All White Cats Deaf

Researchers have found the following.

All white cats deaf. 15-20 of white cats have blue eyes. Not all white cats who inherit the W D are deaf. No they are not deaf at allSome people say that deafness in a cat is due to hearing loss but the changein ear canal size does not change how the cats here and there is no evidenceof any other loss of hearing that would make a cat deaf.

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 percentage is even higher up to 40 in cats that have only one blue eye and somewhere between 65-85 of all-white cats are born deaf. These cats are not albino which is a complete lack of all pigment as they do have color in the irises of their eyes and they may have color in their skin or in part of their haircoat.

Deafness is a result of this process failing at some point. 40 percent of odd-eyed white cats with one blue eye are deaf. 60-80 of blue-eyed white cats are deaf.

All this commotion causes a pressure change and forces the cochleas hair cells to move. Black and white cats do however have a different physique than most felines. Hereditary deafness is a major concern in white cats and even more so if one or both irises are blue in color.

Are white cats often deaf. It is a myth that every white cat is deaf or that white cats with blue eyes green eyes or one of each are always deaf. However a lot of white cats with blue eyes are.

According to the book A Standard Guide to Cat Breeds the following breeds carry the W gene. The gene responsible for the deafness in white cats is dominant and symbolised by the letter W for white obviously. In most cases of congenital deafness the deafness is pigment related and most of these cats have an all-white or mostly white haircoat.