Hi, I'm pretty certain that 16-year-old Cocheezie is now mostly deaf. This explains the howling episodes that started recently. We've made various noises behind her ears that didn't involve movement of air and she doesn't react at all. This morning, I slammed the bookcase hard with the flat of my hand about two feet behind her. She didn't respond. When I brought 2nd breakfast upstairs, I held the plate right behind her ears and "tinked" the plate numerous times. She didn't respond. She was trance-like, sitting on the window ledge. I then put the plate in front of her eyes and she was happily surprised to see it.
She's never been (since we got her at age 12) a "here, kitty, kitty" cat, so perhaps her hearing was never that great to begin with - but she could hear. This may also help to explain why she has always been a scaredy-cat. I think we've been so focussed on the other end of her body in the last couple of months that we only noticed the change in her hearing in the last couple of weeks.
She's not digging at her ears. She shows no sign of infection. There's no smell. I've tried to check for ear wax, but it's hard to tell because she has so much black hair in her ears. We will certainly bring up the problem at the next vet visit, but until then we would welcome any suggestions. (She's an indoor cat who only goes out occasionally on a leash, so we don't have to worry about cars or dogs.) Thank you in advance.
She's never been (since we got her at age 12) a "here, kitty, kitty" cat, so perhaps her hearing was never that great to begin with - but she could hear. This may also help to explain why she has always been a scaredy-cat. I think we've been so focussed on the other end of her body in the last couple of months that we only noticed the change in her hearing in the last couple of weeks.
She's not digging at her ears. She shows no sign of infection. There's no smell. I've tried to check for ear wax, but it's hard to tell because she has so much black hair in her ears. We will certainly bring up the problem at the next vet visit, but until then we would welcome any suggestions. (She's an indoor cat who only goes out occasionally on a leash, so we don't have to worry about cars or dogs.) Thank you in advance.
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