Two colors per eye? Is this normal?

[jackandme]

Hi all,

I got Jack just over a week ago and I noticed that he has two colors per eye. I'll post a couple of pictures. Is this normal? I've had mostly Siamese cats before and their eyes were blue. I haven't had a DSH cat in over 20 years, so maybe I just don't remember if having two colors per eye is normal or not?! LOL.

1.jpg

• jackandme
• Feb 28, 2016

 

2.jpg

• jackandme
• Feb 28, 2016

 

[kkoerner]

He kind of looks like a torbie....
Brown tabbies can have a lot of rufousing(the red/orange) sometimes, but it's usually not in random spots. Do you have a full body shot?
Are we sure he, is not a she? Because if he is a torbie, it would be rare for him to be a male. It can happen though.

The eye color is pretty common with Domestics. It's called dichroic or dichromatic and is very pretty! His are very distinct. One of mine has the yellow-green eyes too, but the colors aren't as bright as clear cut as yours! :-)

 

[jackandme]

Thanks for the reply and your thoughts, KKoerner! I appreciate it. 

I was quite surprised when I saw his eyes close-up & noticed the two colors! It is pretty distinct and I thought that the contrast was probably a bit high in the first pic, so I posted a "duller" pic, the close-up...but it still does look pretty distinct, I think! lol. He is only 10 weeks & I've been told his eyes can and probably will change. 

I will have to Google what a torbie is!  

I'm pretty sure he is a male....though, the person I got him from originally said he was a female kitten, then later said, "oops, no he's male". Also, the woman mentioned something about thinking he was mixed....with "lynx" ? (I can't remember, but sounded like lynx), but she wasn't positive. It doesn't matter to me though, I love this little kitty soooo much. His personality is really, really nice, gentle and loving! 

 

[jackandme]

Oh -- I will see if I have a full body pic.

 

[bobkater]

Yes, the scientific terminology is dichroic or dichromatic eyes, as opposed to having eyes of different colors, which is called heterochromia.

Personally I would consider dichroic eyes quite unusual, but they are certainly attractive.

Nice photo btw.

 

[jackandme]

Thank-you Bobkater! 

5.jpg

• jackandme
• Feb 28, 2016

 

3.jpg

• jackandme
• Feb 28, 2016

 

4.jpg

• jackandme
• Feb 28, 2016

 

[Willowy]

Yeah, that's a torbie. . .any back end pictures? I'm thinking "he's" a she. Unless you've been to the vet and gotten all of that sorted out already. Then I guess he's a rare male torbie.

 

[kkoerner]

Yep! For sure a torbie (that is tortoiseshell coloring (black and orange in this case) combined with the tabby genes, to make a brown tabby with orange splotches)

I'm thinking the person you got "him" from was right the first time when they said it was a she LOL

But a back end picture would be most telling :-)

 

[jackandme]

LOL @ back end picture!! 

Sorry, no pic, but he's a boy for sure....how do I put this politely...lol -- he's got, um, balls! LOL. 

I could TRY to take a back end pic if you all really wanna see for yourselves! LOL 

 

 

[kkoerner]

Lol well....then I guess he is a rare male torbie. :-)

 

[bobkater]

It can be very difficult to distinguish between a tabby and a torbie. They both have the M on the forehead. And though orange characterizes a torbie, a tabby with brown looks very similar. Probably the main distinction is the presence of patches e.g. of orange, on a torbie. Thus a torbie is a patch tabby.

Now looking at the images of the cat in question, according to the above, it would seem to me that the orange is too little and not forming patches, so as to make him a torbie, while it also comes close to brown. So I’d rather consider him a tabby. But I do not claim this is final and definite, just my prima facie opinion.

 

[kkoerner]

It can be very difficult to distinguish between a tabby and a torbie. They both have the M on the forehead. And though orange characterizes a torbie, a tabby with brown looks very similar. Probably the main distinction is the presence of patches e.g. of orange, on a torbie. Thus a torbie is a patch tabby.


 
Now looking at the images of the cat in question, according to the above, it would seem to me that the orange is too little and not forming patches, so as to make him a torbie, while it also comes close to brown. So I’d rather consider him a tabby. But I do not claim this is final and definite, just my prima facie opinion.

A torbie does not have to have large patches at all. Just like a tortoiseshell does not have to have large orange areas, or large black areas. A mostly black cat with scattered orange is still a tortoiseshell. A mostly orange cat with some scattered black is still a tortoiseshell. Same with a torbie. While the ones with large orange patches and brown tabby patches are striking, many only have small amounts of orange. In the case of a male torbie or torti....this is actually more common than the larger spots. The key is that it is randomly mixed in and not just extra rufousing on the face or sides. This cat has clear spots of orange, even if they are small and is therefore a torbie......

Besides the orange on the M, and his side, he also has an orange toe in front. :-)

 

[jackandme]

Thank-you so much everyone for all of the info! 

 

[Diemond]

hi jackandme I have brothers, part Bengal (no papers) and they both have the some gold with bluish center in their eyes. I haven't seen this before and found your posting while looking it up

 

[mjk8390]

hi jackandme I have brothers, part Bengal (no papers) and they both have the some gold with bluish center in their eyes. I haven't seen this before and found your posting while looking it up View attachment 256298
[/QUOTE
I don't think anyone would reply to this post by now, but my cat has the similar eye colors. He is half Siamese and half bengal. Maybe it's just bengal mix cat's eye traits?