Has anyone dealt with deaf or partially deaf cats?

ewa

TCS Member
Thread starter
Adult Cat
Joined
Oct 5, 2008
Messages
115
Purraise
1
Location
Northern Alberta, Canada
I have a Siamese x cat Jack, she is white with one blue and one green eye. She is deaf on the with the blue eye. Lately I have noticed she seems confused sometimes about where sounds are coming from. It has become more apparent since I got my new kitten Mardy. The cats will be playing and the dog will bark or something will fall and Jack will turn her head and look the opposite way of the noise. She also doesn't hear as well as the other cats. There are a lot of noises she misses that the other cats hear. I have had a partially deaf cat before but he could still identify where sounds came from. Do you think that is normal or do you think she has something else wrong with her or maybe more hearing loss than I originally thought? Could she have no hearing in one ear and only partial in the other?
 

kittyl0ve4

TCS Member
Super Cat
Joined
Sep 16, 2007
Messages
903
Purraise
2
Location
KiTTYDELPHiA, CATSYLVANiA
She is beautiful! Im not sure about her being fully deaf in one ear and partial in the other, i have only dealt with one deaf cat before. It certainly seems possible. She belonged to my boss, she was white with one blue eye and one green eye. She was completely deaf, but when she saw me she would meow and follow me around. Even though i knew she was deaf, i found myself talking to her anyway. She is at the Bridge now...
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #3

ewa

TCS Member
Thread starter
Adult Cat
Joined
Oct 5, 2008
Messages
115
Purraise
1
Location
Northern Alberta, Canada
I know she has some hearing because if you snap your fingers behind her head she will react. You can also call her from the other room and she wil come if you yell loud enough,
 

white cat lover

TCS Member
Veteran
Joined
Nov 17, 2005
Messages
22,206
Purraise
35
I have 2 blue eyed whites - completely deaf.

I once had a shelter kitty I loved dearly - Matilda, Miss Tilly. She was an odd eyed white. The vet said she was "deaf in her blue ear" if that makes sense. The woman who adopted her took her to a hearing specialist who said she only had residual hearing in both ears. Matilda responded in a similar manner as your girl.
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #5

ewa

TCS Member
Thread starter
Adult Cat
Joined
Oct 5, 2008
Messages
115
Purraise
1
Location
Northern Alberta, Canada
Thanks I kinda thought maybe she has partial hearing in both ears not just totally deaf in one and fine in the other. She has her moments were she gets really and and beats up the other cats for sneaking up on her. They startle her all the time and she gets so upset. She gets along fine otherwise though.
 

happilyretired

TCS Member
Alpha Cat
Joined
Jun 30, 2008
Messages
564
Purraise
264
Location
Upstate New York
My girl (now at the Bridge) became completely deaf when she was about 17. I only realized that because when she couldn't find me, she would sit and cry until I let her see me--i.e., if I called, she never responded. The vet later confirmed that she was completely deaf, assured me that cats and dogs adapt to deafness better than humans, and that was the case. BUT she was an only cat, and I tried to be very careful never to startle her. For example, the vet told me to stamp my feet if I were approaching her from behind because she would be able to feel the vibrations and not be startled when I suddenly appeared.

If your other cats are startling your deaf cat, you might want to isolate her from them because it is really stressful for the deaf cat when this happens.
 
Top