White cats are some of the rarest, making up only about 5% of the total cat population! With their striking snow-white coats, they look dazzling and very unusual and, of course, they are even more special to their families who love them.
5% of the general cat population is white cats (i.e. pure white). 15-40% of these pure white cats have one or two blue-eyes.
Pure White Cats are the Least Common
There are many colors of felines, all beautiful. And of course, cats can have many coat patterns, including tabby, tuxedo, calico, and tortoiseshell. However, among solid-color cats, pure white is one of the least common coat color.
There are three gene mutations that are known to produce a white kitten: Albino gene, or Albino White cat breeds are born with no melanin pigmentation. This is an extremely rare cat and most white cats are not classified as albino. A true Albino White has pale red/pink eyes and skin coloring.
Albino. We'll finish out our list of rare cat colors with the rarest of them all: albino. This is when there's no coloring at all, and it impacts not just a cat's fur, but also its eyes and skin.
The Sokoke cat is said to be the rarest cat in the world. Rather than being a man-created breed, the Sosoke is a naturally occurring, tiny wildcat that can be found only in the Arabuko-Sokoke Forest Preserve in Kenya (Africa).
White cats are some of the rarest, making up only about 5% of the total cat population! With their striking snow-white coats, they look dazzling and very unusual and, of course, they are even more special to their families who love them.
Usually, solid white cats have the dominant white gene (W), and although there are other genes present for fur and eye color, the dominant gene wins out, and there is no pigmentation. It's very fascinating because the gene is actually masking the real color of the cat!
Pure White Is The Rarest Cat Color
“White is an interesting lack of pigmentation; it's not a color,” says Teresa Keiger, a Cat Fanciers' Association (CFA) all-breed judge. There's a gene called KIT, and the W form of KIT suppresses melanin, adds Dr.
WHITE CATS & GOOD LUCK
In many myths and fables, black cats are regarded as harbingers of bad luck. It seems the reverse is true too: In many countries, white cats are seen as a symbol of good luck, and are believed to represent purity and positivity in many regions as well.
A: Blue-eyed, white cats are not more prone to blindness - either hereditary or acquired - than other cats. Your friends may be confusing blindness with deafness: here, the situation is completely different. Hereditary deafness is a major concern in white cats, and even more so if one or both irises are blue in color.
White cats are extremely popular with pet owners but only make up about 1.5% of the total cat population. Some white cats may have green or golden eyes, but a significant amount will have one or two blue eyes.
Blindness in cats is not related to the color of their fur or eyes. Some cats are born blind due to genetic defects. Others lose their sight as they age.
Around the age of 7-11 years some cats will start to show early signs of ageing such as blindess or deafness. These changes can be a sign that there is a serious underlying medical problem (such as kidney disease or diabetes) but can also just be due to the cat getting older.
Cats who are solid white or mostly white may have blue, green, gold or copper eyes. The most common eye colors range from greenish-yellow to gold. You may have heard that white cats are always deaf.
Are white cats mostly males or females? The gender distribution of white cats is roughly equal between males and females. The white coloration in cats is determined by a dominant white gene, which affects fur pigmentation and can be present in both male and female cats.
Orange cats were regarded as the friendliest by respondents, while white cats were labeled aloof, and tortoiseshell cats were thought to have too much "attitude." The subject was revisited in a University of California Davis study a few years later. This time, results were tabulated from 1,274 completed surveys.
Overall, orange cats and bi-colored cats were characterized as friendly, while black cats, white cats and tri-colored cats were regarded as more antisocial. White cats were considered to be more shy, lazy and calm, while tortoiseshell cats were more likely to be depicted as both more intolerant and more trainable.
Lifespan:15 to 20 years.
Black/White Cats or Gray/White Cats
These cats can be quite resourceful and clever. They are very active and are great mousers. However, they are usually less affectionate than other colored cats.
Gray and white cats were most likely to become aggressive when visiting the veterinarian's office. 5. Tortoiseshell and white cats were the “moodiest” with their humans among all cats.
A major gene that causes a cat to have a white coat is a dominant masking gene, an allele of KIT which suppresses pigmentation and hearing. The cat would have an underlying coat colour and pattern, but when the dominant white gene is present, that pattern will not be expressed, and the cat will be deaf.
How much are albino cats worth? Due to the fact that albino cats are incredibly rare and cannot necessarily be bred to be albino, there is no real market price for albino cats. Albinism can occur in most breeds, so it's a sort of chance event for an albino kitten to be born.
The fully white or white dominant ("W"), is dominant to the other alleles and to any other color gene. In fact, the white gene hides the effect of any other color gene: it's epistatic!
Ragdoll $1,000 – $1,300
Pet Ragdolls can start at $1,000, whereas show-quality Ragdoll cats can be anywhere from $1,500 – $4,000.