Cats Cat Breeds

15 Top Cat Breeds With Big Eyes

These house kitties have the most captivating gaze

By
Erica Puisis
Erica Puisis
Erica Puisis
Erica Puisis writes about home products for The Spruce and specializes in interior design and plant care. She's contributed to Forbes and smart home blogs like Smart Home Solver and TechDigg.
Learn more about The Spruce Pets' Editorial Process
Updated on 05/07/20
Devon Rex cat with big green eyes

 Troydays / Getty Images

A unique feature on a cat that stands out, like hair color or hair type, is eye size. Cats with big eyes are seriously cute, and some have an anime-cartoonish quality to them. Breeds with big eyes include familiar breeds, like the pretty Persian or the more exotic Tonkinese or Singapura. Eyes are one way that your cat communicates. Pupil size, blinking, staring—each is a potential sign about your cat's thoughts and imminent actions. In this case, when it comes to eye size, the bigger the window, the easier it is to understand your cat.

Whether your cat is feeling fear, aggression, pleasure, or excitement, the eyes have it. Learn the signs (including the rest of its body signals), and you unlock an unspoken language with your cat.

Tip

Heterochromia or odd-eyes is when a cat is born with eyes of different colors (for example, one is blue, and one is green). It's an infrequent occurrence but happens on occasion. If your cat is born that way, don't worry about it. But if one eye begins to change color over time, it's a warning sign. Another red flag is if your cat immediately develops two different pupil sizes, that's an urgent situation, and your cat needs veterinary attention immediately.

Breed Characteristics

Medically speaking, big-eyed cat breeds do not have a higher tendency to have eye conditions as a group. However, of the top big-eyed breeds, Persians and Burmese are more prone to cataracts, a condition when the eye lens becomes white and cloudy. All cats, no matter the breed, can develop cataracts in their old age.

These are the top 15 cat breeds with large eyes.

  • 01 of 15

    Cornish Rex

    Cornish rex cat portrait; cat with big eyes

    Waldek Dąbrowski / Getty Images

    Often popping up on the list of curly-coated cats or best hypoallergenic cats, the Cornish rex is no stranger to being at the top of specialty cat breeds. But this time, it’s for this breed's captivating gaze. The Cornish rex has a triangle-shaped head that lends to its oval-shaped eyes' prominent position and size. The eyes are often gold in color, though green, blue, brown, and hazel eyes are also possible.

    Breed Overview

    Height: 11 to 15 inches

    Weight: 6 to 10 pounds

    Physical Characteristics: Tight, curly short hair with a triangular head and over-sized, wide-set ears

  • 02 of 15

    Devon Rex

    White Devon Rax on Cat Perch

     Insonnia / Getty Images

    Similar to the Cornish rex, the Devon rex usually gains fame for its curly coat. However, this breed also has large oval-shaped eyes that give it an out-of-this-world look. The svelte body paired with the large eyes and wide, triangular ears mean these cats command attention when they saunter into a room. All shades of eye color are possible in a Devon rex, though cats with a mink-colored coat will often have aqua eyes, and cats with a colorpoint coat often sport beautiful blue eyes.

    Breed Overview

    Height: 10 to 12 inches

    Weight: 6 to 9 pounds

    Physical Characteristics: Fine to medium bone structure with broad chest and triangular head; soft, thin, curly coat

  • 03 of 15

    Singapura

    Singapura cat with big eyes

    Viktor / Getty Images

    One of the tiniest felines also happens to be a cat breed with the most enormous eyes. The Singapura, which originated in the streets of Singapore, is The International Cat Association's (TICA) smallest registered cat breed. It is best known for its large, expressive eyes and affectionate, playful nature. The Singapura’s almond-shaped eyes are hazel, green, or yellow. The large, wide-open eyes are an integral characteristic of the breed. The breed standard states explicitly that small eyes are a severe fault for this breed.

    Breed Overview

    Height: 6 to 8 inches

    Weight: 4 to 8 pounds

    Physical Characteristics: Petite but muscular stature; rounded head and large eyes

  • 04 of 15

    Sphynx

    Sphynx cat with big eyes

    Jesus Vivas Alacid / Getty Images

    Usually known for its hairless skin, the sphynx is also known for its arresting gaze and nearly human-like expressions (and personality). Maybe it’s the lack of facial fur, but there’s no denying that the sphynx will draw you in with its large and uniquely shaped eyes. The breed standard describes its eyes as “lemon-shaped,” with the eyes of this cat breed having a wide-open center that comes to a point at either side of the eye. While a variety of eye colors are possible for this cat breed, icy blue, aqua, and green shades especially highlight the big gaze of the sphynx. 

