This cat has a fabulous pair of eyeballs, but there is a perfectly normal explanation for its magical looking peepers. The technical name for the condition is sectoral heterochromia, a genetic mutation that causes one iris to contain two completely different colours. This is a subtype of Heterochromia Iridis, which basically can be translated from Greek into “different coloured irises.” It is a condition that can occur in humans as well as animals, and there are no associated medical disadvantages in any way, meaning there is no real downside to those cool looking colours.
So what causes heterochromia? Eye colour is determined by the amount of melanin in an animal's genetic makeup. All kittens are born with blue eyes, and melanin granules gradually accumulate into their irises, changing the colour over time. However, a specific white spotted gene can prevent that movement of melanin, which is why cats with heterochromia are typically white or white spotted. This cat has different concentrations of melanin within the same iris, which is what causes the beautiful multi-coloured effect. Not magic, but still pretty awesome.
All images via Imgur.
