Deaf kittens

[madeguada]

Hello girls :)
My furrbabies are now 28 days :) and they are soo cute. You can see some old pictures of them in this site
http://community.webshots.com/user/madeguada100
I have one dilema I need to tell you and ask for advice on the matter.
2 of the most pretty kittens are deaf I think because I am always making noise and they never make a move.
Can anyone tell me how is their life going to be? Can I keep them and not worry about their health?
They are soo cute! I am worry they cannot learn things from their mom.
Pleas help!

[Gio]

Hello there and happy birthday (there is a lot more wishes in the cat general section!).

I don't have any direct experience with deaf kittens so I'm afraid that I can't be of much help here. I know that usually cats adapt quite easily to their disabilities, and if kept strictly indoors I think there should not be any major problem. I will ask around and if I can come up with some useful information I will let you know.

I had a look at your webshot album. YOUR PICTURES ARE INCREDIBLE!!!!! You have some really beautiful cats (and you're a good photographer as well of course :D ).

[Lachesis]

GREAT photos!!!

[Freckles]

All the kitties appear to be white.
Blue eyes?

[Tubby & Peanut's Mom]

Originally posted by madeguada
Hello girls :)
My furrbabies are now 28 days :) and they are soo cute. You can see some old pictures of them in this site

Hi madeguada and Happy Birthday!

I like your statement above that we can see old pictures of your kittens that are 28 days old! :eek: How old can the pictures be??!?!??!?! :D

Just kidding of course. :D I too have heard about deaf cats that adapt quite easily if kept inside only. Obviously there is way too much going on outside for them to be safe. But if there are inside, and you and your family are aware of their deafness, i don't see any reason they couldn't live full, long lives. They will still be able to learn most everything they will need from their mother - and their siblings. They are all so adorable. All white! How do you tell them apart! And the mama looks like she is doing a good job and really taking good care of them. Hopefully she is still being nice to you.

Good luck, and let us know how things go, and please post more pictures as they grow!

[wolflady]

OH MY GOSH! OH MY GOSH!!! What precious little angels in white!!!

Awwwwwwwww thanks for posting a link to your album. Your little kitten babies are just absolutely precious! I'm in love with them all! I'm so happy that it looks like mom and babies are doing just fine:) I will be eagerly waiting for more pics as they get older!;)

Tubby and Peanut's mom is right. The deaf cats are perfectly fine and will have normal lives as long as they live indoors. It's very common for white cats to be deaf (especially blue eyed, or bi-blue eyed whites). They should be able to learn and respond to their mother and siblings, but kept inside. They may scare a little easier than the others, simply because they cannot hear. It's probably hard to tell what colors their eyes are right now, as all kittens are born with blue eyes, but as they get older the eye color will change. Do either of the parents have blue eyes? It looks like mamma cat has green eyes. In any case, they will make great housecats. I wish I could have one!:)

Lots of love and hugs and scritches to your new beautiful furfamily of babies!
:D

[Pam]

[QUOTE]Originally posted by wolflady
[b]OH MY GOSH! OH MY GOSH!!! What precious little angels in white!!!

I'm stealing Wolflady's (Karen's) quote because we are both proud mommies of white furball sweetie pies too. These kittens are just so cute! Oh how I would love to be able to see them in person and hear their tiny meows. How cute! When we got Andy he was 8 weeks old and still very tiny. The girl who had Andy also had his brother, Arnold, who she was planning to keep for herself. Andy and Arnold both have golden eyes. When Andy was about 6 months old I was speaking with Arnold's mommy and she said they had discovered that Arnold was deaf. :( We were comparing notes on Andy and Arnold and the fact that they love water, etc. She said that when she runs bathtub water Arnold comes running. That seems to be the only sound he can sort of hear. She thought it might actually be the vibration of the water going into the tub that he "hears." Please do update your pictures as these precious little ones grow! I do hope that they aren't deaf, but I think as long as they are indoor kitties they will do just fine and thrive on your love.

[TheAntiPam]

Wow, I don't think I've ever seen a momma cat with all her kittens the same color! They sure do look like little white angels!

A cat with special needs can be a challenge, but they give big rewards too. I have a cat that was born blind, and he lives a good indoor-only life. Best wishes to you and your babies!

[yorkster]

I loved the pictures of your little kittens! So cute, it makes me want one :rolleyes:
I bet you are having alot of fun with them..............:D

I have a friend that had a white cat who was deaf. He was a great cat! :) She had to keep him indoors at all times though.
I don't see there being any problems, as long as you keep them indoors.

