My old furbaby kitteh is stone deaf.

[Are_grits_groceries]

She is 15 years old and still chases a laser pointer all over the place. She looks about the same, but she can't hear a thing.

Her name is Scat. I can stand 3 feet from her and shout. She doesn't move a muscle. If there is no visible sign or vibration, she doesn't move. I shake where she is sleeping to wake her up. I don't want her to be dreaming about eating a mouse and suddenly find my hand as a substitute.

She doesn't act much differently if you aren't watching. She has no clue I am around sometimes. Her sister Mouse can be quite the terror. I haven't seen any abnormal interaction because she is taking advantage of the situation. I think that Scat has long had a 'Mouse sensor' in order to survive.

So on we go. Mouse can't see. Scat can't hear. I am hopeless in many areas. Nothing like living in a M*A*S*H unit.
Mouse

Scat


Edit to add: they were found in a dumpster and taken to my vet. They called me, and I would have taken them if they had had 3 heads. They could eat solid food. However, they were too tiny to get in a regular litter box. I had to get an aluminum pan for them until they grew some.

[Angry Dragon]

1. But we still love them

[Spitfire of ATJ]

2. Try popping a paper bag.

See if she reacts.

[Are_grits_groceries]

3. Nope.

I have made a lot of different noises at different pitches and she doesn't move a muscle. I have to go get her to remind her it's time to eat if she's sleeping. I have made loud, and I mean loud, noises of all kinds. Nada.

One behavior has changed. She always has liked to sleep by me. Now she puts her head on my shoulder right beside my head and reaches her paw out to hold me. I think it makes her feel safer. Either that or she doesn't trust me worth a damn and wants to make sure she knows if I'm moving.

[Spitfire of ATJ]

4. Okay.

If she can't hear a paper bag it's pretty severe since that's a pretty good sound wave.

Obviously she would depend on touch since she's lost one of her senses. Her sense of smell is probably enhanced too unless there was some type of overall nerve damage. It would be a hell of a note if it was just a buildup of ear wax or a mite infestation.

[Are_grits_groceries]

5. I've had her checked by the vet.

And she does use her sense of smell a lot more.

[Spitfire of ATJ]

6. I hope she's not in any pain.

Did the deafness seem to come on suddenly or was it gradual?

[Are_grits_groceries]

7. Gradual.

And she doesn't act like there is pain. She doesn't mid if I pet her head or whatever.
Do you think I am or have been neglecting her care?
Those 2 get better medical care than I do. They also get more sleep, regular and healthy meals, and more toys than any kid on earth.

[Spitfire of ATJ]

8. Do you think I am or have been neglecting her care?

Not at all. I know how it is to have more than one cat. It's easy to miss behavior changes when they're competing for attention.

[Are_grits_groceries]

10. Ok.

It does worry me.

[Spitfire of ATJ]

12. It should.

Makes you wonder if it's something environmental.

Step away from the monitor:

[img][/img]

[BeHereNow]

9. How I love your Kitteh... I just lost my 15 yo to a coyote...Still Crying like a baby over it.

My old man, Spider, an escaped panther, masquerading as a house cat, as in he was HUGE,
was killed by a coyote 2 weeks ago.

He had a routine- he went out every night around 3AM to potty-
in all the years I had him as my friend, I never ONCE saw him "go."
He was VERY private about it.

Long story short- he went out around 3, as usual, but did not come back, as usual, within 15 minutes.

He never left the fenced yard, too smart for that- but he was found by my neighbor, two houses away.
Thank the heavens that I never saw his body.
They called animal control before I ever knew.

He was, in his old age, very much like a baby.
He would lay beside me, his back to my belly, and curl his paw/claws around my finger
as we went to sleep.

I can not tell you how much my heart has broken since his demise.

Keep your old Fur Person close and safe.

I SO regret not lockin the door the night he was killed...
It's just that he got away with it for 15 years.
I never dreamed he would not come back...

Tears flowing, that is all.

BHN

[Are_grits_groceries]

11. I am so sorry.

Forgive yourself. Spider loves you as much as ever and waits at the end of the Rainbow Bridge.

Slowly the spaces between the broken pieces will be filled with memories and hold your heart together.

“We who choose to surround ourselves
with lives even more temporary than our
own, live within a fragile circle;
easily and often breached.
Unable to accept its awful gaps,
we would still live no other way.
We cherish memory as the only
certain immortality, never fully
understanding the necessary plan.”
― Irving Townsend

[BeHereNow]

13. Thank you-

Funny thing is this-
I keep waking up around the hour he was murdered.
That time, 3:38. AM, 'to be precise, I felt him jump
on my bed, and cross my body, but he wasn't there, and yet I felt comforted by his presence.

A few minutes later, his friend Heart Face, one of my fosters,
came in and WHACKED me on the face with eyes wide open in fear.
I knew then that Spider was not coming home.

Please- anyone who reads this-
LOCK your fur people in at night.

The drought is forcing the hunters to hunt your Fur Babies.

BHN ( In Socal )

[PotatoChip]

17. I am so sorry BHN

This must be very hard for you.

[malaise]

14. Too sad

but in reality we age and they age

[Are_grits_groceries]

15. Not too sad yet.

I'm sure it discomforts her at times. However, she keeps on keeping on in most areas.
It is sad in that it's like she is slowly leaving me. I don't concentrate on that and just try to enjoy her.

[PotatoChip]

16. My cat went deaf too.

She was about 15 years old when it became clear to me. She lived another 4 happy years after that, having to be put to sleep for something completely unrelated.

I know it is upsetting once you realize w/certainty that your beloved pet is deaf. But I can tell you from experience that it doesn't seem to effect their quality of life at all. If Scat is an indoor kitty, nothing needs to change. She will probably go on being her normal happy self.

The one piece of advice I would give only applies if Scat is an indoor/outdoor kitty. If you live in a place where there are lots of cars and other threats, it'd be best if you keep her in at all times. Unless of course, you are with her. If being in bugs her too much, get her used to a kitty leash and take her for walks that way.

Other then that, deafness really does not seem to be much of a quality of life issue. Try not to worry, and just enjoy both her and Mouse for as long as you continue to have them.

Btw- thanks for the pics. They are both very cute.

[ProfessionalLeftist]

18. So happy you saved them!

And gave them a good, safe life.

[Drifter]

19. We have a 21 year old Calico

She's been deaf for a couple years.
Only cat I know you can sneak up on.

She still has occasional playful kitten moments.

Cheers
Drifter