Why are plain white cats with blue eyes prone to deafness?

Its genetic

feed them arsnic its a great cure

It’s genetics, like the no tail cats from the Isle of Mann.

sounds like you’re describing an albino cat, or one with the albino gene in it’s makeup. it’s true of dogs as well. blue eyes are abnormal in most dogs and cats, and so blue eyes generally means a weak genetic makeup and deafness is one of the many problems they get when they have weak genetic makeup. If you get such a kitten, you MUST spay or neuter it to make sure it doesn’t pass on it’s abnormal genetic pattern, as it’s babies would be unhealthy.

The medical website below states: “It is obvious that much more research needs to be performed before deafness in cats is well understood.”

OK… I’m searching and the website below says I’m not as accurate as I thought. So you need to know more about deafness in cats before you get one. Do a google search or two and read some websites, including the one below.

kittens with weak genetics have a greater risk of dying young, and the vet school website does list breeds of cats with a high risk of deafness.

It just genetic…

Are they really ???!. I’ve never seen that in my cats!.It’s a MYTH!.

Try this—-> Stand behind the cat and clap your hands together,then see if it reacts i.e.(turns to look at where the sound is coming from).Then you’ll know.

blue eyes lack pigmentation, which means they let more light through, but cats with white fur and blue eye are prone to deafness because the gene that results in lack of pigmentation (the blue eyes) causes the fluid to dry up in the inner ear soon after they are born. there is no treatment.

lol nice,you got one like that?

cats that have white ears or nose are more likely to get cancer or skin conditions. as they first form on the ears, or even near the eyes due to the nose area, they can become deaf and blind. This is because they can form lumps in their ears and eyes causing too much damage for them to function properly anymore. Hope this helps

luv amy xx

The cells that create an animal (or person) migrate from the neural crest. When the cat is white, there are less of these cells than if the cat is fully pigmented, so there are less to create the apparatus for hearing, and also to provide pigment for the eye color. However, any white cat can be deaf. Blue eyed cats aren’t more likely to be deaf than other white cats.

We have a completely white cat, called Cassie, she’s not deaf and doesn’t have blue eyes.

Albino mammals from many different species are prone to deafness, and also easily sunburnt.

Not all white cats are albino. White is coded for in genes, as you can get back and white cats, or white and any other colour. So white cats without blue eyes may not be prone to deafness.

so are the white dogs in certain breeds

Just because they are deaf doesn’t mean they aren’t cute!

When I was looking for my first cat, I saw a 6 month old white female cat in a rescue shelter. Her owners abandoned her because she was deaf. She was beautiful, and as she needed to be kept indoors, we were going to adopt her. But then they told us that someone would need to be at home with her most of the day, so sadly, we couldn’t.

The reason that many white cats with blue eyes are prone to deafness is that blue eyes are abnormal in most cats - therefore, there are usually more genetic defects than just the blue eyes. It’s because of their genes. They are beautiful cats though. I would definitely consider adopting a deaf cat, as so many people overlook them and I find that quite heartbreaking.

its generics like with white cats you are suppose to put sun cream on them as they are prone to skin cancer aswell if you let your cat out!!

Yes they are /prone/ to deafness but not all are. It really is just a myth but there is truth in the fact. There is a notably higher percentage of white cats with blue eyes being blind and deaf.