Can A Kittens Eyes Change Color
A kitten s eyes start to change colour if they are going to when they are anything from 3 to 6 months old.
Can a kittens eyes change color. The most important thing is for them to process light so their vision is good before the colour of their eyes finally change to the colour they will be for the rest of their lives. Often this change can be spotted with the appearance of brownish amber yellow or greenish flecks of color within the iris or colored part of your kitten s eyes. Using eye color to estimate the age of a kitten is however a limited approach. By week 6 or 7 a kitten s eye color begins to change.
Between the age of three to eight weeks kittens eyes begin to change to colors ranging from green yellow and orange to amber copper and brown. When kittens begin opening their eyes the eyes are bright blue in color regardless of what color their eyes turn later as they grow up. What color their eyes will end up being is a result of the amount of pigment within the tapetum lucidum. Some kitties that have naturally blue eyes as adults such as himalayans might have reddish or pink eyes when they re born.
However most cat breeds don t keep blue eyes. Anywhere from three to eight weeks some kittens may develop flecks of color in their eyes. At around 6 to 7 weeks of age a kittens eyes may begin to gradually change color. By the time your kitten is 3 months old she should have a new eye color usually a shade of green or gold.
By the age of three months the eyes will be their final color. Once the eye is sufficiently mature these melanocytes begin producing melanin. The majority of kittens are born with blue eyes. Kittens who are destined to grow into blue eyed felines will remain with the same eye color with minimal or no variation to the shade infections that can cause the eye color to change kittens and mature cats alike can undergo eye color changes due to infections.
Most of the time a kitten s eyes will be permanently changed into their adult color by the time they reach 12 to 16 weeks. As a kitten develops and matures her eye color may go through several changes including gray brown yellow orange and green. Vet info states that sometime between three weeks and two months of age a kitten s eyes may begin to change color from a foggy blue to a darker shade. The iris the colored part of the eye contains melanocytes.
If you have an older kitten and you notice her eyes beginning to change color she is likely around 6 7 weeks old. Typically by the time your kitten is 3 months old her eyes will have changed from blue to the color they will be throughout her life. At this time the irises will begin to transition to their permanent mature color. This color change is usually complete by the time a kitten is three months old.