This is Pam Pam, the kitty with the most mesmerizing eyes ever. See for yourself below, but don’t look at them for too long or you might never be able to look away again. The reason Pam Pam’s eyes look like this is because of a condition called heterochromia iridis. It’s characterized by abnormalities in the iris, and those affected by the condition have one eye with a different color than the other. Another type of the condition, called segmental heterochromia, causes different colors in the same eye. Heterochromia can be caused by inbreeding, genetic inheritance, or mutation, and in some breeds of cats, like the Turkish Angora, heterochromia is a desirable trait that breeders try to maintain. Inherited heterochromia iridis is harmless, and it can be found in both animals and humans. Click HERE to see animals with different variations of this condition.
Given the importance we affix to looking someone (or something) else in the eyes, it's no wonder that heterochromic creatures, or creatures with two different eye colors, are so striking. Though heterochromia is fairly rare in humans, its occurrence is far higher among animals, especially cats. Heterochromia is a genetic trait that, depending on the creature it happens in, can be due to inbreeding, genetic inheritance or mutation. In some breeds of cats, like the Turkish Angora, heterochromia is a desirable trait that breeders try to maintain. One cat in this list – Venus – is heterochromic due to chimerism, a different genetic trait that causes her body to express different pigmentation genes for each half of her body.
