Are White Haired Cats Always Deaf?

No, not all white cats are deaf. Usually, if a cat has blue eyes and is white, then it will be deaf, but this is not always the case. Some cats for example, the Turkish Vankedisi is a purely white cat, with blue eyes, but usually has normal hearing.

However, within the standard 'cat population' cats who are purely white and have blue eyes will be deaf. It is suggested that this is because the white gene which causes the fur to be white, actually affects the development of the cochlea in the inner ear and this is why the cat is deaf. It is usually an inherited and genetic disorder and may cause some very slight facial differences from other cats.

Deaf cats may be more at risk than their hearing counterparts, for example, they will be less aware of oncoming danger, but usually they manage to lead quite contented lives. They can feel vibrations both in the ground and in the floor and so compensate for their lack of hearing by developing other senses.

In most cases white cases white cats have been observed to be been deaf, the number is more so if the white cat is blue eyed as compared to those having green or yellow eyes. It has also been seen that white cats having odd colored eyes like green on one side and blue on the other are partly deaf in one ear next to the blue colored eye.

The white color of the coat in cats as well as the blue color of the eyes is a genetic characteristic which in some cases causes deafness due to lack of a cell membrane in the inner part of the ear which it is believed is related to the genes responsible for the color characteristics. However not all white cats even those having blue eyes are deaf as some white colored breeds like Siamese cats do not display any characteristics related to deafness.

No not all white cats are deaf.
chances are if it had blue eyes then it could be deaf.

Not all pure white cats are deaf,as my 17 year old cat snowball is white and is definitely not deaf,even now with her age. With all the books I have read and with the knowledge of cats that I have. White cats that have one blue eye are usually deaf in one ear and usually on the same side where the blue is.

I have a beautiful white cat with longish hair, with one blue eye and one brown eye, she is def. Not deaf and perfectly normal, she has the most stunning personality I have ever seen in a cat, although I have never seen a lazier cat in my life, when you pick her up she just hangs! LOL

No
I have one the house and hears nothing at all but the guy next door has one he keeps out side and he is able to hear

I have a white cat with two light green eyes and it is deaf as a post.....

I ask you question I have two newborn white kittens.we think It would be deaf.. Also we are deaf.