NationStates Jolt Archive

I just realized today that the new cat my son brought home about a month and a half ago is deaf. I'm seperated from my wife pending a divorce, she won't give me any of my clothes or personal property but she insisted I take the three cats we have or she would send them to the pound. So I brought them over to where I was staying and since it was just me and them, I had a chance to watch the new cat a little more carefully than before. She never seemed to act like most normal cats but I never knew why. After I dropped something by her and she didn't even flinch, I started wondering. After a little research and performing a few tests I confirmed that she is indeed deaf. Apparently it's not that uncommon a condition among pure white cats. In some lineages as much as 21% are deaf. I never let any of my cats outdoors intentionally, but now I have to watch the creme in my oreo (the other two cats are pure black) a little more closely. She can't hear cars or dogs or any other threat and if she gets out she would probably end up as roadkill very shortly.

Your cats sound like a nice bunch. Sometimes I think that its better to have more than one cat, so they don't get lonely-->
My cat, who is very cute and inteligent, appears to have some psychological issues. She tends to overgroom, so there's these large hairless patches on her sides and legs. I seems to go in cycles: the fur will grow back, and then she'll lick it off again. very bizzare.

You're right about domestic cats with white fur and blue eyes. They're typically deaf as stones. Keep this one an indoor pet. :)

You're right about domestic cats with white fur and blue eyes. They're typically deaf as stones. Keep this one an indoor pet. :)Yeah, I read that the blue eyed ones are more prone to it, but typical is a little strong, it still only affects about a fifth. My cat has yellow eyes though, not as common as the blue-eyed to be deaf, but still more prone to it than your average cat.

Your cats sound like a nice bunch. Sometimes I think that its better to have more than one cat, so they don't get lonely-->
My cat, who is very cute and inteligent, appears to have some psychological issues. She tends to overgroom, so there's these large hairless patches on her sides and legs. I seems to go in cycles: the fur will grow back, and then she'll lick it off again. very bizzare.
my cat had the same problem. chances are, she's itching. she probably needs cortasone, in cream or in shot form. talk to your vet.

Yeah, I read that the blue eyed ones are more prone to it, but typical is a little strong, it still only affects about a fifth. My cat has yellow eyes though, not as common as the blue-eyed to be deaf, but still more prone to it than your average cat.

Before you right it off as deaf have a look inside its ears for wax buildup or even mites.

my cat had the same problem. chances are, she's itching. she probably needs cortasone, in cream or in shot form. talk to your vet.He did give her some injection that was supposed to relax her or something once, but it didn't really help (That goofy cone was far more effective in getting her mind off it).
What's cortasone?

Before you right it off as deaf have a look inside its ears for wax buildup or even mites.I checked her out, she looked OK. I'm going to take her to a vet to make sure. She's still just a kitten really, only about 8 or 9 months old.

He did give her some injection that was supposed to relax her or something once, but it didn't really help (That goofy cone was far more effective in getting her mind off it).
What's cortasone?
i'm probably misspelling it. it's an anti-itch cream. humans usually use it more than felines. and apperantly they have the substanve in an intravenous form.

i'm probably misspelling it. it's an anti-itch cream. humans usually use it more than felines. and apperantly they have the substanve in an intravenous form.

Cortisone is a (cortico)steroid. Makes for nice buff kitties!

Thanks, I'll check it out.

My cat isn't deaf, but my friend's cat was. She would take her outside every day to nibble grass, sniff the garden and chase bugs under supervision. The cat was an 'only child' so the extent of her social interaction was with her 'mummy.' I am sure that having more than one cat in your house will make things potentially less lonely for your new cat. My cat is an 'only child' but she has plenty of socialisation from my flatmate and our friends. She spends most of the daytime outside, but there are lots of kitty gangs in our street, so she gets into lots of fights.

I have five cats and my oldest one refuses to go near any of the others.
she follows me around the house and wakes me up in the middle of the night yowling because she needs reassurance. I love her to bits but sometimes i feel like strangling her.
I went away for the weekend and she drove my mother insane saturday morning going around the house yowling for me.

What does the word 'deaf' mean?

Can't hear.

Another reason to keep a pure white cat indoors is because they are a lot more susceptible to developing skin cancers especially on the ear tips. We used to own a white cat years ago and while he wasn't deaf, we did have to put zinc cream on his ears whenever he went outside. As you can imagine he didn't like it very much :D.

our white cat died because of a cancer in her nose