Are you looking to adopt a cat with green eyes? Certain breeds have the right genes that can increase the odds or even guarantee the right color.
Here’s an overview of the various breeds, sorted by color of their fur:
Brown breeds
- Norwegian Forest Cat
- Abyssinian
- Havana Brown
White breeds
- Turkish Angora
Gray & black breeds
- Sphynx
- Russian Blue
- Bombay cats
Spotted breeds
- Oriental Shorthair
- Egyptian Mau
White cats with green eyes
If you’re looking for a white breed, your options are pretty limited; the Turkish Angora is the only pure breed to choose from:
Turkish Angora
The Angora is a stunning natural white breed that was originally bred in Ankara, Turkey. Cats from this breed have a very high chance of developing green irises in adulthood.
A common problem with the Turkish Angora is that they are often born deaf because the gene that is responsible for their white fur is linked to a developmental problem of the ear.
Spotted cats with green eyes
Egyptian Mau
As the name implies, the Egyptian Mau finds it origins in Egypt. The breed is near-extinct but is being kept alive by small groups of enthusiastic breeders around the world. A purebred Mau always has piercing green eyes.
Oriental Shorthair
This breed was created in the 1950s by breeders who tried to crossbreed Siamese with skinny domestic cats. An adult Oriental Shorthair always has a single bright shade of green in the iris, with one notable exception; the subspecies “Foreign White” comes with deep blue eyes,
Gray and black cats with green eyes
Sphynx
This unicorn breed is not only known for its beautiful green eyes: the Sphynx is one of the rare hairless breeds that are born almost completely naked.
Taking care of a Sphynx is not easy. Since their naked bodies easily lose heat, they need to burn a large number of calories in order to keep their bodies warm. As a consequence, you have to make sure your Sphynx is eating a carefully considered diet at all times.
Russian Blue
While the name might have you expect a cat with blue eyes, that is far from true. These sweet-tempered black cats inherit genes from their parents that make them green-eyed as adults. And if you’re looking to get one, they are really cute and easy-going!
Bombay cats
Bombay cats look stunning. Their beautiful copper or green eyes and their striking coat give them the appearance of a tiny panther. Unfortunately for those who want to adopt one, the Bombay is also the rarest breed on this entire list. Finding a specimen with green eyes will not be easy.
Brown cats with green eyes
Abyssinian
These elegant brown felines are believed to be direct descendants of the cats that were kept as pets by the Pharaohs of Egypt. The Abyssinian is highly social, loves to climb, and is known for always being on the move. Adults from this breed have eyes with shades of beautiful deep green and copper.
Havana Brown
The Havana Brown was the result of a planned breeding between Siamese and domestic cats by a group of breeders from the UK in the 1950s. This short-hair breed is known for its high intelligence and typical brown/reddish coat. A purebred Havana Brown should always have green eyes, as it is a hard requirement in the breed standard.
Norwegian Forest Cat
This strong green-eyed tree climber shares many characteristics with the Maine Coon. Interesting fact: according to Wikipedia, their muscular claws are so strong that they’re the only domestic cats capable of descending a tree headfirst.
Famous green-eyed cats
Lil Bub
Lil Bub was a famous American rescue cat that amassed a huge following on social media. The green-eyed kitty was so popular on the web that, according to her owner, her fans have raised over half a million dollars for animal shelters and charities. Impressive!
Lil Bub’s story is a heart-warming one; She was rescued as a feral kitten who was suffering from numerous genetic defects. To name a few, she had odd-numbered toes (polydactyl), suffered from hypoplasia, had no teeth, her tongue was always sticking out, and her body never grew beyond the size of an average kitten (dwarfism). Vets said that she wasn’t likely to live longer than a year, and they predicted that she would be completely unable to move or eat within a few months’ time.
But despite numerous setbacks, Lil Bub was able to survive against all odds and enjoyed a relatively good life with her proud owner for many years thanks to various medical advancements and revolutionary therapies.
Buib’s owner eventually made the press with this story, and her publicity inspired the world to give priority to special needs cats. Bub had soon amassed an unbelievable fan base in the millions on various social media.
Lil Bub eventually passed at the age of 8 from a bone infection, but Catpointers and thousands of other fans have continued her legacy by supporting families with special needs cats (Lil Bub’s Big Fund) and sharing her lovely pictures on social media to this very day.
If you want to see more of Lil Bub’s story, be sure to take a look at her 1-hour documentary and this AMA on Reddit.
Note: Green-eyed cats love gifts too! Check out these customized pins.
Frequently asked questions
Ginger cats (officially known as Orange Tabby Cats) can have green eyes. In fact, this is very common! Their eyes are usually gold or green.
The eyes of a kitten do not produce melanin yet. For this reason, a kitten’s eyes are always blue. The true color will emerge 4-5 months after birth.
No more or less common than any other color. Contrary to popular belief, the color of fur has no proven relationship to the amount of melanin in the eye. What the real eye will look like after a kitten becomes an adult cat is different for each individual specimen.
But cats with green eyes do have something in common: they all have a low level of melanocytes. Green is considered a light eye color.
Congenital sensorineural deafness is a degeneration of the inner ear that causes deafness. A 1997 study examined many white cats and found that 72% of the animals were completely deaf. The scientists found that most of these animals where deaf at birth; their ears never had the ability to process any auditory signals.
While this syndrome CAN occur in white cats with green eyes, it is was actually determined that the ear is more likely to be non-functional whenever it is next to a blue iris.
-> Visit this link for further reading.
As we wrote in our article on how eye-color is determined, you should be able to notice the first changes about four to six weeks after birth. The entire transformation is usually completed by the fifth month.
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