# Deaf Cat experience?



## KittehLuv'n (Feb 19, 2011)

Wondering if anyone here has experience with a deaf cat?

I got my first foster yesterday from the rescue group I adopted Caspian from.
Back story: Murdock is Caspian's littermate- the only remaining of 5 who has not been adopted yet. His original foster mom rescued the litter from animal control as very youn, very sick kitties. She nursed them all to health and all but Murdock got adopted. I had volunteered to foster Murdock thinking maybe a quieter environment would help him (she also fosters dogs). She told me he was real shy and appeared to like cat companions better than human companions. He is now two years old and she said he was just now coming out and letting her give him bellypats. She said he likes to come out of hiding in the evenings.

I have had Murdock for a week now. He is totally afraid of me! He will pick a hiding spot and stay there all day. He comes out at night to watch the other cats.
Yesterday he was in the basement on the cat walk and my other cats were hanging around playing. I was cleaning and got out the shop vac. Of course as soon as I turned it on my cats scattered up the stairs. Murdock didn't even bat an eye! Of course, that got me to wondering. I spent the day alternating between just hanging around him and making up signs for him, and leaving him alone. 

His fear and hiding behaviors sure seem to fit my thinking that he is deaf. I also tried different sounds, shaking a jar of dice, etc. He does not respond. So, though not Doctor confirmed, I am pretty sure Murdock can not hear.

Yesterday I just made a sign for "pet" and then would reach in and pet him. He did well with that. Every time I see him I will sign "love".

If anyone has experience I would relly really like some help with this. He is two years old already and totally not adoptable at this time. I am wondering if I should confine him to my cat room and work with him on signs every day, or if I should let him be and just go to him with "pet", "friend", and "love", and try to gain his trust.

It makes me so sad that his rescue Mom did not notice this and thought he was just shy.


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## katerina (Jul 18, 2011)

I just finished fostering a shy kitty for 6 weeks. Not as bad as what you are describing, but, yes, hiding under the bed all day, and coming out around dinner time. You would never know there was an animal in the house. While she was sweeet and wanted to be somewhat near you, she would not stay on my lap for more than 20 seconds, and that is if I could be in a position to pick her up, which was not often. When she decided to "commune" with me it was laying down on the sofa a few feet away and purring. But back to deafness....I returned the cat to the shelter program and a week or so later heard of another cat in rescue and took him. He is a wonderful lap cat who was fostered for a year. I am delighted with him, very sweet, very appreciative and not at all "spooky." He had some health problems when they got him into foster care last year. He had had a URI and and UTI. As it turns out I realized when he hears something he looks in the "wrong place." He looks in the direction of the ear that can hear, the other one is carried "funny," kind of off too the side, and I am sure he is deaf in it. Other than that he seems healthy enough. He seems to be startled a little because his hearing isn't good and he is surprised because he does not hear something then sees it suddenly, like someone coming down the hall, that sort of thing. Maybe even his "good" ear is not that good, which I do suspect, too. My little guy's name is Byron, and he knows his name. He also has a very hoarse voice or no voice when he tries to meow, and I suspect that is from the bad URI he had last year. He really looks like he has seen a rough life, and it's so wonderful to give him a safe, clean, healthy environment, poor fellow. I've had him a couple of weeks now and we really find him special (even though he would not win a beauty contest!)


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## KittehLuv'n (Feb 19, 2011)

It does indeed sound like Byron is deaf in one ear only. at least he can hear some things and be trained to sounds.
I believe my foster Murdock is deaf in both. I am now trying to figure out what kind of "treat" to use as a reward for learning a sign, or letting me near him. So far he turns his nose up at pate, wet kibble in gravy, temptations treats, and cat nip. sigh. I would like to find something he really likes to be used as his rewards, otherwise I'm afraid I will have to keep him in the cat room, deny him food for several hours, and then use his dry kibble as the rewards.

I would really really like to get him to trust humans so he can be adoptable.


