Are Solid White Cats With Blue Eyes Deaf

The common belief is that black and white cats are unique in that they have completely different colored eyes.

Are solid white cats with blue eyes deaf. Most kittens will be born with blue eyes which change color as they mature. 20 40 have normal hearing. 30 40 had one blue eye and were deaf while 60 70 had one blue eye and normal hearing. In those with only one blue eye 30 40 will be deaf so the majority will have normal hearing.

40 percent of white cats with one blue eye were deaf. In the 95 percent of cats who are not all white blue eyes are not linked to deafness. Why are blue eyed white cats usually deaf. However the prevalence of white cats does vary in different geographies.

15 40 of these pure white cats have one or two blue eyes. Their eyes aren t really pink or red. White cats have always aroused curiosity in humans. Of those white cats with one or two blue eyes 60 80 are deaf.

Congenital sensorineural deafness occurs commonly in domestic cats with a white coat. Cornell university cites a study that found that 17 to 22 percent of white cats with non blue eyes were born deaf. Deafness is far more common in white cats than in those with other coat colors. For this reason a cat with odd eyes can be deaf from the ear that is on the side of the blue eye.

However in white cats with two blue eyes roughly 60 80 are likely to be deaf. Albino cats however often have eyes that look very pale blue pink or red. Solid white cats with blue eyes are often deaf but their eyesight is completely normal. Why are white cats with blue eyes usually deaf.

Eye color in white cats also relates to the potential for deafness. White cats as previously mentioned can have a wide range of eye colors. Full white kittens will either have blue or amber eyes or possibly one of each called odd eyes or heterochromia. If you find blue eyed cats enchanting there s no need to hesitate about bringing one home for fear he will be blind or deaf.

The reflection of light against the blood vessels in their eyes just gives them the appearance. 40 percent of odd eyed white cats with one blue. 5 of the general cat population is white cats i e. Eye color also has nothing to do with blindness.

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. Well opinions vary and so do research conclusions. Of course a potential owner will want to know the chances of her white cat being deaf. According to the aspca complete guide to cats 17 to 20 percent of white cats with nonblue eyes are deaf.

While this could be true to some extent it doesn t make black and white cats that much different from other cats of the same breed. In a cat with the white spot gene the deafness usually occurs in the ear affected by the spot.