Hi,
My first cat, Sydney (now @ Rainbow Bridge) was deaf. He was all white with one blue eye and one green one. At the time, I was still living at home and my father didn't like cats at all. A friend of mine gave me Sydney as a Christmas gift when he was only a tiny baby. Mom and I got rid of his fleas and bathed him and when my dad came back from his business trip, begged him to let us keep him. Daddy said, "absolutely not" and we were heartbroken.
A little later, Sydney was asleep on the rug and my dad started snapping his fingers to wake him up and tell him to get off the rug, but Sydney continued sleeping peacefully. Daddy tried whistling and making all sorts of noises, but Sydney only woke up when he made a noise loud enough that he could feel the vibration.
My father, who strongly disliked cats, was the one to tell me that my kitten was deaf and that I could keep him provided I had him fixed, bathed him regularly and taught him not to jump up on certain places, such as the kitchen table.
Needless to say, Sydney was loved, pampered and cherished by my mother and myself for all of his almost ten year long life. The surprise is that he completely stole my father's cat-unfriendly heart and the first time I ever saw my dad really cry was when that cat died.
Today, my father loves cats and gets a kick out of my kitty Charlie's antics. He always tells my mom that she should get another cat, but she is reluctant because her heart still misses Sydney so. Sydney will always be in our hearts.


[This message has been edited by thelmalu99 (edited March 14, 2001).]