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## yingying (Jul 19, 2011)

I think it might be just purrsonality. May not be that he is deaf. Will he turn his ears when you make sudden noise? 

I had a deaf cat before named RomRom. He is a white Persian with blue eyes. We didn't know white cats with blue eyes have high chance being deaf, and we didn't figure that out for years. He was very calm, won't run toward us when called, for sure (we thought by that time that he was just being cool), but he was never scared by anything, and he let us pet him or hug him for as long as we want.

So if I may, I would suggest you just socialize Murdock using all approaches like he is completely normal. From my experience with RomRom, I think deafness doesn't affect a cat's life a lot, as long as he/she is strictly indoor.


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## KittehLuv'n (Feb 19, 2011)

Yingying- what got me started thinking Murdie is deaf was the fact that he showed no response at all to the loud shop-vac. I have since tried different sounds, whistling, shaking a jar of dice, etc. I will get a slight ear twitch once in a while, but nothing like my other cats' reactions. He will sleep right through the vacuum noise.

If I can get his attention while he is hiding, I can now pet him. I approach slowly and use sign language (exagerated) for petting and he will let me approach him and pet him! yay- it's progress in less than two days. I did notice just now that he is looking at me and then my hands automatically. I think with time I will be able to gain his trust. I would love to get him to the point of not hiding all the time.


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## my5kitties (Sep 13, 2005)

One thing about deaf cats is that you never approach them from behind...it startles them and puts them on the offensive. Instead, let him see you so that he knows you're there.



> otherwise I'm afraid I will have to keep him in the cat room, deny him food for several hours, and then use his dry kibble as the rewards.


*DO NOT DO THIS*. Why punish him for something that he can't help?? Would you want to be starved because you were deaf and your human couldn't figure you out? That's just mean. You're just going to have to figure out what he likes through trial and error. Denying him food is barbaric and cruel.


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## KittehLuv'n (Feb 19, 2011)

my4kitties said:


> One thing about deaf cats is that you never approach them from behind...it startles them and puts them on the offensive. Instead, let him see you so that he knows you're there.
> 
> 
> 
> *DO NOT DO THIS*. Why punish him for something that he can't help?? Would you want to be starved because you were deaf and your human couldn't figure you out? That's just mean. You're just going to have to figure out what he likes through trial and error. Denying him food is barbaric and cruel.


 
I didn't mean deny him of all food!- I am currently free feeding and was thinking it might be better to help train him by taking the free feed away and setting a feeding time where I can use his kibble as training treats.
this is all new to me and since he has gone so long with no one trying to understand him I am trying to figure out what to do.
That is why I am here asking for help.


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## BotanyBlack (Apr 6, 2011)

my cat Sherbert went deaf about 8 months ago.. (wow that long already?) and he adjust with what seemed like little effort. I would suggest just trying to train with hand signals. Luckily for me Sherbert was already used to hand signals as well as verbal. you can carry a flash light in dark rooms or a laser pointer the rest of the time to get his attention. I also tap the side of his pillow or bed before petting him so he feels I am there before i startle him awake. Remember if he is deaf you will need to compensate how you approach so he does not become jumpy. 

If he misses the other cats rushing to the kitchen for food, I just wave a open can under his nose and he wakes up immediately and heads for his bowl.. you will have to just try different things to see how he reacts.


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## KittehLuv'n (Feb 19, 2011)

Thank you BotanyBlack. I am going to try the laser pointer. I tried it yesterday, but he wasn't paying any attention. So far his attention has been focused on "hide from the human".

Will keep trying to figure out what food/smell he loves.


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## Carmel (Nov 23, 2010)

Just going to chime in with the little experience I have... my aunt has had two deaf cats, one was only deaf in the last few years of her life while the other was deaf his whole life. The one that deaf his whole life I don't remember very well, he died when I was about five, however, the few things I do remember about him were: He he didn't like to be approached from behind (this is a key one! he was nasty when he was startled!), didn't like men, he didn't like fast movement, and he rode on the vacuum.

