Turkish Angora: white-cat deafness, heart and health to anticipate
The Turkish Angora is an elegant cat, often white, and it is precisely that coat that carries its main health issue: hereditary deafness linked to the dominant white gene, especially in blue-eyed individuals. The good news is it can be screened. All our pointers are in the cat care and grooming section, with the full profile on the Turkish Angora page.
White-cat deafness
In cats, the dominant white coat is associated with congenital sensorineural deafness, particularly in blue-eyed individuals. A study by Geigy and colleagues, published in 2007 in The Veterinary Journal, analysed this pleiotropic link between white coat, blue iris and deafness (study on Google Scholar). Cvejic and colleagues measured its prevalence by hearing test (BAER) in 2009 in the Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine (study on Google Scholar). A white kitten can be deaf in a single ear, which easily goes unnoticed without a test.
Screening and living with a deaf cat
The BAER test, painless, confirms deafness and distinguishes one-ear from both-ears involvement. A deaf cat lives very well indoors, provided its environment is adapted: avoid free outdoor access, favour visual signals and vibrations over the voice.
The heart risk common to all cats
Like all breeds, the Turkish Angora remains exposed to hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, the most frequent feline heart disease, whose genetic basis Meurs and colleagues identified in 2005 in Human Molecular Genetics (study on Google Scholar). Cardiac monitoring with age remains relevant.
What care budget to plan
Deafness aside, the Turkish Angora is a rather robust cat whose costs remain routine. Our guide to pet insurance for cats helps you decide, and our page on insuring a Turkish Angora spells out the useful cover.
Frequently asked questions
Are all white Turkish Angoras deaf?
No, but the risk is real and higher in blue-eyed individuals; only a BAER test can confirm it, including for single-ear deafness.
Can a deaf cat have a normal life?
Yes, indoors and with a few adaptations (visual signals, no free outdoor access), a deaf cat leads a perfectly fulfilling life.
Should a Turkish Angora be insured?
It is relevant as for any cat: cover taken out young avoids exclusions and smooths the cost of unforeseen care.
This guide is part of Planète Pets’s Cats universe. Our advice is general in nature: for any health concern, your veterinarian remains the only reference.