Maine Coon Colors
White Maine Coon Cats and Kittens
White Maine Coons available now, and everything about the color.
A white Maine Coon is striking: a snowy coat, a plume of tail and a ruff that catches every bit of light. People searching for white Maine Coon kittens for sale often ask about blue eyes in the same breath, and for good reason, because eye color and hearing are linked in white cats. It is the most important thing to understand before you choose one.
This page explains how a cat becomes white, what blue and odd eyes mean, how deafness works and what you can do about it, and how white kittens change over the first year. It is meant to be honest rather than glossy. To see kittens ready for homes, visit the available kittens page.
What Makes a Maine Coon White?
A single dominant gene, called dominant white, switches off color in the coat. It sits above every other color gene, so a white cat can be genetically a brown tabby, a black or a calico, and you could never tell by looking. It sometimes shows in kittens as a small dark smudge on the head that fades by a few months.
This is not the same as "with white", where a cat of another color has white on the chest, paws or face. A truly white cat has no color at all in the coat. If you like the look of pale cats that are not fully white, the silver Maine Coons and creams on the orange page are worth a look.
What Eye Colors Can a White Maine Coon Have?
Three outcomes are common:
- Gold, green or copper eyes: the usual Maine Coon shades.
- Two blue eyes: a vivid sapphire or sky blue.
- Odd eyes: one blue eye and one gold, green or copper eye.
Blue and odd eyes are accepted in white Maine Coons by the associations, and many people find them the most beautiful. Blue is not a sign of illness. It is the same gene that removes color from the coat, and it can remove color from the eye and from part of the inner ear too.
Are White Maine Coons With Blue Eyes Deaf?
Not all, but the risk is higher. The Cornell Feline Health Center reports that roughly 17 to 22 percent of white cats with non-blue eyes are deaf, about 40 percent of those with one blue eye, and between 65 and 85 percent of those with two blue eyes. When a cat with one blue eye is deaf in a single ear, it is typically on the same side as the blue eye.
The cause is that the same lack of pigment cells that leaves the coat white can leave the inner ear without the cells it needs to survive, so the hearing nerve cells degenerate in the first weeks of life. It is not painful, and it is not an infection.
How Can I Tell If a White Kitten Can Hear?
Home tests are unreliable. A kitten that startles to a clap may be feeling the vibration. The accurate method is a BAER test (brainstem auditory evoked response), which a vet or specialist can do from about six weeks old and measures the ear's electrical response to clicks.
Whenever you look at a white kitten, ask the breeder how the kitten responds to sound at home, and whether a BAER test has been done or can be arranged. Write the answer down. Your own vet can also arrange a BAER test after the kitten comes home if you want certainty. A white kitten with gold or green eyes has the best odds of hearing, though not a guarantee.
Can a Deaf White Maine Coon Be a Good Pet?
Yes, with a few changes. Deaf cats adapt well indoors. They feel footsteps and see movement, and they respond to hand signals, a flashing light, or a gentle stamp on the floor. They should live indoors or in a secure enclosure, because they cannot hear cars or dogs. Approach from the front, and avoid startling them from behind.
A cat that is deaf in only one ear usually lives a perfectly normal life and may never seem different. Whether a deaf cat is right for you is a decision worth making with your eyes open before you reserve, not after. Our health guarantee page explains what comes home with each kitten.
How Do White Maine Coons Change as They Grow?
White kittens start pink-skinned, with a sugary-looking coat. All kittens are born with blue eyes, and the color shifts to gold, green or copper in those that will not stay blue. Any dark smudge on the head fades. The long adult coat arrives between six months and a year, and the whole cat keeps growing until about three to five years, like every Maine Coon. The size guide has the numbers.
White coats can turn slightly yellow around the face from tears or saliva. Wiping the face gently each day helps.
What Special Care Does a White Cat Need?
The main extra concern is the sun. Pink skin on the nose and ear tips has little protection, and white cats are more prone to sunburn and, over many years, to skin cancer on the ears. Keep a window-lounging cat out of strong afternoon sun, and ask your vet about safe protection if the cat spends time outdoors.
White coats show everything, so expect to see litter dust, food and yard dirt. A damp cloth handles most of it between baths. The coat itself needs the usual routine: brushing a few times a week and an occasional bath if the fur gets stained. See the grooming guide. For other shades to compare, visit the Maine Coon colors page.
White Maine Coon Questions
01Do white Maine Coons exist?
Yes. Solid white is an accepted color in the Maine Coon standards, with blue, odd, gold, green or copper eyes.
02Are all blue-eyed white Maine Coons deaf?
No. Cornell puts the figure at roughly 65 to 85 percent for white cats with two blue eyes, so many hear, but the risk is far above average. A BAER test gives a definite answer.
03What is an odd-eyed Maine Coon?
A cat with two different eye colors, usually one blue and one gold or green. If it is deaf in one ear, that is usually the blue-eyed side.
04Are white Maine Coons rare?
Yes, they are less common than brown tabby. Rarity does not make them healthier, so ask about hearing before anything else.
05Does a white kitten stay white?
Yes. A dark smudge on the head in a young kitten usually fades, but the coat stays white for life.
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