Did you get your kitten right when it was born? If so, you probably noticed that your kitten had very light color eyes, usually green or yellow. In fact, most kittens don’t open their eyes for the first time until 7 days after the are born. Before that, they rely entirely on their sense of smell and hearing to navigate their new world. While you shouldn’t worry if your kitten still has closed eyes after 10 days, we recommend contacting a vet if your kitten has not opened its eyes after 18 days from birth. 

After a few weeks, months, and sometimes years, you may realize one day that your cat’s eye color has changed. Maybe you don’t recognize it until you look back at old pictures of your kitten. However you discover it, you might be worried that there is something wrong with your cat’s eye or that maybe your cat is sick. However, there is no need to get scared. Below we will explain what causes this phenomenon.

Why do cats eye’s change color as they get older

A cat’s eyes changing color as it gets older is completely normal and natural. The reason your kitten’s eyes are usually a bright color when it’s young is because the eye has very little Melanin. Melanin is in the iris and determines the color of the eye. The less melanin, the lighter the color. As cats get older, their body begins to create more melanin, and thus change their eye color. If your cat has very low levels of melanin, your cats eyes will most likely be light blue or green. If your cat produces a lot of melanin, then its eyes will most likely be a darker brown. 

Sometimes, melanin can spread to different eyes at a different rate. This is what causes some cats to have different color eyes. However, the vast majority of cat’s will reach their permanent eye color at the age of around 3 months.