A few months ago, we invited a Tabby from our local Animal Shelter to join our household. Due to frostbite, she had lost both her ears. We soon also discovered that her hearing had also been damaged. This presented a new set of challenges as she was becoming integrated into our household.
Things to watch for when you have a deaf/partially deaf cat:
1. Vocalization – Cats with reduced or no hearing often vocalize at inappropriate levels. Kitty simply can’t hear how loud she is. When she complains – EVERYBODY knows it. Her “I want it now” meows are almost at a screaming level. Other times, her “chatting” meows are almost silent. Her purr is also very difficult to hear. Sometimes, we can’t tell unless we are touching her.
2. Easy to Startle – If she doesn’t see you coming and you walk up from behind her, she tends to jump and hiss until she gets fully turned around. If you are one of her people, she quickly apologizes by weaving in and out between your legs. If our dog, Karma, is the one who surprises her, she gets all huffy and stalks away. Some cats might not stop at hissing, but may actually bite if they are startled. It is better to walk heavy or stomp when you are coming up behind her, because she can feel vibrations better. Which leads me to…
3. Compensates with other Senses – As with all creatures, including
Tap the table lightly while moving closer so she knows you are there
humans, when one of the senses is missing, the others will compensate for the deficiency. Kitty can sense vibrations from quite a distance away. In order to reduce the number of times she is surprised, we will thump our hands on the furniture where she is lying or walk heavier on the floor if we are coming up behind her.
4. Keeping Indoors – A cat with hearing problems should never be allowed outdoors on their own. They lack the hearing to protect them from danger or predators. Kitty is not that fond of this rule as she was recently a stray. To satisfy her want to go outside, we have taught her to walk with a harness.
5. Ignoring you – We all know that cats are experts at ignoring us. Kitty takes it a step further. If she doesn’t want to acknowledge you, she simply presents you with her back – out of sight, out of mind.
6. Warning signs – Usually, you can tell when a cat is irritated by how far back their ears are lying, however with Kitty the movement of her ears is barely noticeable. For her, we watch her whiskers. When her whiskers are pointed sideways, she is in her most relaxed state. When they point almost forward, we know she is inquisitive and alert. Finally, when they are lying back almost flat against her cheeks, we can tell she is very irritated or uneasy.
Learning the interesting quirks and communication methods of your cat will help you both have a more enjoyable bond together, even if she can’t hear the can opener at dinnertime.
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My adopted kitty went from 1oo% hearing to being deaf in one ear due to an infection she caught as a stray. We took her to our vet who put her to sleep to clean her ears. Touched her eardrum in the one ear which burst. She wobbled, unable to get her balance for a while, walking into walls while she tried to get back to normal again. They said the wobbling could become permanent. Luckily, she recovered perfectly & only wobbles if she sneezes hard or runs too fast. She had to adjust to the hearing only from one ear. I read up on how to deal with her new deafness. We learned to let her feel the vibrations from our throats and chests as we talk to her. Taught her too look at us as we talked to her. Use hand signals with her. Put a collar with a good loud bell on it to make sure we wouldn’t step on her, since she loves to get under our feet all the time, putting a softer and different sounding bell on our other kitty baby. It also helps keep her from being caught off guard by our other kitty walking by her, in which case she would go into attack mode, but not anymore. When it’s time to eat we ring a bell for her in case she’s hiding & we can’t find her. She comes running. We watch to know where all her haunts are in case she can’t hear us or is so asleep she ignores us. Just like a human she can feel the vibrations of music {& hears it in her good ear} so to keep her company when we aren’t home we’ll play music for both kitties. They like it. It calms them while we’re gone & they stay around the radio. It’s hard to adjust to a deaf cat in the beginning but once everyone gets on the same page it’s so easy to help them. It takes a little more time and effort but they appreciate it. You’ll get all their loving!
Thanks, Marie. Kitty “wobbles” too just a bit when she moves too fast, sneezes, or shakes herself. She doesn’t really sit on laps, but rather right up on shoulders or chests to get as close to your face as she can. My family thinks it is funny that she will perch on my shoulder with her face right up against mine, purring away, while we watch TV.
Our cat Milkweed was deaf. At times it was difficult for her, but we had her for 15 years, and I would not trade any of those days. She was a beautiful all white cat with one blue eye and one green eye.
My name is Irene and I have a cat named Blue. I have had Blue since he was about 2 months old and is now about 5years old. He has always been a great cat, friendly with our dogs, but he is a CRYER! A year ago I gave Blue up for adoption hoping that a family with kids might be more entertaining for him. I travel all the time and cant pay much attention to him. I was hoping they could be his forever home.
Unfortunately I received a call today (a year later) asking me if I want to take Blue back, because they cant stand his crying any more and its affecting their family.
I was hoping you could tell me if you know of a good home where Blue could live with someone who understands him and his special needs. I am willing to pay for travel arrangements anywhere in the US. As much as we all love him, I dont think we will be any good for him.
You help is appreciated,
Irene