Does anyone have experience with older cats?

[Yael]

My heart is breaking.

My 17.5 year old cat has been with me since she was approx. 6 months and I rescued her as a "halloween toy" from my neighborhood where the kids were lighting her whiskers on fire and tossing her by her tail. :grr:

She has been with me through 4 states and a bad marriage. The one thing I will give my ex-husband is that he 'raised' her like a dog. She comes on command, obeys 'sit' and 'lay down' and will break through a brick wall if you say "hungry?". I could yell "duckies" from another room and she would bolt to the nearest window -- a joke and an old hold-out from when I lived on a lake 15 years ago.

VERY auditory, and not something I have ever seen in an animal before.

Here is my heart-beaking problem. She is now deaf.

I KNOW that this is a symptom of age in cats, but verbal communication is the main tool I had with her. I would tak to her all the time and she would react in weird ways that just make me smile to think about. She is a RIOT.

Given her history of abuse, she isn't much for touch or being held.

If anyone out there has gone through this, I would appreciate any advice you have on this. I have no idea how to bond with her any longer and I just want to cry.

Thanks in advance for any suggestions.

:cry:

[Haole Girl]

1. I found this...

http://www.messybeast.com/disabled.htm#deaf

There is a lot more, if you google "deafness in older cats."

I hope you find a way to bond. :hug:

[Yael]

2. Thank you dear soul

I did google it the other night (this is recent) and all I got was clinical links. I couldn't bear to keep going.

I need the practical advice. She is the best girl EVER and my heart is just broken that this bond is gone.

[Haole Girl]

3. You're very welcome

Cats are smart. I'm sure you two can find a way. :hug:

[Yael]

4. Love her heart, you can see it in her eyes

When I have her attention and talk with her, it is almost like she is smiling.

It is obviously a progressive thing, I have had hints for weeks. Last weekend, I triggered the fire alarm (something that would normally send her running) and she didn't move. Thats when I knew for sure. I couldn't bear to post about it because I didn't want to write it.

Thanks for your support.

:cry:

[grasswire]

5. I would encourage you to try touch.

Perhaps she will soften up in that regard, as she surely must miss the connection as much as you do. And if she will allow you to lay your hand on her body as you speak to her, I think some vibration will be evidence of your communication to her. Also, I think the tip in the linked article about blowing gently in her direction sounds like something you could do when you want her to know you are paying attention to her.

Having had and lost three elder cats in recent years, my heart is breaking for you and your dear one. Hold on to what's left -- every sweet nuance. The worst is yet to come, but very act of tenderly caring for her will help you get through this.

[Yael]

6. Thank you, dear one

I was supposed to take her to my Mom today as I have a (rare) business trip to Mexico this coming week. Had to call and let Mom know it will be tomorrow as I just want every minute with her as she sleeps on the folded towel here on my desk beside me.

:hug:

[mike_c]

7. I've lived with a number of seniors but none that were deaf....

Still, aging cats are remarkably good at being OK more often than not. I take it your main fear is that her deafness will interfere with your relationship-- I suspect the real answer is that it will be more difficult for you to adjust than it will be for her.

Enjoy the time you have left with her! Seventeen and a half years! That's really something. You've done a very good thing for her.

[Yael]

9. Thank you, Mike_c

In my family, we have had 2 over 20 and 1 over 15 in addition to my girl. We have been fortunate, but they are like family to us.

Thanks for your support.

:hug:

On Edit: I forgot my point. None have gone through this, so it is new to all of us. Also never having been exposed to a deaf child, we are not sure how to communicate. I have been reading about the use of lights and floor vibrations (so as not to startle) and have been implementing and advising my mom who will be keeping her next week. The lack of bond is just ripping at me like I can't describe though.

[Zookeeper]

8. We have a 20 year old Siamese and just realized a couple...

of weeks ago that she is probably deaf. She is also pretty frail, but what seems to make her the happiest is just to sit next to us on the sofa. (She kind of complains if we handle her too much and when our big boy cat grooms her forehead.) We just keep her close and warm and try to make sure she is relatively undisturbed by the other pets.

I hope you and your dear cat can find a way to stay close, Yael. :hug:

[Yael]

10. Thank you for your support -- that means a lot

I have heard the the white fur/blue eye combination is the most frequent sufferer of deafness and the link that KC2 posted notes it as well.

Would appreciate any ancedotes you have, especially as a multi-cat house.

[mike_c]

11. as an aside, the white fur link is to congenital deafness only....

Ironically, mutation of one of the genes that results in lack of pigment also prevents development of bones in the inner ear (both are derived from epidermal cells during early embryogenesis).

[Yael]

12. Interesting

My girl is pure black with a prominent white spot on her tummy the size of a quarter. A Vet once told me that there are no pure black cats of her breed anymore because of people freaking out about witches or something a century ago and killing off the bloodline. He may have been right, but he was apparently a nutcase of the first class order and I switched docs immediately.

[grasswire]

13. you know, reading the info in that link made me realize something

My dear departed calico, Miss Figgy, started yowling in the last year of her life, and it never occurred to me to wonder if she had lost her hearing. She would "get lost" in our apartment and start yowling and I would have to go and get her. It was extremely pathetic. I thought she was losing her mind, but perhaps it was her hearing. Poor old dear. She was 19 when she passed.

[Yael]

14. My babe has been "singing" for a few years now

That link was my first connection as to why.

I thought it was cute -- I would call her name and she would come running to me.

She still does it, but doesen't respond to my voice any more. :cry:

It makes sense now.

[KT2000]

19. My cat did that too

but I really think it was dementia.
She howled at the walls and closets and would be startled when she heard me calling her. It came on suddenly when her room-mate/nemesis died.
It was awful - she had been so smart. She was 17.
I have heard this happening to so many older cats.

[applegrove]

15. Try using hand signals? Invent some new games that way. She sounds

like a riot.

[Lil Missy]

16. My 14 year old dog just had ear surgery that left him deaf as a result.

After his difficult recovery from the surgery, he is adjusting just fine. I tend to touch him a lot more now to get his attention. And he is so used to routine that just watching me,knowing my tone and facial expressions and any hand signals appear to get through to him just fine.

You'll just have to make some adjustments and find other ways of getting her attention. She will understand what you are saying.

[Connonym]

17. :hug:

I'm sorry. This is the part about having pets that is so heart breaking. I've had a handful of cats who have made it into mid to late teens and deafness and/or loss of vision have affected all of them. I have also read that older cats have a strong tendency toward senility and that this is becoming much more common as cats are living longer. Does she like toys? That would be a good way to interact with her -- my cats have enjoyed batting at things like feathers or shiny ribbons on a stick or chasing laser pointers around the room.

Hopefully you two will find new ways to interact and enjoy many more years together.

[KT2000]

18. You're going to be OK

My bet is that she will become more open to being touched. I have a cat who hated being touched. It has been quite a while but I started out slowly - just a pet or kiss on the head, a little rub on her paws when she is relaxed, a quick rub on her chin and cheeks. She is now sleeping on me and sitting in my lap!
You will come up with your own gestures that she will eventually respond to.

It really is heartbreaking but cats are so good at adapting. I just know it will work out.