White Cats Deafness Blue Eyes

While there is a clear correlation between the blue eye color and deafness in white cats why is this so.

White cats deafness blue eyes. Eye color in white cats also relates to the potential for deafness. The fact is that hereditary deafness does tend to be a serious concern in white cats. Researchers found that only 17 to 22 percent of white cats with non-blue eyes are born deaf.

People ask why white cats with blue eyes are deaf. Deafness is caused by an absence of a cell layer in the inner ear that originates from the same stem cells as well. 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.

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. Furthermore if a cat has one blue eye and one green the ear on the side of the blue eye is more likely to be deaf than the other. An estimated 40 percent of white cats with blue eyes are deaf which is high.

The deafness is linked to the so-called W gene. Deafness is associated only with the dominant white gene not the white spotting gene says feline geneticist Leslie A. Deafness in white cats with blue eyes is a form of congenital deafness medically known as unilateral or bilateral congenital sensorineural deafness.

A cat with a gene with white spots like the tuxedo cat can have blue eyes or in some cases odd eyes. The deafness is linked to the so-called W gene. Their eye color is mainly due to a cellular issue.

Do all white cats with blue eyes are deaf. Strangely blue eye white cats tend to be deaf even more than others. Cats with blue eyes are often confused with kittens.