Ethical breeding of white cats

It occurred to me that there needs to be a policy about the breeding of pure white cats because there is a severe disposition to deafness in cats with white fur caused by the dominant white gene (Leukism). 

Breeds with white fur are considered to have potential welfare problems. The underlying ethics of cat breeding is not to breed cats with welfare problems. That must be the default situation at all cat associations and in all forms of selective breeding.

Pure white cats are cats with no pigmentation within their hair strands. It is the dominant white gene (W) which prevents the pigmentation migrating into the hair strands or it prevents the production of pigmentation in melanocytes. I'm not quite sure which but the result is no pigmentation in the hair strands (Wrong? Please tell me in a comment).

This beautiful Maine Coon is deaf. They should not have been created

The dominant white gene also causes a higher incidence of cancer and a lack of pigmentation and tapetum lucidum in the eyes. The high incidence of deafness when deliberately created through an unethical breeding should be banned.

And this got me thinking about what the cat associations do about it. And some of them do something about it I am pleased to note.

For example, the general breeding policy of the Governing Council of the Cat Fancy in the UK state on their website that, "From 1 June 2016 all white cats, regardless of breed, will require a certificate confirming Bilateral Hearing lodged with the GCCF in order to be registered as active". 

My presumption is that the word "active" means the cat is able to compete at cat shows. So, there is a rule which prevents unethical breeding of white cats causing deafness

The International World EV states at 3.3 that, "For breeding white cats we recommend that white X coloured parents are mated. White parents as well as young white animals are to be tested for deafness by audiometric testing. Cats are to be permanently marked with a microchip before audiometric testing is completed. The microchip number will be noted in the audiometric test certificate regarding the animal."

I presume that this procedure is to identify white cats which are not deaf. Not all white cats are deaf but there is an unsatisfactorily high percentage.

It appears that the general rule is to never breed white cats with white cats otherwise you will get deaf kittens.

Regarding the Cat Fanciers' Association, the premier cat association in the USA, I cannot find anything about the ethical breeding of pure white cats on their website. That may be due to a poor search engine but for whatever reason I can't find it. The same applies to The International Cat Association, another premier American cat association.

The conclusion is that white cats need to be selectively bred with care to minimise the risk of deafness because if you aren't careful you end up breeding i.e. creating a disabled cat because they can't hear properly which affects their behaviour through impaired attention to environmental factors and social communication.

There is an argument that breeders should discontinue breeding cats carrying the dominant white gene. And there is an argument that there should be a prohibition of breeding and exhibiting cats carrying the dominant white gene. This is a reference to the GCCF policy above.

There needs to be behavioural, ophthalmologic, and audiometric examination (electrical reaction audiometry) of cats before use for breeding. This is very important.

Note: cats with white fur determined by genes of the albino-series (gene c) are not likely to suffer from deafness, except when combined with the dominant white gene

The autosomal dominant white gene suppresses all other colour genes causing white fur in 100% of cats, blue eyes in 70% of cats and deafness in 50% of cases.

The breeds where problems may occur are European Shorthair, British Shorthair, Norwegian Forest Cat, Maine Coons, Turkish Angora, Persian, Foreign White, Russian White and the Turkish Van.

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.

Are hairless cats really envious of longhair cats?

The title is amusing when you see the video. This couple of hairless cats are so committed to grooming the white Persian that you would be forgiven for believing that they were envious of her hair. I don't think it's true. The emotion of envy is a human one. The desire to groom a friend of yours, if you are a cat, is a strong motivator. You probably know that it is called allogrooming. 

If a cat is envious of another cat because they have hair, the cat who experiences the emotion of envy must recognise the fact that they don't have hair. In order to recognise that simple fact they have to be self-aware. They have to be self-conscious. And this is one of those massive debates. People aren't sure whether cats are self-conscious. 

This means a person or animal: recognises themselves objectively and can assess themselves compared to others. At the moment people are unsure that cats can do this. They probably can't. If that is true then it confirms what I have said that cats don't feel envy and these two hairless cats are not envious of this beautiful Persian cat's fur.

2 hairless cats lick a white Persian with zeal. Screenshot.

Some people say that it is a form of dominance but I don't really believe that. It's a question of friendly interactions. Cats do it to people all the time as you know. They do it for the same reason: friendliness. 

This couple of Sphynx cats are certainly committed. They carry on even when there is a miniature crash helmet on the head of the Persian. I find that a bit odd, I confess. Surely these hairless cats recognise that they are no longer licking a cat's hair? 

But apparently not. It looks as if the behaviour is entirely instinctive. Perhaps they lick the crash helmet because it's a bit like licking their own bodies. I think that is the reason behind this behaviour. They accept the hairlessness of the helmet; no questions asked.

Note: This is a video from another website which is embedded here. Sometimes they are deleted at source which stops them working on this site. If that has happened, I apologise but I have no control over it.

White shag pile cat coat on white shag pile bath mat

There's not much to say because the photograph is self-explanatory. It comes from Indonesia, by the way. The person who uploaded it to Twitter called it 'cosplay' which means costume play. This is when people dress up in costumes which represent a specific character. It's a role-play form of entertainment. I'm not sure of the relevance of that to the photograph. I tried to figure it out but at the moment I'm unsure. Actually I'm nonplussed 🤔. I think the reference to 'cosplay' is an in-joke in Indonesia which is why I can't link it to this photograph.

White shag pile cat coat on white shag pile bath mat. Photo: Twitter.

What cosplay has to do with the image is irrelevant really. This is an example of camouflage; domestic cat camouflage. Perhaps the domestic cat has evolved over 10,000 years of domestication to find a way of camouflaging themselves within the human home 😊.

I'm just messing about because as I said at the beginning there is nothing to say but I have to say something as just a photograph on the page doesn't really hack it for SEO purposes.

184.9 million views and climbing: UK's most popular TikTok video features a white cat

This is the UK's most popular TikTok video and it is all about a cat 👌.

@mmeowmmia

🥺🤍🐾 ##cat ##uk

♬ оригинальный звук - 🐾 Mia the Cat 🐾

Most popular video in the UK shows agile kitten Mia, who has 2.6 million fans.  She is famed for navigating plastic cup obstacle courses in owner's viral clips. We have to give the humans a lot of credit too for dreaming up the idea for these unique videos and for showing the world how clever and nimble domestic cats are at navigating tricky obstacles with great precision. Their TikTok videos gather an awesome number of views. Even the less popular ones have over 100k views.

Note: This is a video from another website. Sometimes they are deleted at source which stops them working on this site. If that has happened, I apologise but I have no control over it.

RELATED: Mother cat carries kitten: Amazing feat of athleticism and courage

The sun of Northern Ireland gave this cat ear cancer

Northern Ireland is notorious for dull, damp, grey days or that is how I visualise the country. Rain constantly sweeps up from the south-west. One thing is certain, there is not a lot of sun in Northern Ireland and yet it was enough to damage this cat's ears to the point where skin cancer developed perhaps about a year or so later. When this white cat was found and fostered by a volunteer working for Cats Protection she had to be taken to a veterinarian to have her ear flaps amputated. As it happened, she had also been involved in a car accident and lost an eye as well.

 The sun of Northern Ireland gave this cat ear cancer. Photo: Cats Protection.

As you can see she is all-white and as you probably know all-white cats are particularly susceptible to sunburn of their ear flaps. This is because there is less protection of the skin because white fur is hair without pigmentation and in any case the fur on a cat's ear flaps, as you also know, is very thin indeed. There is almost no protection from the sun's ultraviolet light.

It is a precautionary tale with the summer coming up. She has been named Smurf and the moral of the story is that even in quite wet, overcast climates such as that of Northern Ireland the sun can cause sunburn on cat ear flaps. The Cat Protection central veterinary officer, Sarah Elliott, said that: "Even on a cold day, when the sun is bright there is still the potential for damage to occur. Pale-coloured cats like Smurf are particularly at risk, or indeed any cats that have unpigmented white noses or ears."

You can apply sunscreen to a cat's ears and you might ask your veterinarian for his or her advice on the best product. And of course on those particularly hot days you can keep your cat inside if that is practical. I know that outside cats find it very difficult to remain inside. This may encourage the owner to let them out in the interests of peace and quiet. Under those circumstances I would have thought that sunscreen on the ears would be essential particularly if your cat is light-coloured as mentioned.

Nimbus the cat's transformation is legendary

"A little TLC can turn a crinkled tissue into a beautiful cloud. Nimbus's transformation was legendary.." - the person who posted the pics to Reddit.

Notice that the before pictures shows Nimbus with 'pink eye'  a secondary bacterial infection so typical of stray and abandoned cats. If left it can cause the loss of an eye or eyes. It is cured with antibiotics. See best antibiotics for a cat bite - another story completely.

