Partial or segmental heterochromia – This type of heterochromia is when only a portion of the iris of one eye has a different color than the rest of the iris in the eye, meaning a person may have a mostly blue eye with a portion of it brown.This condition is when one iris is a different color from the other, such as one blue eye and one brown eye. Complete heterochromia – This is the type most people think of when they imagine heterochromia.Heterochromia diagnoses can have a few variations such as: While heterochromia commonly causes two different colored irises, it is not always so black and white so to speak. Blue eyes contain the lowest amount of melanin while brown eyes have the most. The amount of melanin that has developed in the iris at birth and shortly after determines one’s eye color. The iris is a thin circular structure that surrounds your pupil and contains pigment or melanin, which gives our eyes their distinct color. This is because their melanocyte cells are unable to function until they get a bit older.Īs kittens begin to grow, their melanocyte cells get to work, and the natural colors of their eyes begin to shine through.Heterochromia is a condition present in some humans and animals where one iris is a different color than the other. You bet! Kittens are always born with blue eyes.

Do Kittens’ Eyes Change Color as They Grow Up? If your cat is white with extremely pale blue eyes, she is probably albino. And if you come across a cat with white eyes, take a closer look.Ĭhances are the iris is just an extremely pale blue color. Since the darkest a cat’s eyes will ever get is copper or dark orange, you will be hard-pressed to find a cat with black eyes. Just like with albino cats, owners of blue-eyed cats should be aware that direct sunlight or bright lights could hurt or damage their cat’s eyes. Because many white cats will have blue eyes, which means less melanin, they are more sensitive to sunlight. However, if your cat is albino, they will always have very pale blue eyes. It all depends on the amount of melanin in their irises. Many white cats can have yellow, copper, green, or blue eyes. However, just like with black cats, finding a white cat with darker colored eyes is not unheard of. What Cat Eye Colors Can White Cats Have?Īs mentioned above, white cats primarily have lighter colored eyes as a result of the amount of melanin, or lack thereof, in their genes. Cat eye color in most black cat eyes is going to be yellow or orange, although it is not impossible to find a black cat with blue eyes. A primarily black cat may also have yellow or copper eyes. While we do know that different genetics control fur color versus eye color in cats, statistically black cats seem to have darker eyes.Ī black cat with orange eyes is very common. While they have no other known health issues, if you own an albino cat, be aware that sunlight could damage their very sensitive eyes. Because of the lack of melanin and therefore pigmentation in an albino cat’s irises, an albino cat is going to be very sensitive to light. However, a true albino cat’s eyes are going to be very pale blue and sometimes may even have a pink or pinkish-blue tinge to them. It may not always be easy to tell the difference between an albino cat and a white cat with blue eyes. If eye and fur color are controlled by melanin, and the total absence of melanin correlates to albinism, you may be asking yourself if a white cat with blue eyes is an albino cat. What is the Difference Between an Albino Cat and A White Cat with Blue Eyes? This gene can also affect cat coat color and even cause albinism, which is when there is absolutely no pigment in the fur or eyes. The white spotting gene is a gene that affects the amount of melanin in cats. There is no correlation between a cat’s fur color and their eye color, which means that just because you have a darker furred cat does not mean her eyes are also going to be darker. However, melanin affects the eyes and fur differently. So, the more melanin, the darker your cat’s eyes and fur are going to be. Melanocytes produce melanin, which also affects the color of your cat’s fur. The number of melanocytes in your cat’s eyes are what determines her eye color. In fact, in the stroma, the melanocytes are somewhat scattered while in the epithelium, the melanocytes are packed tightly together. The two layers of the iris are the stroma and the epithelium, and they each carry melanocytes differently. It has two layers which carry color-promoting cells known as melanocytes. Eye color always begins in the iris, the colored part around the black pupil.

Eyes with yellow ring around pupil