Cats white or not, Confucius said: “The color of the cat doesn’t matter, it just matters that it catches the mouse“. Yet many others are convinced that the color of the hair can affect the character or that it is in any case linked in some way. White cats, like their colorful colleagues, have lived alongside humans for years and years, arousing suspicion and symbolism.
Believe in the power of colors or not, or in the genetic bases that are supposed to be there to bind them to the feline disposition, or believe or not that it is all a coincidence, white cats remain calm animals. By legend, but also supported by many experiences gained over years of coexistence. A fame that white cats have “won” also in part due to the fact that many specimens are deaf. So, rest assured, indeed, sometimes “too much”.
In most cultures white cats, whether scientifically or not, are the symbol of candor and tranquility, like all white things. This causes white cats to give off a positive halo. Their masters, or aspiring ones, are attracted by their quiet behavior, and associate it with a very naive but also affectionate character. Among cats, whites are the most capable of becoming attached to their reference human, regardless of its color.
There are exceptions, yes, even among white cats, and among the breeds that contemplate specimens, or different shades of character. For example white Persian cats appear to be calm and peaceful, British Shorthair white cats have a reputation for outgoing friends.
If the deafness often found in white cats has given them a very Zen character, “nada me turba” style, at times it has made them pass for “retarded”. Legend, or forked tongues – yes, even among felines there are – say that white cats are shy and lackluster, not very intelligent or too scared to react. In truth, it is a question only linked to evident hearing difficulties, very frequent, especially in those white cats with blue eyes. Obviously, if they do not hear, they are unable to learn their names or to react adequately to external auditory stimuli such as loud noises or even specific calls. Not even that of the cell phone, even if with a cover similar to them.
We come to the question of deafness, since it is very much linked to the character that is attached to white cats. To understand if white cats, and cats in general, are deaf, there is the simple “pot” test. No, they should not be cooked, but frightened. With two nice pot lids, slammed hard together, while the white cats sleep, taking them by surprise. If they continue to sleep, as if nothing had happened, then let’s draw the necessary conclusions. Whereas it is not, white or non-white, of plush.
Excluding deafness related to old age or disease, which does not see color, there is genetic deafness in white cats, and is linked to the W gene. This “W” is present in white cats and is often also linked to blue eye color. This is why many deaf white cats with the W gene also have blue eyes: it is the most frequent combination, although we can also meet deaf white cats with green, yellow or mixed eyes.
No to stupid discrimination, we clarify that deaf white cats can live peacefully even in nature, enhancing sense of smell and sight, even if they are still more at risk if kept too much outside. For example, they will not be able to hear cars, dogs or other dangers coming. Owners of white cats , therefore, better if you keep your friends at home and watch out for approaching you when they do not see you or while they are asleep: frightened, even if white and calm cats , they could scratch you as a fear reaction.
Before getting to know the breeds that offer specimens of white cats, a bit of glamor and a worthy and fascinating exponent of the category. Among the VIP white cats, we must remember Duchess, of the Aristocats. In the Disney cartoon she is a splendid white cat courted by Romeo who also conquers her three kittens Minou, Matisse, Bizet. Impossible to choose just one! Romeo, er mejo der Colosseo, is a nice red street cat but the others are Madame Adelaide’s aristocratic cats. She is an elderly and rich lady who, left alone, appoints them heirs in a Paris from the early 1900s with a classy soundtrack. It is a story that makes you dream, and you can take it with you to sleep, to bed, literally wrapping yourself up in a fairy tale.
Among the short-haired breeds, with white cats, there is the American wirehair, and it is a feline that makes its scene. Hard-haired, it is the “punk” of the feline world, it is still a rather rare cat, characterized by superficial hair curled lengthwise, which ends in a curl, acquiring a touch of frizz and bristly.
Then there is the Munchkin, also known as the Dachshund Cat, and there is also white. Born from spontaneous mutations then selected for aesthetic purposes, this breed, which also includes white cats, developed in the 80s of the last century and its members are often called “weird dwarfs”. If white, even more so.
Like the Chinchilla and the Cameo, British tipped cats are also white cats, or rather with a white undercoat and dominant hair with a colored tip. The result is a luminous, iridescent effect when these white cats move. Their coat is short and dense and shows black tips on the back, flanks, head, ears and tip of the tail. But the undercoat must be pure white.
White cats of the British breed are very appreciated for the purity of their coat, so much so that in some countries they are a symbol of perfection, precisely because they have no gray or yellow hue. They are intelligent white cats, to disprove ancient beliefs, and have the wisdom of the stray cat while proving to be affectionate companions.
For the British, as for other breeds such as the Persians that we present to you now, there are three different varieties for eyes: blue, orange and odd. The white British cats with unequal eyes, one orange and one blue, are the result of selection to obtain white cats with orange eyes with perfect hearing. Deafness can occur on the side of the blue eye. Those with blue eyes are very often deaf.
The logic that links deafness and eye color is the same in the case of white Persian cats. They are long-haired animals and summarize all the qualities of the breed: charm, noble expression, a silky coat to the touch and a sweet and calm temperament. White cats of this breed require daily brushing, but otherwise, they are a blast with their calm and affectionate disposition. They are excellent pets, these white cats, and you would never want to let them run around in the garden, also to preserve the whiteness of the coat.
