Prevalence of congenital sensorineural deafness in a population of client‐owned purebred kittens in the United Kingdom

BACKGROUND: Data about congenital sensorineural deafness (CSD) in white blue‐eyed cats derive mainly from research colonies, and information about client‐owned cats is limited. OBJECTIVES: To describe the prevalence of CSD in a client‐owned population of white purebred kittens and colored littermates in the United Kingdom. ANIMALS: One hundred thirty‐two solid white client‐owned purebred kittens and 61 colored littermates, 6 to 21 weeks of age. METHODS: Retrospective (56 cases) and prospective (137 cases) study. Hearing was assessed by brainstem auditory evoked response testing, and the entire litter was tested. RESULTS: Congenital sensorineural deafness was diagnosed only in solid white kittens, with a prevalence of 30.3% (15.9% bilateral, 14.4% unilateral). The prevalence of CSD was significantly higher in white kittens with 1 (44.4%) or 2 (50%) blue irises than in those without blue irises (22.2%). Kittens with at least 1 blue iris were 3.2 times more likely to have CSD than kittens without blue irises. In solid white kittens, CSD was diagnosed in 7 of 15 (46.7%) Turkish Vankedisi, 8 of 18 (44.0%) Maine Coon, 18 of 41 (43.9%) Norwegian Forest, 3 of 11 (27.3%) British Shorthair, 2 of 12 (16.7%) Devon Rex, 2 of 12 (8.3%) Persian, 1 of 21 (4.8%) Russian, and 0 of 2 Sphinx. The prevalence of CSD was significantly different in Norwegian Forest, Maine Coon, and Turkish Vankedisi kittens compared with Persian or Russian kittens. CONCLUSION AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCE: We identified a high prevalence of CSD in a population of client‐owned purebred white kittens in the United Kingdom and suggest differences in breed‐specific prevalence of CSD.