Blue-eyed cat breeds

Kittens are born blue-eyed, and only by the 6-7th week a dark pigment begins to accumulate in the cornea, which then stains the eyes in copper, green, gold and brown. But some cats remain with blue eyes. What are their features?

There is a myth that cats with blue eyes are deaf. However, this defect is more common in snow-white pussies. The fact is that the KIT gene is responsible for the color of the eyes and coat. Due to mutations in it, cats produce fewer melanocytes – the cells that produce color. The functional cells of the inner ear also consist of them. Therefore, if there are few melanocytes, then they are not enough for the color of the eyes, and for the cells inside the ear. About 40% of snow-white cats and some of the odd-eyed cats suffer from this mutation – they do not hear the ear on the “blue-eyed” side.

Breed or mutation

Genetically blue eyes are a characteristic of adult, acromelanistic color point cats. They have a light body and dark limbs, muzzle, ears, tails, although there are exceptions. Also, heavenly eye color occurs in animals with other types of color:

• with the dominant gene for white coat color;
• with a bicolor color: the bottom of the body is white, the top is of a different color.

Their fur can be of any length and even completely absent. There are five common incredibly impressive breeds.

Siamese breed

One of the most famous blue-eyed cat breeds. They have a typical color-point short coat, a pointed muzzle, expressive almond-shaped eyes, a long movable tail, and an elegant physique. Active, with a difficult character, a loud voice with a variety of modulations, Siamese – sheer charm. As a rule, their height is 22–25 cm, and their weight is 3,5–5 kg.

Snow-shu

“Snow shoes” – this is how the name of the breed is translated Snowshoe – are very attractive. In color, they resemble Siamese, only on their paws they have snow-white socks, and the shades of wool are more expressive. Representatives of this breed are massive, weighing up to 6 kg, but very graceful. They have a triangular head, large ears, and round, large, intense blue eyes. The disposition is flexible, patient. They have incredibly silky, soft fur. You can read more about the breed in a separate article.

Balinese cat, balinese

У Balinese also a sharp muzzle, deep, bottomless blue eyes. Color – color-point. The coat on the body is long, silky, creamy golden. Smart, inquisitive, playful, they love their owners very much. Unlike the progenitors of the Siamese breed, the Balinese love children, get along with animals. Growth can reach 45 cm, but, as a rule, they are slender and weigh about 4-5 kg ​​maximum.

Ohos azules

Ojos Azules is Spanish for “blue eyes”. This is a relatively new breed of Spanish breeding. Cats are medium-sized, up to 5 kg in weight and about 25–28 cm tall. The color can be anything – beige, smoky, but the shade of the eyes of this cat with blue eyes is unique. Intense, deep, the colors of the summer sky – this is how those who happened to see this still rare breed describe it. The nature of the Ojos is balanced, soft, sociable, but without annoying.

Turkish angora

Despite the fact that this breed of cats has several subspecies of color, including with any eye color, it is true Turkish angora They call it a snow-white cat, fluffy with blue eyes. Very smart, but they are smart, they train quickly, but only if they want to. Their head is wedge-shaped, their eyes are slightly inclined to the nose. The body is flexible, dry. Representatives of the breed weigh no more than 5 kg. Wool is easy to fluff, friable, soft. They like to “talk” with animals and people, but, unfortunately, they are often born deaf.

Of course, there are many more cat breeds with charming blue eyes: it is also a Himalayan cat – brown with blue eyes, and a smooth-haired snowy foreign white, and some others.

See also:

• Siamese cat health and nutrition: what to feed and what to look for
• Neva masquerade cat: description, features and nature of the breed
• Why do cats eyes glow in the dark?