A National Treasure's Near Extinction
The Turkish Angora is an ancient cat breed from the mountains of central Anatolia. These felines developed their characteristic long, silky, single-layered coat as an adaptation to the region's climate. By the 16th century, they were prized possessions in European courts, becoming one of the first long-haired breeds seen on the continent. Their popularity, however, led to extensive crossbreeding with other cats, particularly Persians, which diluted the pure Angora bloodline and pushed the breed toward extinction.
In response to the dwindling numbers, the Turkish government declared the breed a national treasure. A state-led conservation effort began in 1917 at the Ankara Zoo (Atatürk Orman Çiftliği). The program focused meticulously on preserving the pure white Angora, which was considered the breed's ideal. This selective breeding saved the Turkish Angora but also created a genetic bottleneck, concentrating specific traits—including the gene responsible for both their white coats and a high incidence of deafness. For many years, exporting white Angoras was forbidden to protect the remaining population. American service members stationed in Turkey in the 1950s rediscovered the cats at the zoo, and in 1962, the first breeding pair was permitted to be exported to the United States, forming the foundation of modern American breeding programs.
The Science of a White Coat
The link between the Turkish Angora's white fur, blue eyes, and deafness is pleiotropy, where a single gene influences multiple, seemingly unrelated traits. The gene in question is the dominant "W" allele of the KIT gene. This gene disrupts the migration and survival of melanocytes, which are pigment-producing cells, during embryonic development.
When melanocytes fail to populate the skin, the result is a pure white coat because no pigment is produced. When they are absent from the iris of the eyes, the eyes appear blue. The main effect occurs in the inner ear. Melanocytes are a necessary component of the stria vascularis, a part of the cochlea responsible for maintaining the chemical balance required for hearing. Without melanocytes, this structure degenerates within a few weeks of birth, causing irreversible congenital deafness.
The correlation is statistically strong. Studies show that 65% to 85% of pure white cats with two blue eyes are deaf. This number drops to 40% for cats with one blue eye (odd-eyed cats), and deafness is more likely in the ear on the same side as the blue eye. For white cats with non-blue eyes, the deafness rate is between 17% and 22%.