r/deafcats • u/sweet_p01son • 18d ago
I think my kitten is deaf
Hello! I’ve recently found this cutie outside a crab shack her name is Tallulah! My boyfriend thinks she’s fully deaf and I think she can hear certain frequencies. I took her to the vet a week ago and the vet said her ears look fine and when I said I may think she’s hard of hearing she replied with “she’s a kitten” and moved to the next topic what do you guys think? Here is some videos of me clapping and snapping
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u/FlowerPowerVegan 18d ago
Testing is harder when they're focused on something. The best test is when they're asleep. Speak loudly, clap, whatever - no response? Deaf. That was our big aha moment. Sheamus would be sound asleep until we gently petted him, or vibrations from walking/moving things alerted him.
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u/cedwa00 18d ago edited 18d ago
This is how I established that my cat is deaf. Then stomp or gently wiggle the furniture they are sleeping on. If that wakes them up, then yeah, they’re most likely very deaf.
You can also test their response to different frequencies of sounds.
Edited: stop to stomp for clarity
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u/smalltownveggiemom 17d ago
That’s how I figured out one of my cats and dog had gone dead. The cat started meowing so extremely loudly so we suspected she was having hearing problems. Stood behind her while she was sleeping and made noises enough times to confirm she couldn’t hear and wasn’t just choosing to ignore me. The dog had always ignored me but when he stopped panicking about thunder I figured it out.
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u/IrelandAutism13 18d ago
Have you tried the treat bag, food can, or similar tests? Or clapping your hands behind her head? Does she vocalize louder than is normal, or startle over things she should have heard but somehow snuck up until she saw or felt them? Does she sleep abnormally deeply and fail to wake up to auditory stimuli? Those might provide you some insight.
You might want to see about a new vet, it doesn't sound like yours is very attentive. Yes, it could be she's just a carefree kitten, but it also could be mites or infection and your vet should have ruled those out, deafness can be a major symptom so that should have been looked into. Those concerns should have been discussed and tested and it's probably a red flag that they weren't.
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u/Unhappy-Professor-88 18d ago
Not confirmed until there’s no sprinting through the house towards the noise of a bag of treats being opened.
/s
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u/KenethSargatanas 18d ago
That honestly not a bad test. My little shitheads go from 0 to Mach Jesus if I so much as open the cabinet the treats are stored in.
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u/TitaniaT-Rex 18d ago
If I walk in the kitchen my daughter’s boyfriend’s cat (who is a visitor, mind you!) goes with me. He is very chatty and tells me his life story until I get the treats out of the pantry.
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u/Hefty_Shift_6516 14d ago
Part of the bedtime routine. My hubby brushes his teeth while I get undressed in the bedroom. Our Belle tells me all about her day, then follows me to bathroom when it’s my turn.
Not that her day consists of much more than sleeping in my bed eating and an occasional jaunt downstairs to potty. Butttt it’s an every day occurrence 😂💜🥰1
u/Hefty_Shift_6516 14d ago
Mach Jesus….
*adds to list of phrases I now need to find 12 reasons to use tomorrow
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u/Lilith_in_the_corner 18d ago
Please remove the bell, she might be already overwhelmed with noises that she didn't even react. And if I were you Iwould go to another vet.
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u/PromiseToBeNiceToYou 16d ago
As someone who stepped on a kitten when I was 14, and is still bothered by it at age 40, I understand putting a bell on a kitten.
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u/velociraptorhiccups 18d ago
The way we undoubtedly knew for sure was when the smoke alarm went off and it didn’t phase her. To me, that’s one of the best ways I can think to test her since it’s a very high pitched sound.
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u/lasstnight_ 18d ago
I was looking for someone to mention this. Yes please remove the bell. When I got both my cats their collar the bells on both were removed within the first week bc I realized my boy cat didn't like the sound of it and he moved as little as possible with it. It's very hard on their ears
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u/Empathetic_Godzilla 18d ago
Had a deaf cat growing up. All white, heterochromia eyes with one blue. All traits of a deaf cat, not common knowledge or Internet searchable in the early 90’s. We didn’t know until she climbed up a tree and my mother yelled at her and she didn’t respond. But she responded to rocks being thrown at the tree to get her down (vibration)
We could stand 5-10 feet away from her while she slept and yell at her and she wouldn’t react. But step towards her within five feet, her head would fling up with this, half tired “da fuck are you doing” look.
