Why Are Cat Eyes Green?
Tapetum Lucidum – The light from your headlights, or the sound from your engine, attracted the cat’s attention. The cat looked toward your car. Its eyes focused on your headlights. Cats’ eyes are different than our own. That green glow (although some breeds do have different coloring) you see is because the light is reflecting off a part of their eyes called the tapetum lucidum.
Why are some cats eyes green?
It’s not just the fur or the purr that cats use to hold us spellbound: It’s those eyes. Whether they are blue, green, gold, copper or some variation of those shades, a cat’s eyes are one of his most beautiful features. Here’s how they come to be that way.
- Eye color is genetically linked to coat color.
- Ittens are born with blue eyes, which may stay that way or change color as the kitten matures.
- For instance, all pointed cats have blue eyes.
- Cats who are solid white or mostly white may have blue, green, gold or copper eyes.
- The most common eye colors range from greenish-yellow to gold.
You may have heard that white cats are always deaf. Not necessarily. Some are, and some aren’t. White cats with blue eyes are more likely to be deaf, however, than white cats with gold or green eyes. Deafness is associated only with the dominant white gene, not the white spotting gene, says feline geneticist Leslie A.
- Lyons. “There’s a high association of dominant white with deafness and dominant white with blue eyes, and if you are dominant white with blue eyes, you’re more likely to be deaf.” Between 10 and 20 percent of white cats with eyes of other colors may be deaf.
- White cats with only one blue eye may be deaf only in the ear that’s on the same side as the blue eye.
Eyes with the brilliant copper of a shiny new penny or the bright green of an emerald usually are the result of selective breeding, but genes don’t discriminate. Those eye colors can appear in cats without a pedigree as well. Pedigreed cats noted for their distinctive eye color include the Burmese, with large, round gold eyes; the Tonkinese, with sparkling aqua eyes; the Egyptian mau, with gooseberry green eyes; and the Russian blue, with vivid green eyes.
- Some cats have “odd eyes,” meaning one eye is blue and one is green or gold.
- The scientific term for this is heterochromia, from the Greek words “hetero,” meaning “different,” and “chromia,” referring to color.
- The difference in color might not be noticeable in a kitten, but changes gradually as the kitten moves toward adulthood.
We usually see odd eyes in white cats or cats with the white spotting gene, such as bicolor and tuxedo cats. Breeds in which odd eyes are common include Turkish angoras and Turkish vans. A description of angoras stated that the eyes should be “as green as the lake and as blue as the sky.” Other breeds that may sport odd eyes are Persian, sphynx, Oriental shorthair and Japanese bobtail cats.
Odd eyes occur when a dominant white gene (meaning it masks other colors) or a white spotting gene blocks the concentration and distribution of natural pigments within the iris tissues during development. It’s unusual to see odd eyes in cats who lack both the dominant white and the white spotting genes, but it can happen.
An unusual and attractive look is the dichromatic, or dichroic, eye, usually seen in white cats. That’s one with two colors in one iris. For instance, the eye might be half green and half blue or have a green iris encircled by yellow. One or both eyes can be dichromatic, sometimes with each eye mirroring the other.
Are green cat eyes rare?
In honor of St. Catrick’s Day (how could we not?), we’re highlighting some of our favorite felines of the green-eyed variety. Simply put, green-eyed cats are good luck because all cats are good luck! But you may be wondering where exactly those entrancing emerald peepers come from? Let’s take a look at some of the interesting facts about cat eye color. 
A cat’s eye color is determined by the amount and intensity of pigmentation that is in the front and rear of the iris. The evolution of your cat’s eye color may be similar to your own: Just like some people, cats are born with blue eyes that usually change to another color as they mature and develop pigmentation. 
Unlike people, however, a cat’s irises will not typically become brown. The darkest color you’ll see on your feline friend is copper, barring the result of a medical issue or injury. White cats with blue, green, or orange eyes are not albino, despite what you may have heard. Like other animals, true albino cats have pink or bluish-pink eyes. 
Eye color is often related to breed, but not necessarily to coat color. For example, purebred Russian Blue cats have vivid green eyes; yet many cats with identical, plush gray-blue fur have golden-yellow or amber eyes. (Equally striking, if you ask us.) This means these latter cats are not “purebred” Russian Blues. 
Pedigreed cats usually have more intense eye colors: There’s the bright copper of the Bombay, the stunning turquoise of the Tonkinese, and the gooseberry green of the Egyptian mau, to name a few. Green-eyed cats are relatively common; and cats with eyes with shades of green have become common in random-bred cats (called moggies). 
The luckiest cat of all? The “odd-eyed” kitty with two different eye colors! Again, these cats tend to have white or mostly white fur. This mutation is more common than you’d guess — and far more common in cats than in humans. Rarer is “dichroic” or dichromatic eyes, which results in having two colors in one iris.
Why do black cats have yellow or green eyes?
Black Cats: 6 Interesting Facts Just like all cats, they make perfect companions for us humans and deserve our love and protection. These inky feline friends have a long history of bad reputation linked to superstition. But, just like all cats, they make perfect companions for us humans and deserve our love and protection. 2. Getting rusty A cat’s fur color is related to a specific gene. If the cat also has a dominant tabby gene, exposure to the sun can make the pigments in their fur break down to reveal rusty hues. Like a kitty suntan, but it’s not to be ignored as it can sometimes be a sign of nutrient deficiency. 3. Sailor’s luck Historically, cats were welcome aboard vessels as they provided the important service of hunting mice, Sailors thought that black cats, in particular, brought them good luck! Some of these maritime kitties are remembered in Navy history – like Tiddles, who traveled over 30,000 miles aboard Royal Navy vessels. 4. Golden eyes Black cats produce a lot of melanin, which is the pigment that makes their coats dark. This pigment also contributes to giving some cats beautiful amber-colored eyes. 5. Feline lucky In some areas of the world, black cats are a symbol of good luck. German folklore says that if a black cat crosses your path going from right to left, good things are on the horizon for you. 6. A “tail” of gods and goddesses In ancient Egypt, cats were considered sacred, and because of that they were worshipped and protected, In fact, every house or temple looked after at least one cat, as it was seen as a way to bring good luck and worship the goddess Bastet (depicted as a woman with the head of a black cat). : Black Cats: 6 Interesting Facts
Why do cats have one blue eye and one green?
Cause – The odd-eyed coloring is caused when either the epistatic (recessive) white gene (which masks any other color genes and turns a cat completely white) or the white spotting gene (which is the gene responsible for bicolor and tuxedo cats) prevents melanin ( pigment ) granules from reaching one eye during development, resulting in a cat with one blue eye and one green, yellow, or brown eye.