White Kitten Questions

Mommykitty250

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Hello everyone,
I am new here and just got a new kitten today! I have been waiting for her since she was born and she is the only white kitten in the litter. She has a grey tail with a white tip and grayish ears but they grey doesn't go down to the skin. The grey just seems to be on the top coat. Anyways, how rare is it to have a white kitten come from a grey male cat and a calico female cat? Also we have noticed that she might not be able to hear. She has beautiful blue eyes and just want to be well informed.

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Kieka

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She looks like a pointed cat not a pure white cat. The point gene is recessive and will show up anytime two carriers of the point gene have kittens where the kitten gets the recessive gene from both parents. It is a heat reactive from of albinism as a very basic explanation.

The gene will cause her to be white/cream over her entire body at birth because mom is toasty warm inside. As she ages she will develop more coloration on her body since the outside world isn't as warm as Mom. The darkening starts along the edges of the ears, nose and tip of tail; which you can see in the photos provided on her. Eventually all the points will darken, ergo pointed, leaving the core of her body lighter. Depending on how exposed she is to temperature fluctuations in her life and the variation of the point how much she will darken can vary. Some remain incredibly light while others will darken to almost the same color as what is masked by the gene.

The exact color and patterning that is being masked by the point gene is the question here. There isn't enough coloration showing yet to know for sure. You can look to her siblings and parents for hints.

The good news is that the blue eyes she has are linked to the point gene. She is not at risk for deafness or hearing issues any more then any other kitten. Pointed cats get there blue eyes because of pigment restriction tied to the same genetic factor that causes them to change color. Her lack of reaction to sound right now, if any, is probably linked more to kitten attention span then anything else. But if you have concerns as she gets older a vet can offer you support and suggestions.

Congratulations on your new little one. Please wait until she is 10-12 weeks old to take her home that way she can fully learn to cat from Mom. It will really help with a lot of common behavior problems people bring up here. Also take a ton of photos because her coloring will change so much that people may not believe she is the same cat as she ages.

For example, here is my little pointed boy at 5 weeks (he was unable to stay with Mom for reasons beyond my control, he did take a lot of work to prevent and fix behavior issues as a result) :

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And now at 4.5 years :

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Please note that my cat is one of the ones who has gone darker quicker. Not all cats will get as dark in 4.5 years.
 
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Mommykitty250

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Thank you Kieka for the input . She does have some stripes in her in this picture of her. Unfortunately, she is six weeks old now and we have her due to the previous owner not wanting the mama cat anymore so all the kittens were given away due to those reasons. I will post pictures of her as a newborn and the other kittens as a point of reference if that will help. I am new to her breed so any insight will be helpful .
 

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Thank you Kieka for the input . She does have some stripes in her in this picture of her. Unfortunately, she is six weeks old now and we have her due to the previous owner not wanting the mama cat anymore so all the kittens were given away due to those reasons. I will post pictures of her as a newborn and the other kittens as a point of reference if that will help. I am new to her breed so any insight will be helpful .
It happens and sometimes the best you can do is be the Mom for them. You will want to be careful that you don't play with your hands. Kittens that young need you to set boundaries and maintain them. Biting is the most common problem which is stop fairly easily by consistently saying no and stopping all interactions the second you feel tooth or claw. You want her to think humans are fragile paper dolls. Also, routine will really help her settle in and know what to expect.

If she continues to get stripes she would be a lynx point. Given the other kittens it does appear to be possible.
 
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Mommykitty250

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It happens and sometimes the best you can do is be the Mom for them. You will want to be careful that you don't play with your hands. Kittens that young need you to set boundaries and maintain them. Biting is the most common problem which is stop fairly easily by consistently saying no and stopping all interactions the second you feel tooth or claw. You want her to think humans are fragile paper dolls. Also, routine will really help her settle in and know what to expect.

If she continues to get stripes she would be a lynx point. Given the other kittens it does appear to be possible.
Thank you so much for the help. I cannot wait to see what she turns out to look like. She has an 8 week appointment and I will be making sure she doesn't have hearing issues. The only reason I am a little concerned now is when she is sleeping she is not affected by any sound whatsoever. We tried jingling keys, hissing, clapping, and snapping next to her ears and her eyes never moved and she didnt move at all. Hopefully she is just young like you said and it's just a kitten thing to do at her age. But whatever the outcome is she is perfect to us.
 
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Mommykitty250

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Thank you so much for the help. I cannot wait to see what she turns out to look like. She has an 8 week appointment and I will be making sure she doesn't have hearing issues. The only reason I am a little concerned now is when she is sleeping she is not affected by any sound whatsoever. We tried jingling keys, hissing, clapping, and snapping next to her ears and her eyes never moved and she didnt move at all. Hopefully she is just young like you said and it's just a kitten thing to do at her age. But whatever the outcome is she is perfect to us.

I meant ears never moved not eyes
 

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I remember Link at that age being dead to the world passed out all the time. He'd be playing one minute and completely asleep the next. I could even pick him up and move him around without him even stirring.
 
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Mommykitty250

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I remember Link at that age being dead to the world passed out all the time. He'd be playing one minute and completely asleep the next. I could even pick him up and move him around without him even stirring.
That makes me feel so much better. Thank you for all your help. Your cat is beautiful by the way.
 
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