What do you know about white cats?
There is no doubt that white cats are a nice addition to a family. Their white and silky coat is pretty alluring to cat lovers and even those who are not. This snowy appearance, usually contrasted by green, blue or golden eyes, makes them strikingly beautiful.
They definitively stand out amount their darker, tabby, tortoiseshell, and calicoes counterparts. There are some interesting facts that you need to know about white cats.
A white cat and deafness
A genetic coupling causes many white cats with blue eyes to be deaf. Whenever there is a white cat with odd eyes, that is with one blue eye and the other hazel, green, or gold, the cat will be deaf on the ear closest to the blue eye.
The white cat population comprises about 5% of the total population. About 15-40% of these white cats have one or two blue eyes. Out of this percentage, 60 to 80% are deaf, while 20 to 30% have normal hearing. Also, 30 to 40% of them have one blue eye and were deaf and the 60-70% with blue eyes have normal hearing.
White cats and cancer
The worst enemy of a white cat is the sun. Repeated exposure to the sun can cause the production of squamous cell carcinoma. Squamous cells are a type of skin cells. This is why it is recommended for you to keep your white cat safely indoors, away from the sunlight.
It is important to protect those sensitive areas where there is little or no hair at all. This is the nose, ears, and eyelids.
White cat breeds
Some cat breeds allow white cats along with cats of other color. Very few breeds allow cats with a white coat only. Let´s take a look at the most popular white cat breeds:
- American Shorthair. This is a beautiful working cat.
- Persian. This Iranian (Persia) cat has a beautiful coat and large eyes.
- Oriental Longhair. Pure white just happens to be one of the hundreds of color combinations you can find on this cat.
- Siberian. A pure glistening white cat.
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