Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Deafness in pure-breed white cats and its link to eye color
By Cvejic, D et al.·Published in Journal of veterinary internal medicine·2009·Clinic of Small Animal Medicine, Germany·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Unilateral and bilateral congenital sensorineural deafness in client-owned pure-breed white cats.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A group of 84 pure-breed white cats were tested for hearing issues before breeding, and it was found that about 20% had some level of deafness. Out of these, 9 cats were completely deaf in both ears, while 8 had hearing loss in just one ear. The study indicated that deafness was linked to the cats' iris color, but not their sex. This information is important for cat owners, especially those with white cats, to be aware of potential hearing problems.
People also search for: white cat deafness · signs of deafness in cats · pure-breed cat hearing test · congenital deafness in cats
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Congenital sensorineural deafness has been reported frequently in experimental mixed-breed white cats but there is a paucity of data on occurrence of deafness in client-owned pure-breed white cats. OBJECTIVE: To describe hearing status in client-owned pure-breed white cats. ANIMALS: Eighty-four pure-breed client-owned cats with white coat color of 10 registered breeds presented for routine hearing evaluation before breeding (1995-2008). METHODS: Hearing was assessed by click-evoked brainstem auditory evoked response. RESULTS: Overall deafness prevalence was 20.2%; 9 cats (10.7%) were bilaterally deaf and 8 cats (9.5%) were unilaterally deaf. There was no association between sex and deafness status (P= .85). Deafness status was associated with iris color (P= .04). CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCE: Congenital sensorineural deafness frequently occurs in pure-breed cats with white coat color. Unilateral sensorineural deafness was as common as bilateral deafness.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19192155/