How to know if my cat is deaf?

If your cat never reacts to loud noises, does not come when you open a can in the kitchen or never comes to see you when you get home, you may suffer hearing problems. Cats are intelligent animals and that they know how to adapt to different situations, so if they do not hear well, they will try to compensate it with the rest of their senses. This coupled with its well-known independent character makes it more difficult to detect if a cat is deaf or if it is simply ignoring us.

Keep reading this article about How to know if a cat is deaf if you think your friend has hearing problems. However, before any sign of deafness, you should take it to the veterinarian for examination.

Causes of deafness in cats

There are several reasons why a cat can become deaf, although the most usual thing is that it happens because of age in older cats of 10 years. The hearing loss, if it is not of birth, can be temporary or permanent. So, we differentiate these two types of deafness in cats:

• La temporary deafness It can be caused by an infection due to bacteria, fungi or parasites. You may also have a wax plug or something that has gotten something foreign in your ear. If the problem is treated in time there should be no complications and your cat will recover hearing as soon as it is cured.
• La permanent deafness It occurs when problems in the middle and inner ear of the cat, such as an otitis infection, are not treated in time or because they have suffered serious injuries. In addition, neurological problems or cysts in the ear can reduce or completely eliminate hearing.

On the other hand, there are cats born deaf due to the so-called gene of deafness, the allele-w. This gene predominates among white cats of clear eyes, although this does not mean that all of this color are deaf.

Are all white cats deaf?

Not all white cats are deaf, although it is true that many of the white cats and blue eyes tend to develop deafness due to their genetics. The dominant gene W presents, in turn, alleles that can influence the deafness of white cats, being pure white, which comes from the union of two members with the same genetic endowment (homozygous) the most prone (WW) . All the information in our article “Why white cats are deaf”.

Behavior of a deaf cat

Sometimes it is difficult to detect if a cat is deaf, since they are very independent animals and, sometimes, they do not go when you call them simply because they do not want to. In addition, they adapt very well to the environment, so they will compensate for their lack of hearing with other senses.

The most common is that a deaf cat never reacts to auditory stimuli and only when you touch it. If you want to know what attention you should give your cat if you have hearing problems do not hesitate to read the article on the care of a deaf cat.

A symptom of the deafness in the cat is the volume of its meows, when not listening they do not know how to control it and they usually meow very loudly. Also, sometimes they wobble a bit when walking, since having the affected ear can have balance problems. This problem may be accompanied by vomiting.

Tricks to know if a cat is deaf

If you are wondering how to know if a cat is deaf, here are some simple methods you can use to find out if you have little hearing or if you are just a little more independent:

• If you get home and it does not appear. Although they are independent animals, normally, when their owner comes home they usually go out to receive them. If it never appears it can be because it does not hear you arrive.
• Clap when you are sleeping. When you sleep, get close and start slapping very hard. It would be normal for him to wake up startled when he hears loud noises, but if he does not flinch he may suffer from hearing problems.
• Proof of the vacuum cleaner. Generally, cats tend to be very frightened about this appliance; however, those who are deaf and do not listen to its loud sound like to play with it.
• If you open a can of food and it does not appear. Normally, cats usually come every time you open a can or a bag of food. Try to do it in a place where you do not see it and if you do not go you may never hear anything.
• Check if you only hear by one ear. It is a little more complicated to find out if your cat is deaf in one ear, but if you observe the movements of your cat’s head when trying to listen to something, you may discover it. If you only hear on the one hand, your friend will move his head so that it is the good ear that perceives the sounds and discover where they come from.
• Make noise when distracted. Even the most stubborn cats react when they hear some noise to know what is happening.
• He is very strong around him. All cats should react to any of the previous points but if they only do it when you trample around them very strongly, it may be the vibrations of the ground and not the sound that is alerting you. In this case it is possible that your cat is deaf.

Remember that if you have any doubt about the hearing of your cat, you should go to the vet. There you will be diagnosed with deafness, in case of suffering it, and they will tell you the causes and the possible treatment.

How to treat a deaf cat?

If we talk about medical treatment, it should be noted that only those cats with temporary deafness can recover hearing. For this, it is necessary to go to the veterinarian to identify the cause of the loss and initiate the appropriate treatment to it. If the cat suffers permanent deafness, the damage is irreversible.

Now, if we refer to the care of a deaf cat at home, it is essential to arm yourself with patience, since the animal must adapt to its new condition. To improve their quality of life, we will stop using words and sounds as means of communication, and we will use the gestures, through which we can also educate a deaf cat without problems. For this, we will choose brief and clear gestures and relate them with situations, making the necessary repetitions and rewarding the animal whenever it responds appropriately. We will never shout at the cat or punish him, we must remember that he does not hear and this will only cause confusion, fear and rejection.

This article is merely informative, in .com we do not have the faculty to prescribe veterinary treatments or make any kind of diagnosis. We invite you to take your pet to the veterinarian in case of any type of condition or discomfort.

If you want to read more articles similar to How to know if my cat is deaf?, we recommend that you enter in our section of Other health problems.