Just Wondering...Pictures Added

[Faceman]

I've always had barn cats and once in a while an inside cat, so have probably had 200 or so cats in my life. I have a white kitten now about 4 months old, that has one green/yellow eye and one blue eye.

I've not many white cats - they don't survive very well as they stand out at night for owls and coyotes, but I've protected this litter, which has 3 white ones.

Anyway, I was just wondering how unusual it was for them to have different colored yes. It is really spooky looking...

[Just_Another_Love007]

well ive always associated a dog or cat with a blue eye to be possibly deaf. now this might not be true with your kitten buts its also not too uncommon. as one breed of siamese has blue eyes. maybe try researching it on google. or yahoo. you never know this kitten might be worth some money

[cook1745]

It is acctually very common in many breeds. British short hair odd eye for example!!!

[beezwing]

They are called odd-eyed whites and are pretty sought after
k

[Faceman]

Originally Posted by beezwing

They are called odd-eyed whites and are pretty sought after
k

"odd-eyed"... Well, they sure look odd...

I'll have to go look that up...

[Faceman]

Well, that didn't take long...

95% of the general cat population is non-white cats (i.e. not pure white) and congenital deafness is extremely rare in non-white cats.
5% of the general cat population is white cats (i.e. pure white). 15-40% of these pure white cats have one or two blue-eyes.
Of those white cats with one or two blue eyes, 60-80% are deaf; 20-40% have normal hearing; 30-40% had one blue eye and were deaf while 60-70% had one blue eye and normal hearing.
Of the 5% of white cats in the overall population, 60-80% had eyes of other colors (e.g. orange, green). Of those 10- 20% were deaf and 80-90% had normal hearing.
Deaf white cats with one or two blue eyes account for 0.25 - 1.5 of total cat population
Total number of cats with white coat and blue eyes account for 0.75 - 2.0% of total cat population
It is evident from those studies that blue eyed whites exhibit a higher incidence of deafness than do orange/green eyed whites or non-white cats! But not all blue eyed whites are deaf and here's why:-

There is a known link between white coat color, blue eyes and deafness - but since the coat and eye color can be caused by different genes it means that only some blue eyed whites are deaf. There is a gene/gene complex which causes white coat, blue eyes and deafness, but not all cats get their white coat and blue eyes from that particular gene, so not all white cats will be deaf.

You guys know your cats. I'll have to figure some way to test her to see if she is deaf...

The other two white ones have regular green eyes...

[wildcat180]

Oh I LOVE odd eyed white kitties! A friend of mine had one when we were kids and he was a sweetheart! When our doors were open to needy kittens, I had always hoped an odd eye would come around...Never did though.

Consider it an omen of good luck!

[beezwing]

She will be deaf on the ear opposite the blue eye if she is, and she may not be..and it may not bother her at all.

you can make noise away from other cats an see if she reacts, but make sure it is sound and not vibration.

....but short of a behr test not really.

k

oh, and I had a hearing blue eyed white cat while growing up, blue eyes don't equal deafness 100%

[Horselessnomore]

Sounds like you have some very unique kittens there!

[joustinggirl]

They are also very susceptible to Squamous Cell Carcinomas if they get a lot of sun exposure. We have quite a few earless white kitties that come to our practice.

[Horses&Soccer]

Sounds like the white kitties have the same issues as the white dogs. So, Faceman, when do we get to see pics of this pretty, white, odd-eyed kitty?

[Faceman]

Originally Posted by Horses&Soccer

Sounds like the white kitties have the same issues as the white dogs. So, Faceman, when do we get to see pics of this pretty, white, odd-eyed kitty?

I was thinking of trying to take a picture, but figured the "red eye" would ruin the eye colors. I'll see what I can come up with if I can remember when I get home...

[Faceman]

OK - here are pictures, but they are not good. I learned a lesson - you cannot take a picture of a kitten that won't sit still.

[BarnBum]

Now, that is cool !! What a cute kitty !

[Gotta Love Duns]

What a cutie! I think you have something very special there Face!

[SunnyKS]

What a cutie. He looks about the same age as my son's kitty.

[merleliz]

Well, I guess you are never too old to learn something new...I have never seen a cat like that before! She's beautiful, it's strange, but beautiful...in a way it looks like two different cats, depending on which eye you focus on!

[wildcat180]

Beautiful girl! What'cha gonna name her?

[ThatsAlly]

It looks like it has some ocular and nasal discharge... do you have feline herpes in your cat population? Its quite common in barn/feral kitties.

[Faceman]

Originally Posted by ThatsAlly

It looks like it has some ocular and nasal discharge... do you have feline herpes in your cat population? Its quite common in barn/feral kitties.

I don't know - I just put them out about a week and a half ago, and now they are all congested. Don't know if it's the barn dust or what. I kept them inside for 3 months till they got larger so they wouldn't get eaten. Something around here keeps picking off my small kittens...