White Cats Deafness Blue Eyes
Many people wonder if deafness in cats with blue eyes or in white cats is an old wives tale or a fact.
White cats deafness blue eyes. And 65 to 85 percent of white cats with two blue eyes were deaf. When the gene affects only one eye the cat will have odd eyes. The fact is that hereditary deafness does tend to be a serious concern in white cats.
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. Its even more of a concern in white cats when they have one or both irises that are blue. Do white cats with blue eyes deaf.
An estimated 40 percent of white cats with blue eyes are deaf which is high. Unlike other white cats blue-eyed white cats have slightly different genetics. Not all of these cats are deaf see part 2 of this short article.
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. Hereditary deafness is a major concern in white cats and even more so if one or both irises are blue in color. A cat with a gene with white spots like the tuxedo cat can have blue eyes or in some cases odd eyes.
Coat color and an aspect of the cats personality or another aspect of anatomy can be linked if the gene that dictates the cats colour and a gene which affects the way the brain develops are situated close together on the same chromosome. Some of the cats were deaf in only one ear - interestingly if a cat had a blue eye on the right side of her head. The primary determining factor of congenital deafness in all-white cats seems to be their eye color with blue eyes being a sign of the condition.
As for odd-eyed white cats when a white cat has one orange or green and one blue eye the ear on the blue-eyed side is likely to be deaf whereas the one on the orange- or green-eyed side is usually fine. When the white spot gene affects both eyes the cat will have blue eyes. The deafness is linked to the so-called W gene.