A Michael Broad Blog
I think the question in the title is a little harsh and it needs to be discussed. Not all white cats make bad mothers. In fact, it might be argued that white cats don’t make bad mothers despite the fact that if the mother is completely white with blue eyes, they have a 60%-80% …
The title sounds unfair and biased but it isn’t as it is based in biological fact. The prevalence of deafness in pure white domestic cats varies depending on whether they have two blue eyes (the highest proportion of deaf cats), odd-eye colour or non-blue eyes (least likely to be deaf in both ears). Where …
There are three questions in the title. I will answer them in reverse order! Why do white cats have white fur? Cats which are completely white have a gene in their genetic makeup which is called the dominant white gene. It stops the development of cells in the skin that produce pigment. These cells …
About 3 percent of cats are white. However, the question needs to apply to domestic and stray cats outside of the pedigree cat population. This is because cat breeders sometimes selectively breed white cat, which distorts the percentage of all-white, cats in the population. So, taking the non-pedigree cat population, it is said that …
FALSE! All-white cats are prone to being deaf but not blind. It is inherited deafness. This seems to be due to the multiple effect of the dominant white (DW) gene which removes colour from the coat and eyes and causes deafness through a degeneration of the inner ear. An alternative reason: I have read …
The question effectively asks why cats are white all over. It is because they have a dominant gene symbolised by the letter W which removes pigment from the hair strands. It does this by removing the pigment creating cells in the skin. These are called melanocytes. Genes are on chromosomes and chromosomes are in …
White cats shouldn’t feel the cold more on dull, grey winter days but they may be slightly colder than other cats with darker coats in cold, bright weather (the sun is out) when they are outside. White cats have the same amount of fur (top coat and undercoat) as any other cat so the …
There is no direct reason why white cats should have shorter lifespan. Although white cats can be deaf and have odd-eye color. The deafness makes the white cat more vulnerable outside. However, I am sure nearly all owners of deaf, white cats keep them inside. Therefore I’d argue that there is no reason why white cats should have a shorter lifespan than average.
