The Cat With Beautiful Multi-Coloured Eyes

Posted in Cat Stories - On: January 22, 2016 - Author:  Jan Travell
Posted in Cat Stories 
Last Updated: November 23, 2016  
Author:  Jan Travell

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Have you ever seen such beautiful eyes on a kitty?

What gives this adorable cat such magical eyes is a condition known as sectoral heterochromia, this is when the iris of each eye contains two different colours in the same area. I think we’ve all seen odd-eyed cats, this is known as complete heterochromia, where one iris has a different colour from the other. The origin of this name comes from the term heterochromia iridis, which is greek for “differently coloured irises”.

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So how does such a strange condition occur? Well, it all has to do with a cat’s genes, which determine pigmentation. All kittens are born with blue eyes. The true colour begins to appear when a kitten is between 7-12 weeks old. This colour is determined by the amount of melanin that moves into the iris, and blue eyes are a result of no melanin.

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Cats with this condition are more often white or partially white. Without a doubt these cats (and sometimes dogs) are some of the most fascinating-looking creatures on the planet!

Here are some more kitties with the same condition.

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[adinserter name=”Cats in content 4 desktop/tablet”]I would just like to add that although beautiful, you should talk to your vet if your cats eyes begin to look multi-coloured after she has matured. Remember, healthy eye colour development will be complete within the first 12 weeks of a kitten’s life. Changes in colour after that could be a result of inflammation, iron deposits, or blood in your cat’s eyes.

About the author

Jan Travell is a lifelong cat owner and a feline expert. She's been the Cats and Kittens lead editor from the start. She lives in rural France with her two rescue cats, Tigerlily and Mr.Gee. Her senior kitty, Ducati, passed over the rainbow bridge recently at the ripe old age of 22.

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