The eye color of cats changes over time? Is this change a sign of a disturbance?
Who has never lost in the deep gaze of their domestic tiger. Sometimes it almost seems that Puss’s eyes change color, but is it really like that? Let’s find out together!
The change in the color of the cat’s eyes occurs at four months of age. It is at this point that the cat’s iris reaches its definitive colour, which will last throughout its adult life.
While there are exceptions, such as heterochromia (a genetic condition in which a cat has one eye of each color), a cat’s eye color should no longer change by the time it reaches adulthood.
When does the eye color of cats change?
If you realize, in adulthood, that the color of the cat’s eyes is changing, Micio could suffer from some disorder.
If there’s a different color in the cornea, eyeball, or iris, there could be an infection or inflammation, from conjunctivitis or uveitis, to glaucoma or melanoma.
Glaucoma in cats
If you notice that your cat’s eye color becomes whitishglaucoma could be the problem. This is a serious condition which, if not treated quickly, can cause your cat to lose its vision.
The ocular signs associated with glaucoma are varied:
- Eye pain: very marked in case of acute glaucoma, it is discreet in chronic glaucoma. It is mainly manifested by closed eyelids, watery eyes, protrusion of the third eyelid and sometimes depression.
- An increase in the volume of the eyeball. It is associated with an advanced stage of glaucoma.
- Redness of the eye: it is more marked in acute glaucoma.
- An eye that appears to have developed an opaque veil: corresponds to corneal edema.
- Pupil asymmetry: The eye with glaucoma usually has a more dilated pupil than the other eye.
Iris melanoma in cats
If your cat has small dots on the iris, it could be suffering from melanosis or melanoma.
It is a benign accumulation of melanin on the surface of the iris and is part of the age-related pathological processes in cats.
Occasionally cats develop pigmented spots on the iris as they age. Some of these pigment changes are completely benign (melanosis) and not a problem, but others may indicate the presence of a type of cancer: melanoma.
Melanomas in cats tend to be malignant tumors that spread not only to various structures in the eye but also to the rest of the body quite rapidly. For this reason they must be treated quickly and aggressively.
The problem with iris pigmentation in cats is that there is no accurate method to determine its malignancy by visual examination alone.
We know that melanomas of the iris tend to be raised, spreading to the surface, but without samples of a few cells or a biopsy, a definitive diagnosis cannot be made and it can be difficult to biopsy the iris without risking bleeding into the eye.
A sample of cells can be taken by needle aspiration from the surface of the iris at the level of the pigmented areas and analysis of these cells can provide the diagnosis, but this procedure is also not without risk to the eye and requires general anesthesia .
Why does my cat have orange eyes?
Another change that should ring alarm bells is when Puss hasorange in the eye.
This color usually appears when there is bleeding in the iris. It is an accumulation of blood inside the eyeball for which it is necessary to contact the veterinarian immediately.
Other cat eye problems
Other eye color changes in cats can occur when your cat’s cornea is opaque and not as transparent as it should be.
This opacity can be a sign of uveitis caused by trauma, bruises, and deep wounds from fights or accidents.
Any change in eye color in a cat can be a symptom of some disease, whether it’s an eye disorder or a common feline disease, such as toxoplasmosis.
It is essential that, as soon as an abnormality in the cat’s eye is detected and a change in color occurs, a veterinarian is consulted to make the most appropriate diagnosis and treatment.