Deafness in cats

[Gemini]

She's a bit like that kitten in her playfulness, Daisy, despite her age!

I can see how hard it must be to witness Clydes failing eyesight. He's coping, but it's sad for you. Our beloved pets are our babies in so many ways, so it is so hard to watch them age. The downside of pet ownership!

[Bizzy Lizzy]

I have had one cat that was born deaf (odd eyed white female) and it was never a problem. Early on I taught her very primitive hand signals which she knew and would "come to call" or rather sign provided she could see me. She lived a long and happy life and many would not have known she was deaf at all. She didn't go outside. Many elderly cats lose their hearing and owners often do not realise. The yowling you mention GM is one sign of this. They cannot hear the noise they are making and therefore do it louder in order to get attention. Our deaf cat used to make a heck of a noise (often during the night) and then one of my elderly cats went deaf and they used to yowl in unison which sounded a bit like cat murder. I used to hope that the RSPCA were not passing my door when this was going on Elderly cats do also often suffer from dementia and may behave differently - more vocal, generally looking confused, change of eating habits etc. etc. Raised blood pressure in older cats if not detected will lead to blindness - sometimes this happens literally overnight. So any sudden change in behaviour calls for a vet check. On the right meds the high blood pressure can be corrected and sight might improve considerably. If cats start to walk a little more slowly or stiffly then sometimes they need some arthritis medication (Metacam) which they can take for the remainder of their days to relieve any pain. Gem your little tortie girl sounds really sweet. I love cats that "chat" especially the ones that chirrup. It is a sound they use with their kittens.

[Daisy]

Slightly off topic, but still concerning older pets - Clyde has lost quite a lot of muscle strength, and he really is very tiny. Our back doorstep is quite high. Sometimes he jumps in with no trouble, but sometimes he puts his two front paws on the step and then cries. Being soft touches, OH and I then lift him up into the kitchen and give him a tiny treat. A couple of weeks ago he was crying to come in but I was stirring something on the hob and called to him - "jump, Clyde, jump" - and he did! He now regularly responds to this command - talk about teaching old dogs new tricks! - but what we think he's worked out is that when he does that he gets a treat! Any cognitive impairment he may have is obviously selective!!!