If you’ve seen newborn kittens, you’ll note that they all have their eyes shut at first.This is a nature-intended defense mechanism meant to avoid infection and injury to the eyes during childbirth.You’ll notice the kitten’s eyes open throughout the first weeks of their new life, which can range from two to as many as sixteen days. Even within the same litter, each kitten may open her eyes at varying times, and sometimes the eyes of individual kittens can open days apart. Your kitten’s vision is still growing once her eyes are open, so she may not be able to see clearly.Kittens rely on touch, smell, and their mother throughout this time. Your kitten’s eyes have to be completely open by the time they are three weeks old. Her eyesight will develop as the weeks go by, and if the kitten’s eyes are clean and not pink, red, or discharge-filled, she should be alright. A kitten’s eyes are mature enough to open during the second week of life, which can be anywhere from one to two-week of age after birth.If you love learning more about our feline friends, do not forget to check out when kittens calm down and when kittens start pooping for more cat-related content to share with your friends!How old are kittens when their eyes change color?A kitten is born with blue eyes! Kittens are born with both eyes closed from the womb of the mother to the whelping box.Your kitten’s eyes are blue when they first open, but they will develop into their adult hue as they age. The eyes of newborn to one-week-old kittens will be closed. The kitten should have doubled its body mass by one week of age. A kitten’s eyes will keep developing for about a week after birth, and they will begin to open at the age of two weeks. The kitten’s eyes can take up to three-week to fully open. Like a small cat, a 3-week-old-kitten will also have ears that curve upwards. Kittens will be walking, examining their surroundings, and even investigating the litter box at three weeks of age.The adult eye color will begin to develop at seven weeks. Kittens’ eyes would change from baby blue to the hue they will have for the rest of their lives. Green, gray or yellow eyes indicate that the kitten is at least seven weeks old. The eye color of an 8-week-old-kitten is the same as it will be as an adult.A typical 8-week-old-kitten can be spayed or neutered and placed into a permanent loving home. The final eye color of a kitten is genetically inherited passed down from its parents. The majority of adult cat’s eyes have a spectrum of hues ranging from gold, green, and yellow on one end to copper, orange, and brown on the other, with various shades and variants in between.Aqua is a green-blue kitten eye color that is quite unusual. The unique eye color among cats is orange/amber! But what about cats having blue eyes? All kittens are conceived with blue eyes, and some cat species keep this hue throughout their entire life. It’s worth noting, however, that those captivating baby blue eyes aren’t going to stay that way forever. Cats’ eyes do not all change color. It’s okay if a fully grown cat’s eyes are healthy, sparkling, and functional.Why do kittens’ eyes change color?A kitten’s eyes are sealed shut until they emerge until seven to ten days after birth, and the irises appear blue when they do. The visual capacity of a kitten grows first, followed by its ability to see color.Once your kitten’s eyes have matured from baby blue, they can take on a variety of adult eye colors. These color dots are produced by pigment cells in the iris, also known as melanocytes, and their ultimate colors are determined by heredity, just like in humans. Both add to the pigment but vary in degrees.When there is a lot of pigment, the eyes turn orange or gold; when there isn’t enough pigment, the eyes change green; and when there isn’t enough pigment in both layers, the eyes turn blue. According to Johnson, neither coat color nor gender has an impact on a kitten’s eye color. Some cat breeds, like Siamese, keep their blue eyes until adulthood, and it’s normal if your kitten’s eyes don’t change color.On the other hand, most cat breeds have a progressive change in eye color throughout the first three months before reaching their ultimate color. For example, a kitten’s eyes can take a year to finish shifting and deepening their mature eye color and hue. As a result, a cat may develop two eyes of various colors, blue and yellow, brown, orange, or green. This is called complete heterochromia, or odd-eyed. While unusual eyes can appear in any cat, it is more common in solid or mostly white cats, like Turkish Van, Turkish Angora, and Japanese Bobtail. Only a few cat breeds keep their blue eye color throughout adulthood. This is because your cat’s eye color