The fact that you didn't get a reaction from the vacuum is pretty telling, I would say Murdock is deaf almost without question, unless he appeared too petrified to move.

Anyway, if you're going the hand signal route, I'd stick to actions. None of the "love" and "friendship" - I don't see its practical application. Things you want to work on are things like "come", "stop" (like jumping on tables or something), "dinner time" and petting, but eventually petting should equal come in a cats mind, it'll just take a while. Action words that either you will preform or that you wish him to do. Using a laser pointer for getting his attention first is a good idea, when the hand signals. And by signing, I hope you don't mean the human kind, hehe... something simple and obvious to a cat would be better, like shaking a finger when he's on the table.

Is the cat white with blue eyes, by chance? They have higher odds of being deaf, likewise, a white cat with only one blue may be deaf only in the blue eyed side.


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## KittehLuv'n (Feb 19, 2011)

Hi Carmel. Thanks for your input.
Murdock is an orange and white tabby. He was very sick as a baby and I'm thinking he was either deaf from a congenital defect or his ilness as a baby left him deaf. 

At this point in time, there is no reason to even try to teach him things like stop, down, no, etc. He does nothing but hide. I am hoping that using the love sign (arms crosseed over chest like a hug) will equate to the fact that I understand him and will not hurt him- in his eyes anyway.
Hopefully the "love" and "pet" (exaggerated petting motion) will allow me to get close to him more regularly.
Seriously- if anyone were to see his actions, they'd think he was feral. But, he doesn't mind the other cats, doesn't bite, and uses his litter box 
Look at him and he runs and hides.

Sigh. I AM hopeful that I will need to teach him stop!!!.


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## Carmel (Nov 23, 2010)

KittehLuv'n said:


> I am hoping that using the love sign (arms crosseed over chest like a hug) will equate to the fact that I understand him and will not hurt him- in his eyes anyway.


The cat will get more from your body language in this case, not a hand signal. Body language like that probably won't get you anywhere.



KittehLuv'n said:


> Seriously- if anyone were to see his actions, they'd think he was feral. But, he doesn't mind the other cats, doesn't bite, and uses his litter box
> Look at him and he runs and hides.


Feral cats can get along fine together, use the litter box, and not bite. Sometimes feral/semi-feral cats can act calm and allow you to do things to them, they're too scared to retaliate. Meanwhile, cats can hiss and spit at you and not attack you, too, it can all be for show - when it comes down to it they'd run away. I know a cat that hisses, spits and near lunges at my face - this cat even looks nasty... yet hasn't bit me or scratched me yet, even when I move my hand directly beside her.


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## Carmel (Nov 23, 2010)

Oh, forgot to add, cats that don't know how to read humans/don't trust you interpret eye contact as a threat... don't make eye contact. Sit on the ground, slowly reach your hand out, if he seems receptive then pet him, give him treats, try and engage him in play (that'll come later) ... for now just spend time close to him not making any sudden movements. Don't allow the cat to hide in places like under the bed, only give him small cubbyhole areas to hide, so you can reach in and pet him easily, and so he can observe you as you go about your day.


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## Nan (Oct 11, 2010)

My hand signal for petting is to wiggle my fingers. 

For no, after he overcomes being afraid you could do something like stomp your feet, so he can feel the vibration. Right now that would be too intimidating. I agree with what others have said; try to avoid looking directly at him for a while. (That's really hard to do).


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## Rocky_Raccoon (Jun 7, 2011)

Nan said:


> My hand signal for petting is to wiggle my fingers.
> 
> For no, after he overcomes being afraid you could do something like stomp your feet, so he can feel the vibration. Right now that would be too intimidating. I agree with what others have said; try to avoid looking directly at him for a while. (That's really hard to do).


Both my husband and i wiggle our fingers to get Rocky's attention and let him know that we want to give him pets  This signal has worked with Rocky as well as Casper that passed away last year. I think it's a really good signal


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