Hi, you’re watching Facts about Cats and today you’ll learn 21 white cats facts you
didn’t know!
Let’s begin.
The first 3 facts will make you adopt a white cat….especially if you're a superstitious
person.
In many places in the world, white cats are considered to bring good luck.
In Russia, white cats are considered to be good for your wallet and having a white cat
in your home is supposed to bring money into your household.
Now we know the secret of the beautiful houses there :)
In America dreaming about a white cat brings good luck
These next facts aren’t so good for white cats…
A superstition in North America believes that white cats and babies should not be together
as your feline may feel threatened by the purity and innocence of the child, and may
place a curse on your baby.
In the United Kingdom, white cats are sometimes considered unlucky because they are the same
color as ghosts!
But I mean really, we don’t even know if ghosts exist, nor if they’re white!
Furthermore, having a white cat enter your home is considered to be an indication of
tough times ahead, and a white cat that’s leaving the house is believed to take all
the good luck.
Yikes.
Even if white cats are gorgeous, white is the ninth most sought after cat color.
(with blue being in the top spot).
But let’s see what causes white color in cats!
Well, responsible for this amazing color is the dominant W gene, known as the masking
gene.
This gene will "hide" every other coat color and pattern gene in the cat's genetic makeup,
resulting in a snowy, white coat.
Moving on, know that white cats are very rare.
They make between 2 to 5% of the cats population.
We can surely say you’re very lucky if you have one.
White cats can have the following eye colors: blue, green, gold(hazel), amber or even pink.
Lots of kittens have blue eyes when they are small, which change to their permanent color
before they are a few months old.
However, white kittens have a big chance of actually keeping the blue color after they
grow up.
Of all white cats, 15-40% have at least one blue eye.
White cats can have eyes of two totally different colors, such as blue and amber.
This condition is called Heterochromia and I thinks these kitties are purely gorgeous!
With the next one, you need to really pay attention.
It’s a popular myth that all white cats are deaf.
Not all of them are, but the percentage is indeed higher in white cats with blue eyes.
But why?
A cat's eye color is linked to the melanin production in the body.
The lighter the eye color, the less pigmentation a cat has.
As a result, a cat with blue eyes has less melanin, but unfortunately, this also means
she is more prone to deafness, as there is a direct link between lacking melanin in cats
and lack of hearing.
Needles to say, deaf cats won’t be able to hear threats like a car or dog approaching,
so please keep your deaf cat indoors.
White cats are melanin deficient, so they can’t tolerate sunlight as much as colored
cats.
As a result, repeated exposure to sunlight can cause a certain type of skin cancer.
This disease is painful and located in sensitive areas, where there aren’t much hairs—ears,
eyelids, and nose.
It can also be fatal if not diagnosed early enough.
As a result, you should always keep white cats indoors and limit time next to bright
windows between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. when the sun is strongest.
Moving on, not all white cats are albino, but all albino cats are white.
However, there’s a big difference.
White cats have this color due to inheriting the “W” gene, but albino cats have a mutation
of another gene.
This mutation causes albino cats to have a lack of color pigmentation in the skin, fur,
and eyes.
Basically, white cats have white color, while albino cats lack color.
And sadly, albino cats are even more prone to skin cancer.
In the last 3 let’s see some famous white cats and famous people with white cats
One of the most famous white cats in the world are Hello Kitty and needles to say, Grumpy
cat!
Other popular white cat characters are the Duchess from Disney’s Aristocats and her
daughter Marie.
Several Presidents of the United States had white cats around the White House during their
terms: Rutherford B. Hayes, Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter and William McKinley.
Among famous people that have had white cats we count: Taylor Swift, Elvis Presley, Cameron
Diaz, Marlon Brando, Marilyn Monroe, and George Harrison.
Tell me in the comments below, what do you like most about white cats.
And click one of the videos to watch next, see you there!