Deaf kitten: signs and how to care for them

2023 Author: Alex Livingston | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-11-26 11:39

Often when you take an animal at home, you assume that everything can go well and in the right way: unfortunately this is not always the case. If the problem of a deaf kitten, how could we act to improve your life? How could we be aware of all this to help him get better? Let's see some information.

Deaf kitten: how to notice?

When you take a puppy into the house it is important to be aware of the fact that you have to give it a lot attentions and make sure that he is always well and healthy.

The care that must be dedicated to small 4-legged friends is truly infinite but must be done with pleasure and dedication.

Especially at an early age, kittens require several hours of our time, as they feel the strong need to be accompanied on their growth path. Setting up a healthy and balanced life from the earliest days is the watchword for managing any pet.

The cat is a very animal independent and absolutely able to manage his life independently, but when he is too small he cannot do without some help.

How could we notice the eventuality in which a kitten was deaf? What are the parameters for establishing all this? In reality, doing it is very difficult.

Felines are very skilled and autonomous in dealing with daily life and often tend to want to do everything by themselves. However, when a problem arises, it is good that we owners find a way to communicate with them to help them.

A typical characteristic of every cat is that of knowing how to make the most of each one 5 senses, just to make sure you think about your business for yourself. However, when it happens that one of these fails, the animal's intelligence develops in such a way as to compensate with functioning senses, the missing one.

If a kitten is found to be deaf, therefore, this type of mechanism could be activated. Therefore, it may be difficult for us humans to notice the impossibility of hearing, as our friend will tend to make the most of the other senses to cope with the problem alone.

Let's see some makeup to understand how to realize the problem:

• calling the cat from another room, he never comes to us
• returning home after many hours, we do not find him waiting for us at the door or we do not hear him meow
• turning on some electronic device that causes a loud noise, such as a vacuum cleaner or washing machine, he doesn't make a move, as if he hadn't noticed anything
• making noise while sleeping or relaxed, we find him impassive
• approaching someone stranger to the apartment and causing unusual noises, the puppy does not perceive anything and does not alert
• we notice the absence of ear movement in the face of any type of noise that, under normal conditions, would be perceived instantly
• notice that the feline has a hard time waking up alone
• notice that he gets scared if he is suddenly touched and taken aback

These tests are important because the cat is generally attentive to any type of movement or b exploding around him. If, on the other hand, we realized that he cannot pick up any of this, we could assume that deafness is to be diagnosed.

The first thing to do, of course, is to contact your trusted veterinarian, point out the problem and understand how to solve it.

Possible causes of deafness

Most of the cats with the problem of deafness are very old. Often, in fact, this is a disorder that affects old age, but it can be either temporary (if treated properly), either permanent.

In the adult felines and in older felines (or nearly so), temporary deafness can occur due to:

• bacterial infections undervalued and not treated as they should have been
• fungal or parasitic infections, such as the presence of mites in the ears
• collateral effectsdue to the use of drug therapies

These are all elements that can be tried to cure with the right therapies, which will allow resolution.

As for permanent deafness, the situation is quite different:

• occurs above all with the age: from 7 years onwards it is a very common factor
• it may depend on serious illness or infections that have been neglected for too long
• neurological problems
• tumor forms or polyps that affect the ears and consequently the hearing
• trauma or accidents details

As for deaf kittens, how does it work? It can happen that a kitten is born directly with the problem of deafness. The ways to notice this lack are the same as listed above. But is it possible that a puppy has this deficit from birth? Well, unfortunately yes.

Often this depends on genetic factors, especially when it comes to white cats with blue eyes. The genetic deafness in these specimens appears to depend on the gene called "W". Some scholars, after various researches, have realized that statistically this problem occurs in these categories of cats and not in others.

Deafness in kittens, as well as from birth, can also develop in the first years of life, due to some factors. First of all you have to consider the otitis: they are often a big problem for those puppies who wander outside without paying attention to what they come in contact with.

If the supposedly deaf kitten is shaking its ears often or whining, it may want to send the signal that something is wrong. We must be immediately ready to realize this need and take the necessary precautions.

Taken on time and treated in the right way, otitis is resolvable and does not cause permanent deafness. It is therefore good to pay attention to any type of sign that our friend tries to send us to communicate a discomfort with us. Often, if you act promptly, you can prevent otitis from becoming chronic.

Other risk factors for a kitten could be any generalized or local trauma or infections that need to be treated on the spot.

The puppies are very delicate: you have to be very careful about everything they do and always keep them under control. This will help us both to interpret the stimuli that are reported to us and to help them feel better.

What to do to help a deaf kitten

What should we expect from a deaf kitten? What are the possible consequences, even on a behavioral level, that causes deafness?

In a very young kitten, who is born deaf or becomes us a few months old, this problem can become of great disturbance for life management in general. Feeling inadequate and perceiving that something is wrong are elements that should not be underestimated.

He, especially if he becomes deaf after a short period of life, will develop aggressive behaviors and defense against any activity proposed to him. The stress it will be of the highest level because the little one will not feel able to do all the jobs of his day in the best possible way.

In addition, this could lead to an increase of fear and phobias that the kitten will not be able to handle as it is scared of everything. The first thing to do is this: have patience! It is truly a virtue that must be cultivated and accompanied together with the life of the kitten, to which it is important to devote a lot of time and the attention it deserves.

Another important character is the weather. The kitten that becomes deaf suddenly or gradually, must have plenty of time to get used to it. At first he will be very destabilized by this new condition, because he will not understand it and will not be able to live with it. It will be precisely at this moment that we take over: with due caution, we should make sure to help him as best we can, giving him everything he needs!

By itself, the deaf kitten will learn to invest the other senses to the fullest of its abilities. His brain is developed to such an extent that it allows him to create a special network to manage his life in the best way.

Even if it does not feel, it can perceive movements through many factors, such as vibrations, light sources, shadows: it is and still remains a feline!

Surely, we will have to keep up with him a lot, perhaps with a little more foresight than a kitten without any health problems.

Here are a few useful advice:

• do not let him go out alone, because he may not notice any dangers
• avoid sudden movements, surprises or ambushes
• perform actions that he can perceive through sight so as not to frighten him
• learn to live with him, to communicate and interact also and above all through gestures and sight
• to call him we could use light sources, such as lasers for cats or torches, to attract his attention

Education will certainly be more difficult: time, love and patience are the things we should put into this long path of growth. The goal is to not make him feel different, misunderstood or unloved.

Let us try not to increase fears and discomfort in him, on the contrary, let him always feel important and considered an effective member of the family, despite everything.

Even if he cannot hear, he has many other things that he can offer both us owners and himself: having a life worthy of the name is still possible!