Full white cats are tremendously attractive because they have elegant and majestic fur as well as being very striking to the eye, as it gives them a very distinctive resplendent and stately appearance.
You should know that white cats are susceptible to a genetic peculiarity: deafness. Even so, not all white cats are deaf, although they have a greater genetic predisposition, that is, more possibilities than the rest of the felines of this species.
In this article on our site we give you the keys to understand the reasons for deafness in white cats explaining to youwhy it happens.
Genetic typology of white cats
Getting a cat to be born with white fur is mainly due to genetic combinations, which we are going to detail briefly and simple:
- Albino cats (red eyes due to the C gene or blue eyes due to the K gene)
- Cats wholly or partially white (due to the S gene)
- All-white cats (due to dominant W gene)
We find in the last group, those who are white due to the dominant gene W, the most prone to suffering from deafness It's funny Note that this particular cat could have shown a wide range of colors, however, it only shows the white color that camouflages the presence of the others.
Details that indicate a relationship
White cats have another peculiarity to highlight since this coat offers the possibility of having eyes of any color, something possible in felines:
- blue
- yellow
- red
- blacks
- green
- chestnuts
- one of each color
- etc
The color of a cat's eyes is determined by stem cells found in the layer that surrounds the eye called the tapetum lucidum. The composition of these cells with those of the retina will determine the color of the kitten's eyes.
We understand a relationship between deafness and blue eyes since normally cats with the dominant gene W (which may be the cause of deafness) is shared by those who have eyes of this color. Of course, we cannot affirm that this rule is complied with always and in all cases.
As a curiosity we can point out that deaf white cats with different colored eyes (for example green and blue) usually develop deafness in the ear where the blue eye is located. Chance?
The relationship between fur and hearing loss
To correctly explain why this phenomenon occurs in white cats with blue eyes, we should go into genetic theories. Instead we will try to explain this relationship in a simple and dynamic way:
When the cat is in the womb, cell division begins to develop and that is when the melanoblasts appear, responsible for determining the color of the future cat's coat. The W gene is dominant, for this reason the melanoblasts fail to expand, leaving the cat devoid of pigmentation.
Equally in cell division is when the genes act determining the color of the eyes, which due to the same lack of melanoblasts, although only one of the two eyes ends up turning blue.
Finally we notice the ear, which in the absence or deficiency of melanocytes suffers from deafness. It is for this reason that we can somehow relate genetic and external factors to he alth problems.
Detect deafness in a white cat
As we mentioned before, not all white cats with blue eyes are prone to deafness, we cannot rely solely on these physical characteristics to confirm this.
Detecting deafness in white cats is complicated since the cat is an animal that adapts easily to deafness, enhancing other senses (such as touch) to perceive sounds in a different way (vibrations for example).
To effectively determine deafness in cats it is essential to go to the vet to perform a BAER test (brainstem auditory evoked response) with which we can ensure if our cat is deaf or not, regardless of its fur or eye color.
