rather, a colour combination that we can see in cats is a dichromatic feature. The reason why this process occurs is that young kittens’ bodies produce very little melanin, but the amount of melanin increases as they become older. So, if you have a kitten that is already 2-months-old and that still has blue eyes, there is a good chance that they will keep their colour. This event takes place somewhere around the age of 4 to 10 weeks. They can change into anything from yellow and hazel to a green or golden brown. However, only a very small percentage of all cats retain their blue eye colour as they grow older. So, until they get to the age of approximately 2 weeks, it is impossible to predict what eye colour they might have.īlue eyes are a standard in young kittens. It’s widely known that kittens are born with their eyes closed. It’s not uncommon for some cats to have gold eyes, but other common colours include copper, blue, green, yellow, amber, and even red. There is a wide diversity of colours in our feline friends, especially compared to humans. The eye colour range in cats depends on how these melanocytes are placed in both layers. In the stroma, melanocytes are placed in a disorganized manner, but in the epithelium, they are neatly packed. Each of these has melanocytes, but they are carried differently. The iris is composed of two layers – the stroma and the epithelium. Different eye colour rangesĪ cat’s eye colour is given by the iris as that is the location where the melanocytes responsible for the pigment are situated. Therefore, a cat that has no melanocytes in her eyes will have blue eyes.Ī low number of melanocytes will translate to a green eye colour while a higher number will translate to an orange or amber eye colour.ĭepending on how active these cells are, the colour can be lighter or more intense.įor example, if a cat has a low number of melanocytes in her eyes but the cells are not particularly active, her eye colour will be light green.īy contrast, if their activity is more intense, the cat will have dark green eyes. Melanocytes are cells that produce melanin. While all kittens are born with cloudy blue eyes, the colour changes as they grow older. The more melanin a cat has, the darker will her coat be. That is not the only thing that melanin does, however. Melanin is an amino acid that determines how light or how dark a kitten’s eyes will be when she grows up. In summary How cats get their eye colourĪny cat’s colour is directly linked to her genetics.
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