The deafness is caused by degeneration of the auditory apparatus of the inner ear and may affect one ear (unilateral) or both ears (bilateral). Breeding studies have defined the relationship between deafness in white cats and blue eye colour. The gene responsible is an autosomal dominant gene termed W (for White).
Researchers found that only 17 to 22 percent of white cats with non-blue eyes are born deaf. The percentage rises to 40 percent if the cat has one blue eye, while upwards of 65 to 85 percent of all-white cats with both eyes blue are deaf.
The pure white cat with luminous blue eyes is an attrac- tive image familiar to many. These animals are well-known to be commonly affected by a congenital hereditary deaf- ness that may affect one or both ears; the deafness is linked to the so-called W gene.
To determine if your cat is deaf, clap your hands or rattle your keys when she is facing away from you. If there is no reaction, then there is a good chance that your cat is deaf.
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!
“Only about 5% of cats have all-white coats,” Dr.
“That's the color the kitten would be if the melanin was triggered to produce color,” she explains.
Deaf cats may purr and meow louder than their hearing counterparts.
Khao Manee cats are pure white with a short, smooth, close-lying coat. They can have blue eyes, gold eyes or odd-eyes with one of each colour. The odd-eyed Khao Manee is the rarest variety.
yes, deaf cats often show more affection than hearing ones. They usually adore being petted and snuggled because they rely on touch since they can't communicate with you through hearing.
Some deaf cats meow more often and more loudly, because they cannot regulate their “volume,” while others become mute. How do I communicate with my deaf cat? There are many different ways to communicate without sound. You can simply wave at your cat to get his or her attention, or flip a light on and off.
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.
Unlike dogs with the merle gene, homozygous white cats do not have visual or reproductive defects, but they are more prone to the occurrence of blue irises and deafness, either unilateral or bilateral, and deafness occurrence increases with the number of blue eyes (Delack, 1984).
In most cases, cats will purr when they are in a relaxed environment, sending out waves of calmness. This may also occur when you stroke them, and if this is the case, your feline friend is feeling happy or sociable. However, cats purr to communicate other emotions and needs, too.
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.
Although they are high-intelligent felines, someone describes them as cold and wintery. However, it only seems this way. In reality, white cats are amiable but also shy and quiet. Sometimes it may seem that they are not very friendly because these cats, as we have already said, often have a hearing problem.
White Cats Are Seen As Being Shy and Calm
White cats personality is not related to their coat color, but instead is a reflection of their breed and upbringing.
It's Rare To Find an All-Black Cat
While some cats are indeed black from head to toe, this is actually rare. Most black cats have some other coloring in their whiskers, paw pads, or random patches of fur.
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.
Orange tabby cats are usually male.
In fact, up to 80 percent of orange tabbies are male, making orange female cats a bit of a rarity. According to the BBC's Focus Magazine, the ginger gene in cats works a little differently compared to humans; it is on the X chromosome.
Approximately 80% of ginger cats are male.
Females, however, need to receive copies of the gene from both parents, and the more copies of the gene she inherits, the more ginger she will be. Females with orange in their coats are more often tortoiseshells and calicos.
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).
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.
Many Different Breeds Can Have All-White Coats
Like calico and tortoiseshell cats, all-white cats aren't linked to a specific breed. Rather, many different breeds—both long-hair and short-hair—can present a pure white coat, including Persians, Turkish Angoras, American Short-Hairs, Siamese, and Devon Rex.