Not sure of the backstory and history of this white cat. It has to be pretty dire. I am guessing that Nimbus was a rescued kitten or young cat who flowered with plenty of TLC (tender loving care) into a cool-looking white gem. It is always the same reason for the before look and the same reason for the after look. Neglect, abuse or abandonment causes the before look and a ton of genuine love and care results in the after appearance.

What are Bodega Cats?

Bodega cats are store cats. They live in and around a corner store or deli or Hispanic/Spanish/Latin mini-mart in New York. They will normally be rescue cats; either rescued from the street where the store is or from a rescue centre. The term "bodega" appears to be exclusively used in New York City.

These are typical corner stores. Run independently and selling all manner of products from wine to delicatessen products. These are the sorts of shops we see all over the world. Not all of them have a live-in cat. That's obvious. The bodega cat is a very nice addition to the store. They go together nicely. It looks natural to me. And they serve a function beyond keeping the shop owner company. They keep the mice away.

In less well developed countries you could argue that the default situation regarding the domestic cat is the store cat or community cat. This is closer to the original relationship between man and cat: the barn cat keeping down rodents.

The term "bodega" comes from Spanish to mean a wine shop. The meaning has been expanded to include a mini-mart although in these stores wine, beers and spirits are an important part of the stock.

The cat in the picture is Snowball. A beautiful white bodega cat in NYC.

Cat Coats White

Cat coats white is the last in a series on the cat coats. See all the articles by clicking on this link. In previous articles I have mentioned the Piebald gene (White Spotting gene). The gene usually (denoted by the letter "S") produces coats with white "spots" although "spots" is a misleading term. It produces areas of white leaving other areas in a wide range of colors and patterns such as Tuxedo, Tabby, solid colors and others (it is perhaps best to see all the posting to get the complete picture). 

All-white Maine Coon

 As can be expected if the white spotting works to maximum effect, then the whole of the cat will be white instead of areas of white, either small or large. Accordingly, one of the three genes that produces all white cats is the white spotting gene. Its actions are wide ranging as can be seen. That's why it is said to have "variable expression". It is called "recessive white" sometimes and I suppose because of its variable actions, it is "semi-dominant". 

 The genes that produce white fur cover up the other colors. Note: Albino cats are due to a different effect, the lack of production of color (see below). 

The other gene that produces cat coats that are white is the dominant white gene ("W"). This gene masks all other colors. 

As a result, it is impossible by looking at the cat to see what other genes are present. To use technical language, the gene W is "epistatic" meaning it masks all other color genes. There may be an exception in relation to eye color. The dominant white gene is a simple non sex related dominant gene. The white cat is not due to the presence of a number of piebald (white spotting) genes. 

Russian-bred all-white British Shorthair kitten. Photo: Альбина Шконда питомник британских кошек Golden Leris nursery Golden Leris. WCF.

The W gene is at a different position on the chromosome to the white spotting gene and is therefore independent of the white spotting gene. Epistatic crudely means that where there is a competition between genes as to what color or type of coat will be seen (for genes involved with coat color), the gene whose phenotype (the appearance) is expressed (the appearance seen) is said to be epistatic. 

The W gene is also associated with deafness as it can affect the cochlea in the inner ear (the fluid filled chamber that converts sound waves to nerve transmissions to the brain). The gene produces blue, orange or odd eyes. If the cat has blue eyes there is a good chance that he/she will be deaf as well. If she has one blue eye, there is a good chance that she will be deaf in the ear on the side of the blue eye. 

As the name of the gene implies this is a dominant gene so if fully present its effects are produced (from genotype - the genetics to phenotype - the physical result). In a survey of 185 cats, one quarter had normal hearing and yellow eyes, 31% had normal hearing and blue eyes, 7% were deaf and had yellow eyes and 37% were deaf and had blue eyes. 

 The third and highly unusual genetic make-up that results in all-white cat coats is the albino. This is complicated genetically so a brief mention is probably best. There are alleles that are known to produce albinism. 

An allele is one member of a pair of genes at a certain point on the chromosome. The alleles concerned are blue-eyes albino, pink eyes albino, Burmese Pattern, Siamese Pattern and full color (ref: Sarah Hartwell). These cats have pink eyes. The all-white cat is more prone to contract skin cancer as the skin more readily absorbs ultraviolet light. This should be born in mind by keepers of white cats in hot climates. Source:

• Messybeast
• Robinson's Genetics
• Me