Are All White Cats With Blue Eyes Deaf

Cornell University cites a study that found that 17 to 22 percent of white cats with non-blue eyes were born deaf.

Are all white cats with blue eyes deaf. Hereditary deafness is a major concern in white cats and even more so if one or both irises are blue in color. The variable penetrance of deafness and eye colour may be caused by interplay with other genes andor environmental factors. The possible eye colors for white cats are copper gold green blue and shades of these colors.

Albino cats are not linked to deafness. Not all white Cats are Deaf. Unilateral and bilateral combined of 85 and 649 in cats with two blue eyes 40 and 391 in cats with one blue eye and 167 and 22 in cats with no blue eyes.

So why do all-white cats born with blue eyes experience deafness. However a lot of white cats with blue eyes are. Are all white cats deaf.

The deaf ear is usually on the same side as the blue eye. No this is not always the case. The gene responsible for the deafness in white cats is dominant and symbolised by the letter W for white obviously.

As we have mentioned previously not all white cats with blue eyes are prone to deafness. The deafness is caused by degeneration of the auditory apparatus of the inner ear and may affect one ear unilateral or. 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.

Unless both ears are affected cats may never show any signs of hearing loss. So not all white cats are deaf and not all blue-eyed white cats are deaf but a great many of them are so-affected. 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.