Kitty Deafness?

vwvixen

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Someone told me that there is a GOOD chance that my Marzal could be/will be deaf because he is white and has blue eyes. And because he does not have any spots of other colors.

How much of this is true?
 

momofmany

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The highest percentage of deaf cats are white with blue eyes, but not all white/blue eyed cats will be deaf. I'm not sure what the percentage is.

My friend had a deaf white cat with gold eyes, and now has a deaf white cat with a green and blue eye (two different colors). She absolutely loves deaf cats and teaches them sign language. They are very unique and truly special.

While I hope Marzal isn't deaf, it is a very interesting experience to share your life with a deaf cat.
 

elecmohwk

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Well I'm hoping he's not, but if he is, it makes no difference in the amount of love he'll get from us.

I'm interested in sign language for the cats. Heck, I'd like them all to know it. Maybe we can have conversations deeper than:

Meow.
"what?"
Meow.
"what?"
Meeeeeeeeeeeeeow.
"whaaaaaaaaaaaat?"
Meoooooooooooooow.
whattttttttttttttttt?"
 
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vwvixen

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vwvixen

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Now, I guess I have another question....

I have two new babies, appx 7wks, both are white and one has eyes with different colors....

Would they be deaf now? Does it come with age? What can we do to notice or find out?

...thanks
 

cjandbilly

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I don't know. I can't tell you. I myself have a two toned 6 week old, and I was thinking she was deaf, then not, and now... I'm just not so sure. I thought she was gonna be blue eyed, but her left eye is changing color a little. I'm just not sure about her. Most of the time, it seems as if she is deaf, but sometimes it doesn't, but it could be because she has a jerky head, because she has a vestibular disease, and that's how she's reacting to my sounds... but, anyway... I don't know. I wish you the best of luck with them!

Cassie
 

sol

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Originally Posted by Petnurse2265

If they are going to be deaf they are born that way, it does not come with age.
That's not entirely true. The kittens aren't born deaf, the hearing organs just don't develop as they should so kittens that are "born deaf" aren't really deaf until they're about 3 weeks old.

VWVixen: If your cats is older than 3 weeks and have normal hearing today there's no reason to worry about the cat developing deafness.
 

marlearn

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I had a cat when I was a kid that was all white/long hair domestic w/blue eyes tha was deaf. We realized it when we would call her and she would not respond, and we could walk up behind her quitetly and then get startled when she saw we were behind her. We used our own sign language and we also used to bang on the floor when she was not in sight, and she would feel that and she would come. Her name was Nikki, and she lived a long happy healthy life before crossing the bridge.
 
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vwvixen

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Thank you guys sooo much for taking the time to reply! I think he will be ok.
 
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