Is your white cat with blue eyes deaf?

Question

I have heard this is common with white cats, mine seems to be deaf and dumb?

My cat is not albino, and he is not playing with a full deck?

Answer 1

Hi there...contrary to belief not all white cats with blue eyes are deaf.

Here's an article found from messybeast.com that explains this more in detail:

WHITE CATS AND DEAFNESS
(For the full complete article)
http://www.messybeast.com/whitecat.htm

A few years back I was asked three related questions on a newsgroup. This article is adapted from my answer.

- Are white cats, particularly blue eyed white cats, always deaf or is this an old wives' tale?
- Is deafness linked only to odd-eyed white cats?
- Some blue-eyed whites aren't deaf - why?

There is an established link between the white coat color, blue eyes and deafness. The tapetum lucidum is generated from the same stem cells as melanocytes (pigment cells). The blue eyes in a piebald or epistatic white cat indicates a lack of tapetum. Deafness is caused by an absence of a cell layer in the inner ear that originates from the same stem cells as well. In odd-eyed white cats, the ear on the blue-eyed side may be deaf, but the one on the orange-eyed side usually has normal hearing. Not all blue-eyed whites will be deaf since there are several different genes causing the same physical attributes (whiteness, blue-eyedness) so it all depends on the cat's genotype (its genetic make-up) not its phenotype (its physical appearance). Some people claim that 99% of blue-eyed white cats are deaf. This is inaccurate because blue-eyedness and whiteness can both be caused by different genes. It all depends on what genes the cat has inherited. These are the actual figures from scientific studies around the world. The percentages are given in ranges because results are different in different areas, partly because of the different genes found in the cat population. Where a cat is classed as deaf, the deafness may affect one or both ears.

...It is evident from those studies that blue eyed whites exhibit a higher incidence of deafness than do orange/green eyed whites or non-white cats! But not all blue eyed whites are deaf and here's why:-

There is a known link between white coat color, blue eyes and deafness - but since the coat and eye color can be caused by different genes it means that only some blue eyed whites are deaf. There is a gene/gene complex which causes white coat, blue eyes and deafness, but not all cats get their white coat and blue eyes from that particular gene, so not all white cats will be deaf.

If the cat is a Foreign/Oriental White, it carries the gene for 'Siamese Blue Eyes' which is not linked to deafness (the gene for Siamese Blue Eyes is linked to cross-eyes instead). Siamese blue eyes have a reflective tapetum, but this is depigmented because the Siamese colour is caused by albinism. This depigmentation gives the red-eye with flash cameras. Random matings can mean that this gene sometimes appears in non Oriental-looking cats which have colorpoint cats in their ancestry.
...

So overall, blue-eyed white cats stand a higher than usual chance of being deaf; but they are not guaranteed to be deaf. Odd-eyed white cats may be deaf on the blue-eyed side. If you have a deaf white cat, it is not advisable to breed from it as this would pass the trait along. Deaf white cats are banned from exhibition or breeding by some fancies in Europe and there is a move to reduce or eliminate this trait from British breeding lines of various breeds. Deafness can cause problems because a cat cannot hear danger approaching. It can cause problems to breeders because deaf female cats cannot hear their kittens crying out and may neglect them. Deaf kittens cannot hear their mother calling to them and may get lost. Deaf cats also seem to have no volume control when meowing.

Answer 2

My White Male Cat has 1 Blue eye and 1 yellow eye...He's deaf. When I take a picture of him with my cell phone using the flash, the pic glows making his eyes Red and Green!

Answer 3

it's really only common when the cat is white, blue eyes, and MALE. if your cat is male, it may be deaf, but you have to do the right test. the dumb thing.....THAT has nothing to do with what kind of cat it is, it's just not the brightest cat around.

Answer 4

most white cats are deaf. if your cat has two different colored eyes(green and blue) the ear closer to the blue eye is the one your cat is deaf in. but if your cat has two blue eyes, it is most likely deaf in both ears.

Answer 5

My cat is sort of cream colored and white with blue eyes, does that count? Granted, he isn't one of the brightest cats that we have, but he certainly isn't, by any means, deaf.

Answer 6

my brother has white cats with blue eyes and they are not deaf or blind
you do have to watch that they dont get cancer on the ears and nose

Answer 7

Almost all albino animals are either deaf or blind. This doesnt by any means make them dumb!

Answer 8

statistically white cats with blue eyes are deaf.

Answer 9

i have a white cat with blue eyes and she isnt deaf...

Answer 10

My cat has blue eyes.It's not deaf but the dumd thing is possible.