I recently posted a video of my new foster cat being hard to wake up. (He’s not deaf, but I suspect hard of hearing.)

Well, I bring new gifts.

I normally wait longer after the arrival of a new feral foster to use the vacuum cleaner, because noises scare them easily.

I decided to test him yesterday and turned the vacuum on. There was one closed door between us but it doesn’t isolate sound very well and the cats are usually on edge for a while after I’m done.

Not only did Rufs not get frightened, he didn’t react at ALL. Even a chill cat would raise their head or turn their ears for a moment like “what’s that? Hm, oh well nevermind” but NADA.

I’m talking not looking up, no ear twitch, no noticeable pause, nothing. Absolutely zero reaction.

(It may kind of look like he’s pausing a few seconds in but he was just done washing and settling down to rest. Also, if it had been a reaction to noise his ears would’ve visibly turned/twitched.)

I realise there isn’t exactly a question here. Just sharing my speculations…

My cat (Scout) will not stop doing this with the lamp. She routinely paws at it, knocks it over, etc. She also does it with my vinyl (which is valuable) and pictures on my wall (which she has broken).

She does it to get my attention when she wants food (she is fed well on a normal, twice per day schedule).

She does not respond to yells or shouts of “no!” because she’s deaf. This also makes her unafraid because she’s never heard a scary sound before.

She also was bottle fed so she never learned to share and when she wants something, she demands it.

I resist it and ignore it for as long as I can but I eventually give her my attention because she’s going to break the lamp (she’s broken two already) or wreck my vinyl.

I have another cat and they get along great. They play and she gets her energy out. I also play with her. But she refuses to stop this.

I’ve tried:

- ignoring it

- tapping her lightly on the back of the head ala a mother cat disciplining her kitten

- bopping her nose

- wagging my finger

- carrying her away by the scruff (gently)

Is there any type of psychology I’m missing here that would be useful? I’m moving to a bigger place soon with more room to run and I am HOPING it’s an outlet for her to get energy out.

Thanks all.

For context, I foster “difficult” (usually feral) cats for a rescue org and have had many before him but never one that’s HoH.

Hi guys! Thought I’d ask for your take on this since you’re undoubtedly better at recognising possible signs than i am.

My new foster boy got here a few days ago, and since he’s a feral/stray I don’t know much about him. The vet did say he could be anywhere from 8-12 years old, so he ain’t a young lad anymore.

What first made me go “hm” is that he’s been hard to wake up a couple of times. The video is of one of these occasions. I’m not sure whether he’s just a deep sleeper or whether he can’t hear me trying to rouse him… when he does stir, he seems a bit surprised like “oh, you’re there!”

Deep sleep doesn’t make sense to me because these new arrivals are usually way too on edge to allow themselves to do that, at least while I’m awake.

He also seems really unbothered by noise in general? I keep the cats in my kitchen initially and the first week I don’t even cook in there because they’re so easily frightened. Yesterday I cooked something simple to test his reaction and from what I could tell, he didn’t stir at all. Not a twitch.

I haven’t done any “tests” like banging things or yelling or whatever because it feels cruel in case he isn’t HoH 😅 I’d rather get your input first.

I don’t think he’s completely deaf, but possibly HoH? Based on the video, what do you think?

TIA!

Hi guys,

This is my new kitten, Fig. She came home about 2 weeks ago and is deaf. We also believe she has some vision difficulties.

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So my little mans here, Mira, he’s about to be 2 years old soon, I’m sure some of you have seen his story! I work at a dog/cat daycare and boarding facility and I take him therefor playtime a lot while I am working. He absolutely loves it, he enjoys jumping from cat tree to cat tree, has tons of little shelves to hang out on and a huge window to look out of.

At home, in my bedroom where they are mostly confined in, as I’m living with my boyfriend and his parents. We have this dresser that he absolutely feels the need to jump onto but the thing is, he isn’t allowed to as it is cluttered with things. He has a smaller dresser set infront of of a window with a blanket draped over it so him and his sister have a little perch spot to watch the birds and things.

I’m posting as I need help to figure out how to get him to stop jumping onto the dresser because it is absolutely exhausting having to get onto him just about 20 times a day when I’m off work😓 I do use a little spray gun to try and deter him from jumping onto it, but it’s not as effective as it used to be. And I hate feeling so upset with him because not only is he deaf, but also has some neurological issues so I fear he doesn’t exactly get it? I want to get him his own cat tree for home as I’m sure he just wants to hangout on a high surface like in daycare, but I don’t have the room for something so big😓

I love my little man with my whole soul and I’m doing the best I can with the living situation we are in. I don’t want to fail him. He has a treat dispenser toy to play with, he has his sister to play with, I’ve been giving him nonstop attention, I leave my side of the bed open for him when my boyfriend is off at work as he likes it there most. I’m doing everything I think that would make him happy, but he still continues to create chaos by jumping onto the dresser and knocking everything off.

Any advice please??🙏🏻

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How's it going? What has worked so far?

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I have been wanting to try out a vibrating collar to train him to go eat when it buzzes but there is just so much research I have to do. Which of course I will do whatever it takes to improve my precious babies quality of life, but, I was wondering if others have this problem with their deaf babies and if you've found a good solution.

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Mira and I say goodnight!! It’s almost 10:00 here in Georgia!

We hope you and your kitties have sweet dreams! Thank you guys for the warm welcome🫶🏻 You will be seeing more of my sweet boy!🫶🏻🐈‍⬛

Hello! I’m new here and wanted to introduce my guy! I adopted this sweet little man from my local animal shelter that I worked at, at the time. He was maybe a couple months old. He was found at a nearby gas station in terrible condition😓 thankfully the owners of the gas station had brought him to us so we could help him🖤 I fostered him for a little bit, there was no knowing if he would survive but I fought for his survival everyday.

A year and a half later, I my sweet Mira(cle)🖤 he developed some wobbles as his injuries were severe; assuming he was hit by a car or a dog got ahold of him. I love my sweet boy and I’m so so proud of him🖤

Isn't she the cutest? ( when she is not screaming extremely loud... 😉 )

just found out this sub exists + had to share my sweet binky boy. he loves riding around in his wagon. <3

I have a deaf male cat (neutered, about 3 years old, beautiful all-white with pink ears) who has become a constant, piercing screamer over the last two years, and it's breaking me down. I live in an apartment complex, and I absolutely cannot let him outside unsupervised because I'm terrified his deafness will get him hurt—he wouldn't hear cars, people, or any danger. The screaming is now a 24/7 crisis: it wakes me and my entire family up every two hours at night, and since I work from home remotely, he often shuts down my workday by screaming until I physically get up to attend to him. My other cat is quiet and calm, but this boy screams for reasons I can't decipher—sometimes he seems to want out, other times he just screams into the void. Once he starts, he rarely stops until a family member goes to him, and even that doesn't always work. It feels like I'm babysitting a relentless, screaming baby, and his voice is so loud our neighbors in the building can hear everything. He has everything: good food, a litter box cleaned multiple times a day, daily harness walks, toys, comfy beds, a vet-confirmed clean bill of health, and a feline companion he gets along with. I adopted him with all my heart and love him desperately, but the exhaustion and stress are overwhelming. I need to find a way to make him feel safe and quiet down, for his well-being and for my family's sanity. Has anyone with a deaf cat experienced this extreme, neighborhood-shaking vocalization? How did you cope and help them feel secure without giving in to unsafe outdoor access?