Are pure white kittens rare?

Cat breeds come in a wide variety of colors and patterns, including white cats. Pure white cats are fairly rare in the general cat population, as they require a gene that hides every other possible coat color and pattern in a cat’s genetic makeup.

How common are pure white cats?

All-white cats make up only about 5 percent of the general cat population. All-white cats lack something called melanin, a pigment that occurs in both humans and animals and is responsible for giving color to hair and skin.

How do you get a white kitten?

Many Different Breeds Can Have All-White Coats If a cat has the dominant W gene, known as the masking gene, it will “hide” every other coat color and pattern gene in the cat’s genetic makeup, resulting in a snowy, white coat.

What cat breeds can be pure white?

There are many breeds that include a white cat, from the British Shorthair and Sphynx to the Turkish Van. While many pet parents want to claim their cat falls into the rare, colorless category, a true white cat is defined by the lack of melanin pigmentation – the gene that gives her coat and eyes color.

Why are white cats so weird?

The condition of odd-eye colors is called heterochromia. We already discussed the decrease in melanocytes and melanin in white cats. If the melanocytes don’t make it to one of the eyes, it will be blue. The odd colored eye means the melanocytes made it to the eyes and were able to produce melanin (pigment).

Do white kittens stay white?

WHITE – Some kittens are born with a smudge of black or blue hairs on top of the head. The spot disappears as the adult coat start to grow in around 9 months.

Can 2 black cats have a white kitten?

The solid color gene is recessive, so two solid black cats can’t produce a tabby. At least one parent has to be tabby. Also solid white cats, I believe, usually have the dominant white gene, which means at least one parent would have to be white.

Are most white cats deaf?

Researchers found that only 17 to 22 percent of white cats with non-blue eyes are born deaf. The percentage rises to 40 percent if the cat has one blue eye, while upwards of 65 to 85 percent of all-white cats with both eyes blue are deaf.

Are all white cat female?

Torties are almost always female. Pure white cats exist, but the most common way to see white on a cat is in a bicolor pattern—patches of white with another color. Solid brown cats are very rare and usually only seen in specific breeds.

Are all pure white cats deaf?