For us Europeans, white represents purity and purity. And we would like to have a cat with such a snow color in the house. Fluffy white coat - what could be nicer? It looks so original! But do we realize that such a pet can be an albino animal? A cat with a snow-white coat requires reliable protection and more thorough care than her usual sisters of other stripes.
Note that albinism and light color are far from the same thing. What is the difference? This we will tell in our article. Many people think that all white cats have blue eyes. We will debunk this myth. Adopting the albino family, we must understand that such animals in the wild do not survive. Especially cats that get food by tracking and sneaking up on game. But engaged in the selection of species and colors, a man brought out a white suit. Therefore, we are responsible for such animals.
What is the albinism gene?
The color of the hairline, as well as the color of the eyes and skin of any creature, be it a cat, a person, a bird, an amphibian or even a fish, is caused by the pigment melanin. There are two varieties of this substance. Eumelanin, whose granules absorb sunlight, gives a black color. Representatives of the Negroid race contain this pigment in the hair shaft, iris and skin.
Another variety, theomelanin, has elongated granules. They reflect color and give a color in the yellow-orange-red range. A mixture of pheomelanin and eumelanin in various proportions and gives rise to a huge number of animal suits. But albinism is something special. This is a complete lack of melanin. Signs of albinism are manifested primarily in the absence of pigmentation of the hairline. But also the eyes are not painted. The iris of other creatures reflects light and hides blood vessels. In the albino, the inside of the eyeball is visible. Therefore, in such individuals they are red. It also comes with snow-white, pigment-free skin.
Is there partial albinism?
Gene C is responsible for the absolutely complete absence of melanin in the body. Albinism is a mutation. You can admire snow-white hair, hair or the plumage of such creatures as much as you like, but this brings a lot of problems to himself. We will talk about them later. Now let's say that the albino cat is far from common - one case of such a mutation in ten thousand representatives of the species. They are distinguished from other animals with a white fur coat by pink eyes and the same color of the paw pads and the tip of the nose.
But sometimes an absolute mutation does not occur. If the CA gene becomes dominant, partial albinos are born. Their legs and tail can be painted in various natural colors, while the body is devoid of pigmentation. Sometimes a mutation makes itself felt with white spots or red eyes. The CS gene also causes partial albinism. But it gives rise to an interesting color. Melanin barely breaks through the white color on each hair. Bright representatives of such a mutation is the breed of Siamese cats.
What is the notorious W gene
This malfunction in pigmentation is also called "dominant white." The gene inhibits the manifestation of melanin. Unlike albinos, in ordinary white cats, color pigment is present but hidden. However, it appears in the iris. If albinos have pink eyes, then in white cats with a W mutation, they can be blue, intense blue, and even of different colors. Such gene failure is often accompanied by deafness.
If a cat has one eye blue and the other green, then it most likely does not hear in the ear that is closer to blue. All these genes responsible for the manifestation of the absence of pigmentation of the coat (whether it is albinism or “dominant white”) are recessive. This means that if you cross such an animal with an ordinary representative of their species, healthy puppies, rabbits, etc. will be born. Therefore, those types of cats that are supposed to be snow-white by the breed standard are extremely valuable. This is, first of all, the Turkish Angora. There are a number of oriental breeds where white is bred in a separate standard.
"White crow"
We have already said that albino cat is extremely rare. This gene mutation dooms the host to early death. In the wild, an animal with a snow-white fur coat is easy prey for a predator. And if an albino feeds on game itself, then it will be extremely difficult for him to sneak up on her unnoticed. Absolutely white individuals are not favored by his relatives. After all, when mating, the female will give preference to a brightly colored partner.
Albinism is manifested not only in the complete absence of melanin. Gene disruption brings with it a whole bunch of diseases. This is, first of all, reduced immunity and partial or complete deafness. The pink eyes of albino cats are not protected, and therefore their eyesight is very weak. Delicate white skin is especially affected by ultraviolet radiation. After all, melanin is a natural protection from the rays of the sun. In short, in the wild, albino individuals are extremely rare and die at a young age.
Martyrs of Breeding
Despite the rejection of relatives, white people really like people. The desire to have something original, unusual is so characteristic of human nature. There have long been legends about white animals. Only kings could have elephant albinos in Thailand . And the Indian Raja Mohan was specially engaged in breeding snow-white tigers. If in the wild a gene mutation is a sentence for an individual, they began to cultivate it in human society.
Together with rabbits, nutria, and minks, species of cats appeared in which this defect, which causes white color, was fixed from generation to generation. In the wild, the chance of meeting two albinos is minimal. Yes, and the ability to give offspring in such an individual is small. The recessive gene may appear in subsequent generations, or it may not. But the selection, carried out not by nature, but by man, brought out a number of sufferers, carrying serious ailments, but pleasing the owners with a beautiful snow-white fur coat.
Side effects of beauty
It's time to talk about changes in the albino organism caused by a gene mutation. First of all, it is an extremely low immunity. If you have an albino animal, be prepared for the fact that any infection will kill your pet. Therefore, you need to be careful in contact with other animals. By the way, deafness of white cats is caused by the W gene, not C.
Albino is not always hard of hearing. But surely he has poor eyesight. Sunlight literally hurts a pigmentless iris. The animal loves to be in the shade, and do not interfere with such a desire. After all, the pink tips of the ears and nose can get sunburn. Animals with gene mutations are extremely sensitive to temperature changes. They are contraindicated in both cold and heat. Do your best to protect your animal from drafts. Mutation of genes causes problems with teeth and musculoskeletal system.
Character of white cats
Such animals feel flawed. Therefore, they are very attached to a person, feeling that without a master they certainly will not survive. They are affectionate and complaisant. Perhaps they are less playful than their normally colored congeners. But they cannot be called lazy either. These are very sensitive creatures. Sometimes their angelic character in relation to the owners and close acquaintances does not fit with gloom in the presence of strangers. The albino cat is somewhat cowardly in nature. Awareness of her inferiority makes her anxious and suspicious.
White Cat Care: Features
If you decide to have such a pet, get ready for frequent visits to the veterinarian. Albinos are very painful, they need special care. In addition to pathologies of internal organs, they have extremely sensitive eyes to open sunlight and exposed skin. And wool can suffer from aggressive ultraviolet radiation. The blue eyes of a white cat almost certainly indicate her deafness. This is dangerous, because the animal can not escape the danger by responding to noise. It’s better not to let such a cat go outside.