Albino cat?

Is there such a thing? I have this kitty who I saw being thrown out of the window of a car on my street. She is solid white, one blue and one green eye. She was skin and bones, this was about 2 months ago. She now looks good and is very sweet, I haven't heard her meow yet and I just got her to purring the other day. I don't think she is even a year old yet. She gets along great with my other 2 kitties and my dog. I think she is rather unusual looking. I have never seen a cat with two different colored eyes before.

Thanks,
Cathy
Cloey, Laney, Gracie and Angel?

Bless you for saving that poor kitty! You are surely her angel. She sounds like a very beautiful cat. After the trauma she went through, it doesn't surprise me that she is taking a while to warm up to you, but getting her little motor going is a very good sign. Once a human breaks that trust with a cat it takes a lot for another to regain it.

There is such a thing as albinos, but they generally don't have colored eyes. Albino by definition is a complete lack of pigmentation. There are breeders, especially Persians, who specifically breed bi-colored eyes, so it is possible.

Just an fyi, white cats have a higher genetic tendency to be deaf. That may be why she hasn't meowed, I'm not sure.

For you breaders out there, I have heard that when a white cat his bi-color eyes and carries the gene for deafness, that they might only be deaf on the side of the blue eye. Is that true?

That would make a lot of sence then. She kinda acts like she doesn't hear very well so I was wondering. She won't jump the fence like the others do but instead, and only if she has to, she will actually climb it. She is a very sweet kitty and my husband is SLOWLY warming up to her.

Thanks for the info,

Cathy

Hi there,

I breed persians for 4 years now in Israel, and I specialize in whites and bi-colors.

white cats with two different eye colors sure do exist, they are usually reffered to as "odd eyed cats".

genetically both odd-eyed whites and regular white are created by the same gene. its called the "dominant white" gene. this gene create with cats either with colored eyes, blue eyes, or one eye blue one eye colored (hence odd eyes). white cats with blue eyes or odd-eyes are prone to deafness on the ear closer to the blue eye (if both eyes are blue they are prone to defness on both ears), but not ALL blue eyed whites are deaf!!! the defness depends on many other factors and polygenes, so one would say many blue eyed whites are deaf - but not all.

the dominant white gene in cats is NOT related to albinisem (complete lack of pigment).

Albinisem in cats is creted by another set of genes and is very very rare. Albino cats tend to have either pink eyes or very washed out blue eyes. real Albino cats are not known to be deaf, or prone to deafness.

defness in cats is probably related to germ cell migration in the embriyo and not to the lack of pigment in itself.

Love to all
Alon

Well done for looking after the little mite,it is very unlikely that your cat is albino, I had six pure white cats until very recently, sadly my three year old died from a strain of leukaemia, he was yellow eyed and stone deaf.
His sister is also pure white and she is odd eyed, one yellow and one blue, she can hear a fly scratch it's nose 50 feet away. One of them is a long coated pure white with stunning blue eyes and again her hearing is excellent.
I also rescued another white who had to have an eye removed due to ill treatment and he had two green eyes and he is completely deaf, but he has pushed his way to the top of the hierachy in our house so has not suffered from his disabilities at all.
Recently I picked up a yellowy/cream kitten with very pale washed out blue eyes but they are completely red when the iris opens, my vet agrees that this is a true albino and he is very rare. She said that a true albino is not white. I have been in cat rescue for almost 10 years and this is the first one I have ever seen.
Hope this helps.

I have almost always had a pure white cat with blue eyes and a black one. Fortunately they had good hearing. I just answered your post because I'm so glad you are caring for that little lamb. I hope she gets more and more confidence daily. Of course, she would be in great danger outside, because she wouldn't be able to hear cars, dogs, or other cats. Bless your heart.