    Breed Overview

    Height: 8 to 10 inches

    Weight: 10 to 12 pounds

    Physical Characteristics: Hairless body, with skin pigmentation providing various color types; long limbs and arched back; triangular head with lemon-shaped eyes

    Continue to 5 of 15 below
  • 05 of 15

    Persian

    Persian cat with big green eyes

    Douglas Holder / Getty Images

    Perhaps owing to the Persian’s small, flat face, the round, full eyes are prominent on this exotic-looking cat breed. Persians are also known for sporting bright blue, green, or copper peepers that strike a beautiful contrast with their long, fluffy coats. However, odd-eyes or heterochromia (one blue, one copper) is also possible.

    Breed Overview

    Height: 8 to 10 inches

    Weight: 7 to 12 pounds

    Physical Characteristics: Medium-sized body with long coat; full, flat face with round eyes

  • 06 of 15

    Scottish Fold

    Scottish fold calico cat with big eyes

    kiszon pascal / Getty Images

    The most distinctive feature of the Scottish fold might be its ears, which appear to fold over and lay flat against the head. But not to be overlooked is the fact that the Scottish fold has rounded, large eyes that, together with its ears, give these cats a quintessentially cute look. Scottish fold eye colors include copper, gold, blue, and green. They are notably well-rounded in shape. The broad nose in the center of the face separates the eyes.

    Breed Overview

    Height: 8 to 10 inches

    Weight: 9 to 13 pounds (males); 6 to 9 pounds (females)

    Physical Characteristics: Round face and body with an overall compact appearance; folded ears and large, rounded eyes

  • 07 of 15

    Burmese

    Burmese kitten with big eyes

    Liz Whitaker / Getty Images

    The Burmese cat as we know it today results from a cross of the native copper cat of Burma (Myanmar) with the Siamese. All Burmese cats trace their heritage to a female Burma kitty named Wong Mau. Another feature that all Burmese cats share is large round eyes in glowing green or gleaming gold.

    Breed Overview

    Height: 10 to 12 inches

    Weight: 6 to 14 pounds

    Physical Characteristics: Short coat with long legs and expressive, rounded eyes; coat is primarily sable, champagne, platinum, and blue

  • 08 of 15

    Tonkinese

    Tonkinese cat with big eyes

    CarolinaSmith / Getty Images

    Gaze into the eyes of a Tonkinese kitty, and you may not be able to look away. In addition to having large, rounded eyes, these cats have exotic eye colors like aqua, sky blue, violet, and gold. The breed developed as a cross between the Burmese and the Siamese, which have striking coat colors and varied genes. Together, this heritage gives the Tonkinese big, colorful, unique-looking eyes.

    Breed Overview

    Height: 8 to 10 inches

    Weight: 6 to 12 pounds

    Physical Characteristics: Medium-sized body with short fur; open, almond-shaped eyes in bright hues like aqua, gold, and blue

    Continue to 9 of 15 below
  • 09 of 15

    Russian Blue

    Russian blue cat with big eyes

    Westend61 / Getty Images

    The beautiful Russian blue is another top cat breed with big eyes. These cats have a triangular head with round, wide-set eyes that always seem to be watching you—except for when a cat nap is in progress. What’s most interesting about this cat breed’s eyes is the fact that all kittens are born with yellow eyes. As the kitten matures, the eyes will slowly transition to green, the expected eye color of this big-eyed cat.

    Breed Overview

    Height: 9 to 10 inches

    Weight: 8 to 15 pounds

    Physical Characteristics: Fine-boned with long limbs; triangular head with distinctive green eyes and broad nose; plush double coat in blue-gray 

  • 10 of 15

    British Shorthair

    British shorthair cat with big copper eyes

    Kseniya Ovchinnikova / Getty Images

    Nearly all features of the British shorthair are round, and the eyes of this cat breed are no exception. These cats have large, round, and well-opened eyes. Pictures of the breed often feature a blue coat paired with gorgeous gold eyes, but many coat colors and eye colors are possible, including green, blue, and copper.

