Many of us would love to stare into our kitty’s eyes all day, absorbing the gentle, slow blinks. Even if you can’t spend all day doing this, you can build trust with your cat by making eye contact. When you look into your cat’s eyes, you may immediately notice their eye color, especially if they are a brilliant hue. One of the most beautiful eye colors on cats is green. But is it a common eye color? Green is not the most common eye color for kitties. The most common eye colors in cats are yellow and amber, closely followed by hazel.
Is Green the Most Common Eye Color in Cats?
The most common feline eye colors are yellow and amber, closely followed by hazel. Green eyes are the third most common cat eye color. Don’t be confused if you have a kitten with blue eyes and are expecting green. All kittens have blue eyes that begin to shift to their adult eye color around 7 weeks of age.
Interestingly, green is a common color in a few breeds, but outside of them, it is not common. If you happen to be lucky enough to see an Egyptian Mau, you can expect to see eyes of a sparkling light green called gooseberry, which is named after the berry. The Havana Brown, Norwegian Forest Cat, Russian Blue, and Abyssinian also have green eyes.
What Determines a Cat’s Eye Color?
The simplest explanation for what determines a cat’s eye color is the genetics. A recessive gene causes green eyes, and both parents must carry the gene for green eyes to have offspring with green eyes, but it doesn’t mean that both parents have green eyes. This is because the presence and expression of genes are very different.
Melanin is responsible for the eye and coat color in cats. The more melanin a cat has, the darker their coat or eyes will be. However, high amounts of melanin in the fur don’t indicate a high amount of melanin in the eyes. This is how a dark-colored cat, like a Havana Brown, can have green eyes. In fact, a large portion of black cats have green eyes.
The more active the melanocytes, or melanin cells, are in your cat’s eyes will determine how bright and brilliant your cat’s eyes are. A low number of melanocytes causes green eyes, but the activity of the cells determines the shade of green. Purebred cats are more likely to have more brilliantly colored eyes than mixed-breed cats, although that is not always true.
If you have questions about your cat’s eyes, we recommend speaking to a veterinarian.
Final Thoughts
Green eyes are the third most common eye color in cats, making them not terribly rare but not common in cats. They are common in black cats and certain breeds. Per the breed standards of both the Egyptian Mau and Havana Brown, all of the cats within these breeds have green eyes. Egyptian Maus have light gooseberry eyes, while Havana Browns have brighter green eyes.
See also:
- Can a Cat’s Eyes Change Color? Vet-Approved Facts & FAQ
- Maltese vs. Shih Tzu: Which One Is Right for Me?
Featured Image Credit: maeninblaeck, Pixabay
