is my cat deaf?

is it possible that my cat is deaf? recently i was talking to someone about my cat. and she asked me if he was deaf, i said i dont know...i dont think so. then i did some checking.

because hes an all white cat, she told me it was common for them to be deaf.

i tested out the theory. because i had wondered why he meowed as loud as he does.

well, i let him sleep in the bedroom on the bed and closed the door. i came back about 30 minutes later (just enough time to ensure he was asleep) and i opened the door (it squeeks). my other cat Kara looks up and stares at me....acknowledging my presence....Pooh on the other hand, is fast asleep and not a flinch out of him. I call him, nothing. I call just a little louder, nothing. I call Kara, she comes straight to me. I call Pooh just a little bit louder and still nothing. I touch him and he BOLTS off the bed startled. Meows really loud and comes to me.

later he was cleaning himself when i entered the room. Kara again looked up at the sound of the door being opened and watched me enter the room. Pooh had his back to the door and was cleaning himself...didnt even stop for a second. Kept on cleaning, had no clue i was there. I called him and he still kept doing what he was doing. I touched him and startled him.

Is it possible that he is actually deaf????

Hi
From what you describe in your post it does sound like deafness is a possibility.

It is not uncommon for white cats to be deaf or at least hard of hearing. Sounds to me by what you descibed that this kitty might have a hearing problem.

i dont want to put him through anything painful like surgery or anything. he hates the vet enough as it is. i dont want to make it harder to get him to the vet than it already is.

i try not to startle him, by making the other cats move around before he wakes up...so he just wakes up to their movements. but its hard not to startle him.

any suggestions?

Well, if you go on the premise that he is deaf. Then you want to use a lot of touching him and cuddling him. If you talk to him and if he will tolerate it, hold him close enough so he can feel the vibration of your windpipe. When you enter a room where he is sleeping and you don't want to scare him, tap on the floor firmly with your foot so he will feel the vibrations. Use a lot of hand motions around him and feed him lots of treats that you will hold in your hands to get him used to watching your hands for what he is supposed to do. Play with him with interactive toys by getting down to his level and making sure he sees you. Good luck!

From what I have read, white cats with blue eyes have a greater risk of being deaf. I have an all white boy, Elmer, and did some checking on this. Thankfully Elmer has beautiful green eyes and shows no signs of deafness, just selective hearing that all cats display at one time or another! :tounge2: