Cat Heterochromia Iridum Picture

A cat heterochromia iridum picture or in layperson's terminology a picture of an odd-eyed cat. The photograph was taken by the veterinarians or their associates at the Cuyahoga Falls Veterinary Clinic. This photo has been used with their permission for teaching/educational purposes at www.pictures-of-cats.org (PoC). I want to thank Ryan G. Gates, DVM of the clinic for granting permission. If people want to use the picture please ask the clinic first.

Odd-eyed or odd-eye cats are not that rare. I guess the same can be said about people. White cats and bicolor cats have odd-eyes sometimes. This is because the gene that causes the fur to be white (white spotting gene or piebald gene) can also affect one eye. It removes color in the fur by removing pigmentation, leaving it white, and creates a blue eye. A blue eye is one with a low concentration of melanin which is the pigmentation in the iris of the eye. The way light is reflected and absorbed by the low levels of melanin (a very dark brown color), results in the color blue being visible.

The cat in the picture has complete heterochromia. There are varying degrees of this condition. Read some more about odd-eyed cats and cat eye color. The cat's hearing can also be affected.