Love completely healed this shy, 18-year-old, polydactyl, deaf, tortoiseshell, hoarded cat

What can you say except love conquers all. People ask what should a new comer to cat caretaking do when they adopt a cat? Love her completely and all the knowledge you need will flow from that starting point because you'll be eager to learn and communicate with your cat. With cats love is always reciprocated. The more the better.

The caregiver in the video had lots of experience and she poured it out all over her unadoptable shelter cat. Poly the cat had all the wrong attributes for being adopted at a shelter. Sometimes you'll meet people who go against the grain and adopt the least popular cat at a shelter.

Every time it works out great. It is thanks to the person. They have a brilliant attitude. They are special people. Like Poly in the video the cats adore these adopters. Listen to Poly purr. It is intense. The purr speaks volumes about the closeness of the relationship. 

If only all human-to-cat relationships were like this. There'd be not feral cats, no 'bad cat behaviour', no cats abandoned to shelters or besides the road. Just great relationships all the way to the end of the cat's life.

----------

P.S. please forgive the occasional typo. These articles are written at breakneck speed using Dragon Dictate. I have to prepare them in around 20 mins.

Why does the dominant white gene cause deafness in some cats?

The dominant white gene in cats is associated with an increased risk of deafness. This is because the gene affects the development of the cells in the inner ear that are responsible for hearing.

All-white semi-feral cat. Image in public domain.

The dominant white gene can cause the cells in the inner ear to fail to develop normally, leading to a condition called congenital sensorineural deafness. This type of deafness is caused by damage to the hair cells in the inner ear, which are responsible for converting sound waves into electrical signals that are sent to the brain.

RELATED: What percentage of white cats are deaf?

Cats that have one or two copies of the dominant white gene are at an increased risk of developing congenital deafness. This is particularly common in cats with white fur and blue eyes, as the gene that causes blue eyes is closely linked to the dominant white gene.

RELATED: Deafness in cats – causes, diagnosis and management plus dog info. too

It is important to note that not all cats with the dominant white gene will be deaf, and not all deaf cats have the dominant white gene. Deafness can also be caused by other genetic mutations, environmental factors, or as a result of age-related hearing loss.

Loud Deaf White Cats

Totally white cats are often deaf. Harrison Weir, the founder of the cat fancy in the late 1800s says that if a short haired or long haired white cat has blue eyes, "these are nearly always deaf" (you can read about the percentages in 2012 on this page). He bought a gorgeous white long haired cat at one of the early cat shows that he set up.

He was surprised at the price: 2 guineas. A guinea was always made of gold and the value fixed at 21 shillings (one pound and one shilling). We are talking about old English money of course as this is in the 1870s. That was very cheap, Mr Weir thought. He could not believe the price. The cat was in a cage.."it was a beauty - so comely, so loving, so gentle - so very gentle".

He checked the price was correct. He bought the cat. He had no idea that this beautiful pure white long haired cat was stone deaf. When he got home (to what seems like a palatial residence!) he kept the cat out of the dinning room for some reason. He then discovered why his new cat companion was so cheap to purchase.

The cat's voice was so loud in calling to be let out that it drove him crazy. When he went outside with this cat (he had several) and the cat lost sight of him he called out. Mr Weir says, "I feel confident that it might have been heard miles off".

Luckily, a friend took a fancy to the cat. He allowed the friend to take the cat home. Note: the friend was told that the cat was stone deaf but not that he had a voice that made you deaf!

His friend's home was miles and miles away! A few days later his friend had written to him asking if he would like to take the cat back.....No!

His friend found a solution. He gave this handsome yet very loud white cat to a deaf women.

The question that I have in May 2012, is, "have you had any experiences of deaf cats having very loud voices?" We know that if a person can't hear their voice because they are deaf it affects the quality of their voice. Do deaf cats have loud voices because they can't hear their voices?

I think it is certainly something to think about if you want to adopt a white cat and you live in an apartment. My personal view is that perhaps some deaf cats might have louder than usual voices. Mr Weir says that "in buying a white cat...ascertain for a certainty that it is not deaf".

Associated: read why a lot of white cats are deaf.

What percentage of cats with blue eyes are deaf?

White cats with two blue eyes have a 85% – 64.9%  chance of being deaf in both or one ear.  White cats with one blue eye have about a 40% chance of being deaf in both or one ear.  White cats with no blue eyes have about a 19% chance of being deaf in both or one ear.

Source: AETIOLOGY, PREVALENCE AND DIAGNOSIS OF DEAFNESS IN DOGS AND CATS by George M Strain published in this instance by Science Direct (the study).

The figures are surprisingly high. You can read more about deaf cats on these selected page:

• Deafness in Cats
• Deaf Cat
• My Deaf Cat Annabelle Had An Accident

If you use the search box you can see lots more....