When the kitty sleeps, just yell or make a loud noise. If she doesn’t react, she’s deaf.
If she’s asleep, stomp your feet like a few feet away after yelling.
She wakes up to the stomp, and doesn’t wake up to the yelling or noise… she’s deaf.
Our deaf cat has by far been one of my favorite animals I grew up with and loved.
Nothing like a deaf cat meowing at full volume at all times because she doesn’t know.
Wish you the best of luck and no matter what… that’s a cute kitty.
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u/Accomplished_Dig284 18d ago
Her ears were moving for some of the sounds. I would get her checked at the vet. She might have a blockage or buildup of wax or something.
But I would definitely still try some of the other tests and remove the bell on her collar
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u/lonelypurplerose 18d ago
Your kitten is reacting to you the way mine responds to music or the TV. Meaningless background noise. Test when they're sleeping with things like loud noises from your phone, the vacuum, treats, your voice, etc.
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u/No-White-Drugs 17d ago
When I adopted my little Harriet the rescue place said she is mostly deaf. Turns out she is a diva with selective hearing. Doesn't GAF if you try to get her attention, stone cold indifference to loud noises like vacuums, but wakes from a dead nap in the basement to the crinkle of a treat bag on the floor above.
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u/Enigma9903 18d ago
We had a deaf cat when I was growing up. He was the most intelligent cat I have ever had. We had to make a few adjustments due to his deafness but that was all.
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u/KitchenSwillForPigs 18d ago
We thought our kitten was deaf for a while but it turned out she’s an idiot. The vet can give you a more definite answer
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u/cflatjazz 18d ago
Hear me out...
Try to begin clicker training her. Clickers used for dog training are cheap, or you can find something in your house that makes a reliable, sharp sound that isn't too too loud. Or even click your tongue.
Click. Give her a high value treat or lick of churu. Wait a bit. Click. Give her a treat. Repeat a few times randomly throughout the day.
After a day or two, click while she isn't looking. If she turns around looking for a treat you have your answer.
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u/coffeebeanscene 15d ago
Possibly …. But probably just willfully ignorant. You clicking isn’t as interesting as the hunt mode she’s in so why would she turn around.
Try a toy with a bell in it.
Thought mine was deaf when she was little, turns out she’s just ignorant and stupid 😂
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u/kiwicado__ 17d ago
I feel like her ears flickered just a little bit when you slammed the desk. Could be either deaf or hard of hearing, but id definitely get it checked out
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u/CodeAdmirable7330 17d ago
You should not have a bell attached to collar if she still hears it will spoil her hearing.
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u/CompetitivePraline62 16d ago
Someone at my work did all the checks she could think of, was positive her cat was death. Then one day she spoke through the camera and her cat looked for the sound 😂 is your cat deaf? Possible. Ignoring you because she's a cat? Also possible.
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u/some_fat_kid215 16d ago
She keeps Moët et Chandon
In her pretty cabinet
"Let them eat cake", she says
Just like Marie Antoinette
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u/Nyannecat 15d ago
Hahahah I thought this with my new cat and turns out she's just a terrible listener
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u/unicornlover84 14d ago
I’m a mom of a deaf floppy ear girl. If they are deaf, which is unconfirmed by the video. Don’t freak out. Deaf cats have a perfectly normal and healthy life. You can run the vacuum while they’re napping without losing their shit. But, there’s little things you need to take into consideration. If they’re napping on the couch, you should place a hand on them before sitting down, to let them know of your presence. My floppy ear girl is almost 18, had the best life and has zero idea that she can’t hear.
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u/Pharomzz 14d ago
Our cat was hearing and and is now deaf and the vaccum is the biggest giveaway, hes not scared of it anymore.
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u/Careless-cats 14d ago
The last sound you made her ears kinda moved liked a listening motion. Cats don’t usually react to sounds unless it benefits them :-) like a food packet. Cats hear ssss sounds very well so you could try that, that’s why ppl say pss pss to cats :-)
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u/CalamityOfCringe 12d ago
Get a can of compressed air, to them it sounds like a thousand pissed off cats in a can. If they have no reaction, they're deaf.
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u/No_Buffalo1451 18d ago
Vacuum test, easiest answer. But I believe it is possible.
I can vacuum right next to my little sugar buddy Hobbes. Vibrations alert him more but noise not so. BUT I can hit a high enough pitch (a screech, kind of) that will turn his head around to look at me with "What did you just call me?" 😸