Are All White Cats With Blue Eyes Deaf

However a lot of white cats with blue eyes are.

Are all white cats with blue eyes deaf. The fact is that hereditary deafness does tend to be a serious concern in white cats. 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 she tended to be deaf in the right ear and vice versa. White cats with blue eyes often suffer from a genetic defect that causes their cochlea a vital organ within the inner ear to degenerate shortly after birthWhite cats with eyes of other colours can usually hear.

We cannot rely solely on coat and eye color to affirm it. Cornell University cites a study that found that 17 to 22 percent of white cats with non-blue eyes were born deaf. Deafness in the white cat is generally seen in the inherited congenital deficiencies found mainly in the white-coated cats.

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. The gene responsible for the deafness in white cats is dominant and symbolised by the letter W for white obviously. Albino cats are not linked to 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. This gene can suppress and block other potential colors thus. The name Lynx comes from the Greek word to shine and may be in reference to the reflective ability of the cats eyes.

The health problem occurs due to the different genes. Thus deafness is strongly linked to the white coat colour and blue eye colour but not all white cats or white cats with blue eyes are necessarily deaf. No this is not always the case.

Also when a cat is a kitten we may not be able to determine if they are deaf since they are already developing. In the cat world white cats with blue eyes are very special kitties. In cats congenital deafness is seen almost exclusively in white coated individuals.