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Whether you’re just curious or are asking because you’ve noticed a change in the color of your Bengal cat’s eyes, it’s a common question to ask do Bengal cats’ eyes change color.
The answer is a little more complicated than a simple yes or no since there are times when color changes are normal and times when they are not.
In this post, we’re going to cover:
Here’s a video of a beautiful silver Bengal cat with bright blue eyes:
When it comes to eye color changed in Bengal kittens, this is a normal part of them reaching maturity. A kitten may go through several eye colors before they get their adult eye color and it should then stay the same. For this reason, color changes in Bengal kittens are rarely a cause for concern.
The majority of kittens have dark blue eyes when they are born. Then, between the ages of 3 and 8 weeks, their eyes will begin to change and will be a mixture of dark blue with flecks of yellow, orange, green, amber, and brown. By the time a kitten reaches about 12 weeks of age, their eye color is generally set and will no longer change.
Kittens that are going to have blue eyes as adults will typically have lighter-colored blue eyes compared to other kittens. These will generally get lighter as the kitten matures since most Bengal cats with blue eyes have light blue eyes. If you notice any eye color changes in kittens over the age of 16 weeks, then this may indicate a serious medical problem.
There are several reasons that you might see a change in the eye color of an adult Bengal cat, including eye damage, eye disease, and cataracts. If you notice a very sudden change in the color of your Bengal cat’s eyes, this is almost always a sign that something is wrong and they should be taken to the vet as soon as possible.
Heterochromia is when a cat has two different-colored eyes. This is because of their genetics, and is not a cause for alarm unless the change happens after kittenhood. A cat that has heterochromia will develop two different-colored eyes around 12 weeks. However, if a cat experiences a change in eye color in one eye (or both!) later in life, this could mean there’s a problem.
One cause of eye color change in Bengal cats is injury. If a cat’s eye is injured, then they could have bleeding in their eye which shows up as their eye color getting darker. If you know that your cat has been injured recently or they spend unsupervised time outside so they could have been injured without your knowledge, you should take them to the vet to make sure any internal bleeding they may have is taken care of.
Another common cause of changing eye color is eye infection. This can sometimes be caused by an eye injury such as a scratch that goes untreated, or may be the result of bacteria that have gotten into your Bengal cat’s eye for any number of reasons. In most cases, Bengal cats that have an eye infection have abnormally red-orange or yellow-colored eyes. Since there are many other reasons for cats to develop an eye infection, you should take your cat to the vet for them to figure it out and treat it properly.
Cloudiness in the eyes, especially starting in the iris, may be caused by cataracts that are beginning to form, especially in older Bengal cats. Although Persians, Birmans, and Himalayans are more prone to cataracts, any breed of cat can develop them, most often as they get older. However, since cloudiness could also indicate another serious underlying illness, it’s best to have them checked by the veterinarian to make sure it’s just cataracts and not something more serious.
In most cases, cataracts will eventually cause your Bengal cat to go blind. Fortunately, most cats do quite well even when they can’t see as they can rely on their whiskers, sense of hearing, and sense of smell to navigate the world. While there are some special ways that you’ll need to care for a blind Bengal cat, you can rest assured that they can still have a happy life even if they can’t see.
Cats tend to hide their pain and suffering from others, even their owners, for as long as possible. For this reason, the only change that you may notice when your cat has a serious illness is a change in your Bengal cat’s eye color. There are a number of diseases that cause eye color changes in Bengal cats, so you should always take your cat to the vet if you notice any sudden change in eye color in one or both eyes.
Glaucoma is cloudiness or whiteness in the eyes. It is caused when there’s too much pressure inside of the eye because there’s not enough blood flow to the eyes. This could indicate any number of other underlying illnesses such as a toxoplasmosis infection, feline leukemia, or feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV). It can also be a result of an unnoticed eye infection.
Sometimes, an infection in the eye could indicate a larger problem that your cat is having, such as blood pressure issues or diabetes. There are also several types of cancer that cats can get in their eyes which will change their eye color such as lymphoma or uveal melanoma. The sooner you take your cat in to get treatment, the better chance they have at overcoming whatever they are facing.
So, unless your Bengal cat is a kitten going through the normal eye color changes that happen as they mature, a change in eye color is generally an indication that something is wrong and you should get them in to see the vet as soon as possible.
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