    Breed Overview

    Height: 12 to 14 inches

    Weight: 7 to 17 pounds

    Physical Characteristics: Round face and body with males having heavy jowls; short but dense coat in both solid shades including white, blue, and black along with tabby, calico, shaded, or bi-color variations

  • 11 of 15

    Abyssinian

    Abyssinian cat with big eyes

    Mateusz Szymanski / Getty Images

    The Abyssinian is an exotic-looking cat for many reasons, not the least of which is its large and expressive eyes. Interestingly, these cats have somewhat almond-shaped eyes that are fairly unique in the feline world. This cat's peepers have a distinctive angled corner and aren’t the typical round shape of many large-eyed cat breeds. A unique feature of Abyssinian cat eyes is a thin dark line that encircles the eye, providing high contrast to the often light green or golden eye color. 

    Breed Overview

    Height: 8 to 10 inches

    Weight: 8 to 12 pounds

    Physical Characteristics: Silky coat in short to medium length; slightly arched back with long limbs; triangular ears and almond-shaped eyes

  • 12 of 15

    Chartreux

    Chartreux cat with big eyes

    Kainusi / Getty Images

    The Chartreux is a cat breed with round eyes that seem to be always alert and ever expressive. A national treasure in France, the Chartreux cat has a uniform blue-gray coat, and its eyes are also somewhat standard in color, ranging from copper to gold. The most desirable eye color is a deep orange hue that nicely complements the Chartreux’s blue coat.

    Breed Overview

    Height: 9 to 11 inches

    Weight: 12 to 16 pounds

    Physical Characteristics: Round head and thick body; solid blue-gray coat with a somewhat wooly texture that varies in shade from light ash to slate gray

    Continue to 13 of 15 below
  • 13 of 15

    Ocicat

    Ocicat with big eyes

    Traveling / Getty Images

    Unique in its leopard-like appearance, the ocicat has large, almond-shaped eyes. They angle upwards in the corner and are somewhat wide-set. They should be more than the width of an eye in between each eye according to the breed guidelines. Ocicats have diverse genes, and the eye color can vary significantly with all eye colors acceptable for the breed—except for blue.

    Breed Overview

    Height: 9 to 11 inches

    Weight: 6 to 15 pounds

    Physical Characteristics: Athletic with long tail; short-haired tabby coat with various shades of spotting including blue, brown, lavender, fawn, and silver

  • 14 of 15

    Ragamuffin

    Ragamuffin cat
    sergeyskleznev / Getty Images

    The ragamuffin is a long-haired breed with huge, expressive eyes that can be found in all shades. They are sometimes confused with the ragdoll breed. The ragamuffin has walnut-shaped eyes and a distinct scoop to the nose profile. The ragdoll has almond-shaped eyes, and the nose is sloped, not scooped.

    Breed Overview

    Height: 10 to 15 inches

    Weight: 8 to 20 pounds

    Physical Characteristics: Long and silky coat; in white, black, blue, red, lavender, cinnamon, chestnut, platinum, and chocolate; with amber, blue, green, gold, or odd-eyed eye colors

  • 15 of 15

    Japanese Bobtail

    Japanese bobtail on mantle

     Yelizaveta Tomashevska/iStock/Getty Images

    The Japanese bobtail is perhaps best known for sporting a short bobbed tail, but their eyes are also large and round and come in an attractive range of colors. Heterochromia or having odd-eye colors is not uncommon with this breed. The breed standard accepts heterochromia.

    Breed Overview

    Height: 8 to 9 inches

    Weight: 5 to 10 pounds

    Physical Characteristics: Short or long coat; in solid white, black, chocolate, cream, red, lilac, and blue; bi-colored and tricolored coats are common; eye color can be any shade, though blue, gold, and odd-eyed are common

Breeds to Avoid

Macrophthalmia refers to a congenital condition where either the eye or eyes are abnormally large. This condition is extremely rare but can occur during fetal development in any breed. These conditions usually indicate the lens detached (luxation), the presence of cataracts, glaucoma, and means that the cat is generally blind.

Macrophthalmia is likely passed down as a genetic error. Blind cats make up for their vision loss with hearing and smell senses and can live happy and healthy lives. However, it's considered not humane to breed from cats that have macrophthalmia. Cats may not show discomfort, but if the eye pressure is causing the eye to bulge, it can cause discomfort or pain, and a veterinary specialist should remove the eyeball to alleviate the pain.

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