My cat had a litter of kittens, one of whom
is solid white with only pale orange stripes
on the tip of his tail. After having
read numerous articles on the internet, I
have determined he is albino rather than
white spotted. His hearing is fine.
His eyes are very pale blue, almost white,
and even look pink at some angles in some
light. His eyesight seems to be fine,
but he squints in sunlight. Someone
told me he will go blind eventually as
albinos typically do. I understand that
albinos do have more genetic problems due to
recessive traits, but is the blindness issue
an old wives tale? (Elisa Mills, Georgia)
There is an
established link between the white coat
color, blue eyes and deafness, rather than
blindness. The deafness is linked to the
gene for blue-eye(s) and not to odd-eyed
cats. Not all blue-eyed whites will be deaf
since there are several different genes
causing the same physical attributes
(whiteness, blue-eyedness) so it all depends
on the cat's genotype (its genetic make-up)
not its phenotype (its physical appearance).
Disclaimer: This service is meant to provide advice
only and is not meant to replace an appointment with a registered
veterinarian. Users should always seek a second opinion. Unfortunately we
are only able to answer several questions per week so not everyone gets a
published answer. And, unfortunately we can't answer by email.
Ask Your Own Question!
Please read through our existing Q & A's before asking
a question (we do not answer similar questions). If your pet seems very
unwell you must take him to a vet. We never answer questions by
email.Ask
Your Question (you need to be Registered
and Logged
In).
Good
Litter Box Manners
Cats are extraordinarily fastidious creatures. Outdoors they tend to
urinate and defecate in relatively open and previously unused areas. More...
My cat had a litter of kittens, one of whom
is solid white with only pale orange stripes
on the tip of his tail. After having
read numerous articles on the internet, I
have determined he is albino rather than
white spotted. His hearing is fine.
His eyes are very pale blue, almost white,
and even look pink at some angles in some
light. His eyesight seems to be fine,
but he squints in sunlight. Someone
told me he will go blind eventually as
albinos typically do. I understand that
albinos do have more genetic problems due to
recessive traits, but is the blindness issue
an old wives tale? (Elisa Mills, Georgia)
