There’s something very special about the blue-eye, white fur phenomenon. Cats like this, if well-maintained and kept clean, look kind of wintery and pristine. Yes, it’s a problem if you spill your ketchup on one. But on the other hand, you can wear a white cat with anything.
White cats with blue eyes: the albino thing
Not all white cats are albinos. Not even all white cats with blue eyes are albinos. White fur and blue eyes are sometimes just the attributes that a cat’s genes gave.
But very often, a white cat with blue eyes is an albino. This is because blue is the ‘default’ colour of a cat’s eyes. (You’ll notice, all kittens have blue eyes until around six weeks, after which most change). Without pigment, a cat’s eye refracts the light in such a way as to make it seem blue. This is the same reason that the sky is blue.
Some cats may develop very little pigment, or a certain density of pigment, so their eyes remain blue. But albinos don’t develop that pigment at all. Hence their fur remains white (whereas its parents may have been different colours) and its eyes remain blue, or even pinkish-red (actually the colour of the blood vessels behind them).
This genetic fault (or superpower) also affects the ears of some cats, which is why white, blue-eyed cats are often thought to be deaf. Many are, although not as many as people generally think (around 40%). Cats with mixed eye colours can also count themselves among this demographic.
So you want a white cat with blue eyes. And you’re not holding out for an albino? What kind of breeds can you choose from?
White cat with blue eyes breed #1: The Maine Coon
There are 75 possible colour combinations for this breed, so you may have to hunt far and wide to net a white one! But if you find one, you should get along just fine: this large, shaggy feline is known as a ‘gentle giant’ and fits in well with human and mixed families.
What’s more, this brand tends to come with a rather fluffy ruff (a fancy feline scarf). You can imagine a creature of these proportions with epic fur of this description looks pretty astonishing in white and blue.
White cat with blue eyes breed #2: The Foreign White
This odd-named cat makes a bit more sense when you realise that it is, indeed, always white, and was bred from Siamese cats (along with the British shorthair). So it’s a bit foreign. Perhaps unsurprisingly, it is also referred to as the white Siamese from time to time.
The good news with this one is its eyes are always blue. And it retains the statuesque beauty of the common (how dare you!) Siamese. In other words, it’s another looker.
White cat with blue eyes breed #3: The Persian
The Persian is the daft-looking cartoon cat that everybody loves. In fact, the white variety is perhaps the most popular of all white cats. With its angora-like coat and squashed-up frowny face, you’ll want to hug this moggy to death – although this is not to be encouraged.
Nothing comes for free in this world, and if you want this kitsch painting kitty to say fresh and photogenic, you’ll need to put in the grooming work. You should start with daily grooming, and also step in to clean up any occasional patches that appear on the cat’s fur. It is, after all, white - the most stainable of colours.
White cat with blue eyes breed #4: The Snowshoe
This one comes with the added bonus of a white breed name! However, although the kittens of this breed are born white, as they grow up they will develop other markings on their face and elsewhere (similar to a classic Siamese).
That said, while you can get beige or tan snowshoes, the white one (with tan Batman mask) is the snowiest and looks rather fetching with blue eyes. A cut above the average cat.
Choosing the colour of your cat is the easy part. But now you have a pretty good idea what the best models are, too!
