Deaf dog? Or maybe deaf cat? My Seren-kitty became deaf. By age 17, she could still hear some things, but her hearing continued to deteriorate, especially in her last year with us at age 21.

It used to be I could call Seren to come watch the bunny on the patio, and she’d run from anywhere in the house. She’d always been a loud-mouth kitty, talking constantly and responding to our conversation, so she always had the last word. But her voice was always pleasant, almost a sweet mew. With her loss of hearing, her voice became louder, more strident, and she often cried especially at night with long, drawn-out yowls when she couldn’t hear to find us.

It’s not surprising. Aging cats commonly suffer hearing loss. I cover deaf dogs and deaf cats plus other aging pet issues in my old cat care book and aging dog book.

HOW WELL DO PETS HEAR?

In her youth, Seren (like all normal cats) heard much better than people. However, youthful pets hear better than middle-aged and older animals. Some cats are born deaf or are genetically predisposed to deafness. For example, blue-eyed white cats can be born with a condition that results in deafness at an early age.

Hearing is something that cats are better at than dogs–but don’t tell the dogs! Normal dogs typically hear the same low-pitched sounds as humans, as well as frequencies as high as 100,000 cycles per second—people can only hear sound waves up to 20,000 cycles per second. Cat hearing is even more acute. Your cat can hear sounds in a 10½-octave range—a wider span of frequencies than any other mammal. That allows your cat to hear nearly ultrasonic rodent squeaks.

At least, Seren used to hear those mousy voices. Not anymore. Oh well, she never caught a mouse, anyway!

With age, the delicate structures of the inner ear begin to lose their sensitivity to vibration. This normal age-related hearing loss, called presbycusis, develops in every pet that lives long enough—just as it does in aging people. We’re going to be in BIG trouble if Seren lives another 10 years and I’m losing my hearing, too.

Hearing loss can be accelerated by damage from loud noises. Dogs that hunt and are exposed to gunshots for years and years are more prone to damage. Chronic ear infections may also result in hearing loss. My Magical-Dawg during his last year also lost hearing–or at least, practiced “selective hearing.”

MAKING ACCOMMODATIONS FOR DEAF DOGS AND DEAF CATS

Deaf cats and deaf dogs can’t tell us that they’re hard of hearing, and they compensate by paying more attention with their other senses. In fact, strangers probably wouldn’t notice any difference in Seren. For example, Seren paid attention to Magic’s behavior when my husband returned home. Deaf pets also pay closer attention to vibration and air currents—the breeze made by an open door may cue them you’ve come home from work. Even when they can’t hear the can opener, the pet’s internal “clock” will announce suppertime.

So, what did I do to make accommodations for my kitty? I made sure Seren could see me, and if looking the other way, I tapped the tabletop or stomped my foot to alert her with the vibration. That avoids startling her. Magic already learned many hand signals during obedience training, and didn’t have trouble adjusting to his hearing loss.

Did you train your dog or cat with the clicker? Pets trained with clickers can instead learn to respond to the flick-on-off of a flashlight or a porch light switched on/off to call the dog inside.

Deafness also raises safety concerns. Can the dozing, deaf cat wakes up in time to get away from an aggressive stray? Keeping all cats and especially deaf kitties inside is probably the safest option.

Have you ever had a pet with hearing loss? What were tips that helped you keep your pet happy and safe? Please share!