and fur color have nothing to do with each other.This diffracted blue or blue-green outer layer continues to modify and influence our impression of cat-eye color as it evolves. As a result, the eye color of a six-week-old kitten begins to shift. Melanocytes are found in the iris, the colorful component of the eye. Once the eye is sufficiently grown, these melanocytes begin manufacturing melanin, a substance that gives the eye its complete adult coloring.The final color and its depth or severity are determined by the number of melanocytes present and the amount of melanin they produce. Because young kittens produce very little melanin, blueish eyes have almost little melanin. As a result, most cats’ eyes progressively change color, with green, brown, hazel, yellow, and golden brown being the most frequent. The kitten’s body creates more melanin as it grows and ages, causing the eye color shift, which begins at the age of a four-week and lasts until about ten weeks of age.Blue-Eyed And Odd-Eyed CatsAdult cats with bluish eyes and cats with heterochromia iridum, or two distinct-colored eyes, are included in the question of when do kittens’ eyes change color. A cat with blue eyes into adulthood has poor or non-existent melanin production.Examples are colorpoint cats, such as the Siamese, and breeds that originated with the Siamese as key genetic contributors. Colorpoint cats’ bluish eyes, like their intriguing coat color distribution, are caused by a form of partial albinism. Like limited coat color, blue eyes are caused by a lack of melanin in this cat species. Blue-eyed adult cats are also ordinary in the Ojos Azules, particularly in significantly deeper and darker colors than those seen in melanin-deficient colorpoint breeds. It is uncommon to see a black cat with blue eyes due to heredity. However, seeing a black and white cat with blue eyes is quite common.The color difference may not be evident in kittens, but it becomes more noticeable as they grow older. White cats or cats having the white spotting gene, like bicolor and tuxedo cat species, are more likely to have odd eyes. Turkish Angoras and Turkish Vans are two breeds with unusual eyes.The spectrum of blues seen in beautiful blue cat eyes is a product of refracted light, not pigmentation. So while we interpret the color of the cat’s eye as blue, it is a combination of a lack of color and light refraction. Other eye colors in cats are determined by the degree of clarity of the outer eye and the amount of pigment accessible in the iris. So let’s answer the question, when do kittens’ eyes change color and shed some light on why and how kittens’ eyes change color. Eye Color Changes and HealthOnce mature, your cat’s eye color should not change. However, if her eye color changes, it could suggest a health problem that requires medical treatment.Kitten owners must distinguish between the color of the iris and the cornea to detect medical issues early. Generally, a cat or kitten’s eyes should be clear and bright. Swelling, cloudiness, excessive blinking, discharge, grit in the eyelids, wet eyes, and squinting are signs of an eye infection or injured eye, such as from play. If your cat’s eyes are red and inflamed, it could be conjunctiva, an inflammation of the light pink lining around the eyes; contact your vet immediately. If you want a well-adjusted, healthy kitten, you must provide proper kitten care.A cat from food precursors cannot synthesize some vitamins. As a result, a cat must obtain all of the niacin and vitamin A it requires from the food it consumes. Vitamin A deficiency can harm eye health. Therefore, kittens should always have access to water and plenty of wet food. Consult your vet for advice on how to feed your kitten a nutritious diet. At eight weeks old, kittens will usually be feeding on their own. According to Johnson, conjunctivitis, an extremely infectious eye infection, is the most prevalent eye infection in cats and kittens.Squinting and dark tear streaks on the fur of the kitten are other possibilities. One more eye-related issue in kittens is uveitis. The uvea is the eye layer that contains the iris, the ciliary body (behind the iris), and the choroid (the center of the eyeball having the blood vessels). If one or more of these parts become inflamed, it’s called uveitis. Contact your vet immediately if contact your vet if you suspect a problem or detect a change in your kitten’s eye. We certainly want our kitties to live long and healthy lives.Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for when kittens’ eyes change color, why not take a look at how often kittens eat or how is metal made.
If you’ve seen newborn kittens, you’ll note that they all have their eyes shut at first.
