Meet Olive, the one-of-a-kind cat from Derbyshire, UK. This 4-year-old feline has captured the hearts and attention of social media users with her unique features. What makes Olive special is her distinctiveness in having a white coat that accentuates her striking dual-colored eyes.
Introducing Olive, a one-of-a-kind kitty with a rare genetic condition called sectoral heterochromia. This means that half of each eye is yellow, while the other half is blue, creating a truly mesmerizing effect. Olive’s stunning appearance has garnered her a massive following on Instagram, where she is known as Odd Eyed Olive. She is a crossbreed with Oriental and Siamese traits, boasting almond-shaped eyes and a white coat. Although her unique eye color was not immediately obvious when she was a kitten, it gradually became more pronounced as she grew older, surprising everyone around her. However, owner Kim fell in love with Olive’s charming personality long before her striking eyes caught anyone’s attention.
Meet Olive, an adorable little feline who has an unusual condition called sectoral heterochromia, which splits her eyes into yellow and blue sections. Kim brought Olive home to join their family of three other kittens, and she has quickly become a lively addition who gets along well with everyone. With over 18,000 followers on Instagram, Olive is quite the celebrity and is often seen cuddling with her boyfriend, Charlie, who also has striking blue eyes.
What sets Olive apart from other cats is her fondness for cake over traditional cat treats. She is a breed typical in many ways, but she can be a bit naughty and gets jealous when Kim pays attention to other cats. Olive loves to be massaged, especially on her belly, chin, and anywhere else. Her daily routine includes playing with boxes and feather toys, as well as bird-watching while making “ek ek ek” sounds.
According to Medical News Today, the difference in melanin concentration and distribution causes heterochromia of the eye. Melanin is the pigment responsible for giving color to eyes, hair, and skin. Heterochromia can occur in both humans and animals. The term heterochromia comes from the Greek words héteros meaning different and chróma meaning color. Olive has sectoral heterochromia, which is a rare form of this condition. Olive’s specific form of heterochromia is extremely rare, even among all-white cats that commonly have complete heterochromia or differently colored eyes. Unlike spotty or diffuse heterochromia, Olive’s irises have a blue and yellow hemisphere, making her unique.
Olive, the adorable feline with captivating eyes, has an intriguing genetic background that contributes to her distinctive stare. Normally, kittens are born with blue eyes that vanish once they begin producing melanin. But there are some cats like Olive’s buddy Charlie who retain their blue eyes throughout their lives. Although a lot of white cats with blue eyes tend to be deaf, Olive has impeccable vision and hearing. Despite her peculiar appearance, Olive is cherished by her admirers and is regarded as a stunning creature.
