TIL that if the hair of your cat is pure white and has blue eyes, it is very possible that he is deaf... For cat lovers :)
The truth is that when I read the article where TIL that the majority of the pure white cats with blue eyes could possibly be completely or partially deaf I could not believe it.
Pixabay
So much so that when I finished reading it went out to talk to a friend who is a veterinarian and he confirmed what I read in the article. It is true!
Max Pixel
According to the article and my veterinarian friend not all but many of the cats with those characteristics are born deaf. According to the article, between 65 and 85 percent if the cat has both characteristics, if the cat has only one blue eye and white hair, 40 percent and if it has only white hair, between 17 and one 22 percent chance of being born deaf.
And everything is due to the dominant gene W, which when transmitted not only produces that white coat but also often deafness.
Flickr
“If a white cat has two blue eyes, it is 3-5 times more likely to be deaf than a cat with two non-blue eyes." - icatcare.org
There are tests that you can do to your cat to know if he is deaf or not and as I have read, a deaf cat can live a happy and healthy life without problems but it is recommended that only indoors.
Do you have a white cat with two blue eyes? Is the cat deaf?
Link to the article where TIL that pure white cats with blue eyes are possibly deaf.
Juanmi
I once had a small, white, blue eyed cat that was stone deaf. She was unflinching and ferocious in the defense of her kittens. She couldn't have weighed more than five pounds and she attacked and drove off a seventy-five pound shepard. It was one of the craziest things I've seen. She was like a tiny bolt of lightning.
Mother´s love!!! Nothing more, nothing less :)
MEOW !
hihihihi :)
Aw thats such a shame. I take it though that having been partially deaf they are quite attuned to it and don't suffer as such?
I guess so, like humans ;) But it is always noticed everywhere that it is better to have them in the house, indoor. It is safer for them.
It's not a good idea to have a deaf cat when you live near a main road though. They are far more likely to be looking the wrong way in heavier traffic and ... :'-(
Ah, yes. I have had a cat that was lost that way and not even deaf. Thankfully my cat now is a black little fellow who doesn't get out!!
I met my first white kitty when I was like 5 years old and I was told (and saw) that it was deaf. I think in fact they are albino, and albinism is a common result of inbreeding as is problems like deafness and all kinds of other things that happen when the parent genetics are not adequately distant. The flat noses of pug dogs and persian cats is also from inbreeding and makes them also more vulnerable to related problems caused by the flaw.
awww but it's so pretty and/or cute!
Plus white kitties leave white on everything and that doesn't suit my preference for wearing black :) But they are usually very calm and quiet cats so there is upsides. But I'll take the slinky black moggy any day. Or maybe with a dash of persian sulky genetics :)
I have just one cat in my live and was black and, very important, he was friend of the dogs i have at that moment :)