When and why does the eye color change in kittens

When a kitten finally opens its eyes, they are usually a gentle blue color because they are closed at birth. Nevertheless, this hue is frequently transient. Their eye color may change as they get older, revealing the shade they’ll have forever.

This change is related to the development of pigment in their eyes and typically occurs during the first few months of life. It’s an interesting process that varies based on breed and genetics and occurs in different kittens.

Knowing why and when this change happens can help pet owners recognize any odd changes that may require attention and enjoy the special development of their furry friends.

Why do newborn kittens have blue eyes and how does the eye color change

You must begin with the kitten’s development in the womb in order to fully comprehend how the shift in color occurs in kittens’ eyes. 34 pigment centers are already localized in the embryo at the earliest stages. The pigment from these centers travels primarily to the hair follicles during the kitten’s growth and development, where it accumulates. The iris contains very little of it.

The most intriguing aspect is that the pigment keeps building up even after birth, which explains why the kittens’ eyes change color.

However, why are the eyes of every newborn blue, gray-blue, or blue? It all comes down to the amount of pigment, or melanin; the lighter and colder the eye shade, the less pigment there is. There is not much of it in the iris at birth. All babies have cold blue or light blue eyes because of this.

Newborn kittens have blue eyes because their pigment has not yet developed in them.

In actuality, the kitten’s eyes’ final color is determined by a set of genes that it inherited from its parents. It is in charge of the quantity, presence, and velocity of pigment movement in the eyes. This is what establishes the timing and nature of the eye color change.

A cat’s iris is made up of two layers: the stroma, which is lower, and the epithelium, which is higher. The color of the eyes is determined by the amount of melanin present in the stroma. It will be brown or copper in color if there is a lot of it, green in small amounts, and blue or light blue in very small amounts.

With a probability of at least 50%, you can predict what color eyes a kitten will have if you look at its parents

Although kittens’ eyes are blue at birth, the iris’s melanin can develop over time and cause the color of the eyes to change. Their permanent eye color is set by the time this process begins, which typically occurs between 6 and 8 weeks of age. Genetics is the driving force behind the change, which is entirely natural and reflects the kitten’s special qualities.

When kittens change eye color

This is mostly determined by the kitten’s breed and heredity. The eyes of mongrel cats typically start to change between one and one and a half months of age. This process can start in purebred cats as early as one to twelve months of age. Two years determines the final color of the eyes.

The iris of blue-eyed cats contains very little melanin. Its amount is also determined by certain genes. These cats are extremely uncommon, though, because this trait is recessive.

The cat’s eyes get darker in color the more pigment there is in them.

By the time a kitten reaches one month of age, its eyes have brightened in every case. This is because the eyes are covered in a film after they open at the age of 10 to 12 days. This is why the shade seems to be grayish. After three to four weeks, the film vanishes and the eyes’ color becomes more vibrant.

Numerous myths have emerged online as a result of this process:

1. All kittens have bright blue eyes. In fact, they can be bright blue, light and dark blue, gray-blue of various shades.
2. Eye color directly depends on the color. This statement is true only for purebred cats, in which a certain trait has been fixed by long-term selection, and for colorpoint cats. But in fact, the eye color can be absolutely any with absolutely any color.
3. Eye color depends on diet. This is not confirmed by science or felinologists. It is only known that the color of a cat"s fur can change with a certain diet (for example, colorpoint cats darken from frequent feeding with fish).

The fur of colorpoint cats darkens when exposed to fish.

Eye color standards

Every breed has an established norm for the color of its eyes. These are very strict guidelines that are not to be disregarded.

Which breeds, then, are severely limited in terms of eye color?

1. Abyssinian cat. This breed can only have green or yellow eyes.
2. Burmese cat. The eyes of this beauty can only be light gold.
3. Burmilla. Any intensity of green.
4. Balinese. Blue or blue eyes.
5. Bombay cat. Only rich copper eye color.
6. Burmese cat. Exceptionally bright blue eye color.
7. Havana brown. Green or yellowish-green.
8. Egyptian Mau. Light green (gooseberry-colored) eyes.
9. Korat. Amber or amber-green eyes.
10. Kao Mani. Yellow or blue eyes.
11. Likoi. Yellow or amber eyes.
12. Nibelung. Only gooseberry-colored eyes.
13. Oriental cat. Green eyes preferred.
14. Ojos Azules. Blue eyes only.
15. Pixie Bob. Gooseberry, brown or yellow eyes.
16. Russian Blue cat. Exclusively green eyes, from light to rich emerald.
17. Ragdoll. Only blue eyes.
18. Siamese cat. Blue or blue eyes.
19. Tonkinese cat. Aquamarine, blue or yellow eyes.
20. Thai cat. Only deep blue eyes.
21. Turkish Van. Only gold or blue.
22. Chausie. Yellow, copper, hazel or green eyes.
23. Chartreuse (Carthusian cat). Only copper, orange or amber eyes.

Certain cat breeds’ standards restrict their eye color options to just one (the Havana Brown cats in the picture).

The color of the eyes may vary depending on the breed:

1. British cats of the colors black solid, blue solid, cinnamon, fawn, lilac cannot be green-eyed and blue-eyed.
2. British Chinchillas and golden British can only be green-eyed.
3. White Turkish Angoras can only be blue-eyed, green-eyed or yellow-eyed.
4. For oriental cats, yellow and blue are allowed in solid (monochrome) colors and blue in color-point colors.

Here are some fascinating details regarding the hue of cats’ eyes:

1. The Sokoke cat can change the color of its eyes depending on its mood.
2. Very often, blue-eyed cats (especially white ones) are deaf.
3. All cat lovers know that the gene for blue eyes in cats is recessive. However, in cats of the Ojos Azules breed, this gene has somehow mutated into a dominant one. They can also be green-eyed and yellow-eyed. Also, deafness is not associated with the gene for blue eyes in Ojos and they cannot be bred with other blue-eyed cats.
4. All colorpoint cats can only be blue-eyed or blue-eyed. Their eyes absorb all the colors of the rainbow spectrum except blue. They reflect it and therefore appear blue-eyed. But the brightness of the blue depends on the amount of pigment: the more of it, the paler the color of the cat"s eyes. In very rare cases, colorpoints can have yellow eye color.
5. If cats have no pigment in their eyes, they will be red-eyed. This is found only with albinism.
6. Albinos can also be blue -eyed (this is called partial albinism).
7. No matter how surprising it may sound, but for immature cats, usually the color of the eyes is much saturated than many thoroughbred.

The majority of Abyssinian cats have green eyes.

Cats’ eyes change color as they mature; this usually occurs between the ages of 6 and 8 weeks. This change occurs as a result of the gradual production of melanin in their irises while their eyes are still developing.

Although the majority of kittens have blue eyes from birth, their final color can differ greatly based on their genetic makeup. Their eyes usually settle into their permanent shade by the time they are 3 to 6 months old.

They are expected to undergo these changes, and observing the change can be a fun way to follow their progress. It’s always best to see a veterinarian if there are any concerns, such as unusual eye discoloration or health problems.

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