Congrats on your kittens, and Happy Birthday! :D

[madeguada]

Thanks a lot for the nice things u said about my babies heheh.
How do u know is my bday? Thanks a lot :)
Well the kittens eyes now are baby blue but I am not sure when they will change. Their mother has very light green and their father has 2 different colors, blue and yellow. I think the 2 deaf kittens will be like their father.
Those pictures were taken when they were only 10 days heheh now they are completly different and they are soo hairyyyy heheh. I can recognize all of them because one of them born with some hairs in the head black, the other one his face looks more elegant, there is a thin one, and there is the girl which is the most hairy and most adorable :)
Now they are wondering around thier basket :) I think their mom is a bit tired because she only cries heheh well also because she was veryy sick, she had bronquitis and got so many injections.

I am trying to put a litter box so their mom starts training them, I am sure she is fed up with cleaning them herself heheeh.

I will post as soon as I find another digital camera :) I love taking pictures.

[Sara luvs her Tinky]

AHGHGHGHGHGHGHGH
I almost can't take that much cuteness at once!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
OH THOSE INCY WINCY ITSY BITSY KITTY EARS HOW I WISH I HAD A WHOLE MESS OF BABY KITTENS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[lynnestankard]

OH ALL THOSE SWEETEST FURBABIES!!!!!

Madeguada aren't they just sooooo adorable?!! I really want a baby kitten! I'm getting so clucky looking at all your fantastic pics!!! You tend to forget just how tiny and adorable they are when you've not seen a new furbaby for a long time! I'd love to give a cuddle to them all.
Sorry to hear their Mummy hasn't been too well and hope the medication is working and she's on the path back to good health.

We all knew it was your birthday 'cos you came up in the Todays Birthdays section at the bottom of the Pet Talk first page!!

Please post more pics., as their growing! We all need a furbaby 'fix' now and then - I'm sure!!

Lynne

[wayne0214]

madeguada, I have had a little experience with a deaf white cat. They must be kept under a guarded conditions at all times. Because they cannot hear danger approaching, they are best kept as indoor-only pets, and only allowed outside if they can be contained within a limited space and free from encroachment of any preditors, such as dogs. Beautiful kitties, you are really placing some of the girls on Pet Talk with desire for new kitties, with those pictures! :D


........wayne

[K & L]

Here's an informative site:
http://dspace.dial.pipex.com/town/plaza/jb60/whtdeaf/advice.htm

[wolflady]

That's a good site, K&L!:)

Here is also some general info about deaf cats:


Many blue-eyed white cats are born deaf.

White cats with blue eyes are beautiful animals, but they can suffer from a genetic defect that causes them to spend their lives in silence.

Most blue-eyed white cats are born deaf. This does not mean that all white cats with blue eyes suffer from the condition, and it does not affect Burmese and Siamese breeds that are very light colored with blue eyes. Many cats with one blue eye and one yellow eye also are prone to deafness.

The cause of the deafness is a dominant genetic defect. Every animal has two genes for each trait, one from their mother and one from their father. In this specific deafness, if the mother passes on a gene for deafness and the father passes on a gene for hearing, the deafness gene is dominant and the kitten will not be able to hear.

Inside a cat’s ear, there is an organ that converts sound waves into electrical impulses that travel to the brain and are processed as sound. In this type of genetic defect, the organ responsible for the conversion starts to degenerate at about 5 days of age. Since a normal kitten’s ear canal does not open until they are 6 to 14 days of age, the kitten affected with this gene never hears.

The same gene also affects the cat’s eyes by preventing the normal formation of the retina. This means that these cats have reduced ability to see at night and their hunting abilities are greatly hindered.

As with other deaf animals, deaf cats tend to be very alert and may be more aggressive and more vocal than other littermates. Special care should be taken with deaf cats. They should remain indoors and not be allowed to roam. Also, in order to prevent passing this gene to future generations, it is strongly recommended that affected cats should not be bred.

[Pam]

Karen, I know the gene is related to a cat's eye color as opposed to the white fur, but when I took Andy to the vet for his first visit the very first question the vet asked me was "can he hear?" I was sort of surprised by that because Andy has gold colored eyes. It turned out that his brother, Arnold, was deaf and Arnold also had gold colored eyes. Strange, huh? It sounds like white kitties, regardless of their eye color, might be at risk. What do you think? Anyone have any ideas or data?