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Are all white cats deaf?

 Hereditary deafness is a major concern in white cats, and even more so if one or both irises are blue in color.

 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.

Some of these cats are deaf in only one ear. Interestingly, if a white cat with one blue eye is deaf in only one ear, that ear will invariably be on the same side of the head as the blue eye.

Are you a cat owner? Or just love cats?

Can you have a career working with cats? How do you know if your kitten is a male or a female?

What famous author had polydactyl cats? Want to bake homemade treats?

So how do you get answers to these questions? Go to TICA University … otherwise known as TICAU, the place to find everything about cats.

It’s the first-of-its-kind online university that is free to cat lovers and anyone else around the world. When you visit its “campus” you’ll find several different schools that you can find information about cats. Take a tour of the campus and visit each of these schools and just a few of the types of information you can learn:

Gym — exercises, how to keep your cat in tip-top shape, and more!

Cafe – bake your own treats, find restaurants to go to that love cats, what’s a good nutrition?

Nursing – what’s needed in an emergency kit? if my cat is stung, what should I do?

Science – are cats left pawed? can they see in color?

Admissions – register with TICAU and even test your knowledge about cats

History – from ancient history to modern day, cats have influenced many things….and were the focus of many myths!

Library – cats were a “muse” for what authors? what famous author loved cats so much he left his home to them in his will?

Art – tour the gallery and see famous artwork and learn about cats in the theatre and more

Business – is there really feline vets? how do I get to judge cats?

Psychology – what makes cats “tick”? can you train a cat to use the toilet?

Kids — color books! games! fun things to do! Interesting tips and facts!

Oh, and see if you can find Professor Purrsey. He’s quite a character, and you never know where he’ll be.

And if you register with TICAU, you’ll get updates on new information as its added to the site. It’s fun. It’s free. And it’s THE place to go for information on cats!

Two paws up according to all of the cats who have sat on their owners’ keyboards or laptops and looked at TICAU.

At TICA’s Annual Cat Show in Santa Clara, California in September, cats were invited to be measured by the Guinness Book of World Records for the title of “longest cat”. Cats of all sizes and colors showed up, bu tonly one could capture the title.

Just last week Stewie — aka Mymains Stewart Giligan — a 5-year-old Maine Coon measured in at a whopping 48.5 inches from the tip of his nose to the tip of his tail when stretched out.

Stewie, a TICA-registered Maine Coon is owned by Robin Henrickson of Reno, Nevada.

The previous record holder also was a Maine Coon—Verisimo Leonetti Reserve Red (aka Leo) who captured the title in 2008 when he measured an exact 47 inches. Congrats Stewie and Robin!

Cat litter comes in a variety of styles. From clumping to flushable and clay-based or corn-based there is a feline litter that suits the preferences of any cat or kitten and of course, you, as its owner. But choosing the best cat litter for your cat and household can be confusing.

What’s the best way to choose the right litter for your cat(s)? Here’s and easy way to select which one you think would be used by your cats, and suitable for your household (see chart above).

Cats are not color blind!

The Natural History Museum of Los Angeles not only did some research on this question, but actually demonstrated through images how cats see the world around them. Per their “results” they have determined that “Cats are not color blind – they have the ability to distinguish between blues and greens, but lack the ability to pick out shades of red.”

Cats, like humans, have two primary structures in the retina of the eye for perceiving light: rods which help us see light and dark areas, and cones which have pigments to detect particular wavelengths of light. At low light intensities, rods function to distinguish light from dark. You may notice that you see little color in dim light. At high intensities of light the rods do not function, however, the cones do. Humans have three kinds of cone pigments, ones that can detect red, green and blue light. It’s no coincidence that we find these same colors in the screen of an average color-TV set. The ability of an organism to see in “color” thus depends upon the color receptors present in the retina. People (or animals) lacking a specific color receptor are unable to “see” that color. Most often, it appears greyish, or as one of the other colors that can be detected (i.e. purples appearing greyish-blue). Green color-blindness is the most common genetic form of color-blindness in humans, followed by red, then blue.”