My cat's eyes look yellow — what does that mean?
A yellowish tinge in a cat's eyes, gums or ear tips is called jaundice, and it means something is affecting the liver, the bile ducts or the red blood cells. It is not a symptom to watch and wait on. Ring your vet the same day you notice it, and use the section below on getting your cat there while you make the call.
Get this seen
This is worth a call to your vet rather than waiting to see how it goes, particularly if it has lasted more than a day or your pet is otherwise off-colour.
What yellow eyes usually mean
The yellow colour comes from a build-up of a pigment called bilirubin, which the liver normally processes and clears. When it shows up in the whites of the eyes, the gums or the skin, it means bilirubin is being produced faster than the liver can deal with it, or the liver itself is not working as it should.
That can happen for several reasons: liver disease itself, a blockage somewhere between the liver and the gut, or a problem that is breaking down red blood cells faster than normal. Which of those is happening in your cat is not something to guess at from home — it needs blood tests and an examination, which is exactly what the vet visit is for.
Other signs worth mentioning on the phone
Jaundice rarely turns up entirely on its own. Look out for a cat who has gone off their food, seems tired or withdrawn, is drinking more or less than usual, or has vomited. Dark urine or pale, putty-coloured stools are also worth noting, since they point towards how bile is or is not reaching the gut.
Weight loss over the preceding weeks, even if you had not connected it to anything, is useful information too. None of this tells you what is wrong, but every detail you can give the vet on the phone helps them decide how urgently to see your cat and what to check first.
Why this needs a vet promptly, not a wait-and-see
Some of the underlying causes of jaundice progress quickly, and the ones that respond best to treatment tend to be the ones caught earliest. There is no safe home treatment for a cat with yellowing eyes or gums, and nothing you can give or do at home addresses the underlying cause.
Ring your practice as soon as you notice it, even if your cat is otherwise still eating and behaving fairly normally. If it is outside normal hours, your practice's answerphone will usually direct you to whichever emergency service covers your area, and our directory of local vets lists practices that offer out-of-hours cover if you need to find one quickly.
Getting your cat there without a battle
An unwell cat is often also a stressed cat, and a stressed cat is harder to get into a carrier at the exact moment you need to move fast. A carrier your cat already associates with something other than the vet, left out at home rather than produced only for trips, makes this easier on the day it actually matters.
A calming spray or plug-in used on the carrier and in the car in the run-up to a vet visit can take some of the drama out of the journey for a cat who finds travel stressful. Neither of those things treats what is going on with your cat; they just make it more likely you can get them there quickly and with less of a fight.
What can help
Things we stock that owners commonly use alongside a vet’s advice — not a substitute for it.
Replacement Cage Lid Pin (33cm)
A genuine spare lid pin for folding cages — 33 cm in length, so your cage stays secure when the original goes walkabout.
£6.49
Spare Short Pin for Folding Cage
A spare short pin for the folding cat cage — so a missing pin doesn't put your cage out of action.
£5.99
3-in-1 Folding Pet Stroller with Removable Carrier
A folding pet stroller whose carrier lifts out to use on its own, giving small, senior or recovering pets a wheeled ride to the vet and back home again.
£115.99
Johnson's Calm Eze Tabs
36 herbal tablets to help calm and soothe nervous or hyperactive dogs and cats
£6.05
Common questions
- Is it always an emergency if my cat's eyes look yellow?
- Treat it as urgent every time. Jaundice is always a sign that something needs investigating, even if your cat seems otherwise bright, and the underlying causes range from serious to very serious. A same-day call to your vet is the right response rather than watching for a day or two to see if it fades.
- Can diet cause a cat's eyes to look yellow?
- No, ordinary diet is not a cause of jaundice. It happens when bilirubin builds up because of a problem with the liver, the bile ducts, or the red blood cells, not because of anything a cat has eaten. Do not change your cat's food in response to it; get them seen instead.
- What will the vet do to find out what's wrong?
- Typically a physical examination followed by blood tests, since those show how the liver is functioning and what is happening with the red blood cells. Depending on what those show, further tests such as an ultrasound scan are sometimes needed to look for a blockage or other cause.
- My cat only looks slightly yellow — does that still count?
- Yes. Jaundice can be subtle at first, especially in the early stages, and it is easiest to spot in good natural light looking at the whites of the eyes or the gums. A mild tinge is still worth a same-day call rather than waiting to see if it becomes more obvious.
- How do I check my cat's gums safely?
- Gently lift the lip at the side of the mouth with your cat facing towards a window or good light, rather than trying to open the jaw fully. If your cat is unwell or fractious, do not force it; a vet can check this properly and it is only one part of a full examination anyway.
- Can jaundice in cats be treated?
- Often yes, once the underlying cause is identified, though the treatment and outlook depend entirely on what is actually driving it. Some causes respond well to prompt treatment, while others are more serious, which is exactly why getting a diagnosis quickly matters far more than trying to manage the visible yellowing itself.
Related
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Written against guidance published by UK veterinary and welfare organisations. Always confirm specifics with your own vet.
Written by Matt Garnett, who runs Giddy Pets and is a lifelong pet owner — not a vet. This is general information, not veterinary advice, and it cannot replace an examination by the vet who knows your animal. How we write these guides.