White Cats Deafness Blue Eyes

Deafness in blue-eyed white cats.

White cats deafness blue eyes. Eye color in white cats also relates to the potential for deafness. The reason is the aforementioned W genotype. People ask why white cats with blue eyes are deaf.

If a white cat has 2 blue eyes it is 3-5 times more likely to be deaf than a cat with 2 non-blue eyes and a cat with 1 blue eye is about twice as likely to be deaf as a cat with 2 non-blue eyes. Its even more of a concern in white cats when they have one or both irises that are blue. 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.

The fact is that hereditary deafness does tend to be a serious concern in white cats. When the white spot gene affects both eyes the cat will have blue eyes. In the cat world white cats with blue eyes are very special kitties.

The uphill road to solving polygenic disorders The pure white cat with luminous blue eyes is an attrac-tive image familiar to many. Unlike other white cats blue-eyed white cats have slightly different genetics. According to the Cornell Feline Health Center only 17 to 22 percent of white cats with non-blue eyes are born with hearing loss.

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. Interestingly if a white cat with one blue eye is deaf in only one ear that ear will invariably be on the same side of the head as the blue eye. Overall statistics indicate that.

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. Deafness in white cats with blue eyes is a form of congenital deafness medically known as unilateral or bilateral congenital sensorineural deafness. 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.