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Unilateral and Bilateral Congenital Sensorineural Deafness in Client-Owned Pure-Breed White Cats |
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| Authors: | D. Cvejic T.A. Steinberg M.S. Kent A. Fischer |
| Affiliation: | Section of Neurology, Clinic of Small Animal Medicine, Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences, Ludwig Maximilian University, Munich, Germany and;Department of Surgical and Radiological Sciences, University of California, Davis, CA |
| Abstract: | Background: Congenital sensorineural deafness has been reported frequently in experimental mixed-breed white cats but there is a paucity of data on occurrence of deafness in client-owned pure-breed white cats. Objective: To describe hearing status in client-owned pure-breed white cats. Animals: Eighty-four pure-breed client-owned cats with white coat color of 10 registered breeds presented for routine hearing evaluation before breeding (1995–2008). Methods: Hearing was assessed by click-evoked brainstem auditory evoked response. Results: Overall deafness prevalence was 20.2%; 9 cats (10.7%) were bilaterally deaf and 8 cats (9.5%) were unilaterally deaf. There was no association between sex and deafness status ( P = .85). Deafness status was associated with iris color ( P = .04). Conclusions and Clinical Importance: Congenital sensorineural deafness frequently occurs in pure-breed cats with white coat color. Unilateral sensorineural deafness was as common as bilateral deafness. |
| Keywords: | Feline Hearing disorder Hereditary |