pouët.net

I just got a cat, in fact my gf got one, today.
We are thinking she might be deaf and mute. She doesn't do any sound and doesn't react much to sounds. In fact it's hard to know if the reaction is about the sound or the vibrations.
If anyone has experience, hints are appreciated, thx :)

I have no experience or hints but I would like to say.. FUCKING AWESOME! new cat, sweet!

depends on the breed, but some are just quiet. other cats are oblivious to any or most sounds, although they can hear them.


Or her soundcard is fried......

My experience with cats is that they are their own masters, and yours too. Refusal to provide food on request can make some cats homocidally voilent.

But most cats are pretty relaxed most of the time. And they certainly are not going to 'perform' for you, well not unless you count dropping a dead sparrow at your feet.

In summary, I think your cat is not deaf but nonchalant. It knows you are trying to provoke it, and it does not want to play that game.

If it really bothers you, I'm sure a vetenarian has a way to determine if it's deaf. For a *small* fee of course.

Or you could just keep on sneaking up on the poor thing with an air-horn. That should be amusing for a little while at least.

You could try ringing a bell whenever you are seen laying out food. After a week or two it should respond to the ringing bell alone as a 'food' signal.

But if the cat fails the test, the results are still inconclusive. A Cat may not be so easy to trick as a Dog.

wow, no lame pictures of kitties yet. amazing

he's right -- not a lot of them actually 'meeow' a lot. some can't even produce a fashionable one (depends on breed a bit too, british shorthairs can be notoriously bad at it in my experience). you're most likely to hear something when she encounters another cat in a fight.. hissing n stuff.

about the hearing, check if the ears rotate if you make subtle high pitched sounds around her or in general. their ears are like directional mics.

yea they can be shocked in the beginning when they get a new master (or leave their mother).
they need love.. keep the cat with you especially in the night in your room to show your presence.. as much as possible.. it will be hard at start (the kitten/cat might cry all night..) but it evolves rapidly..

good luck..

we had two cats at one point, one of them was completely silent, the other would never shut up.

checking for deafness might be a good idea though.

is it white with blue eyes?

Maybe you should go to the vet and check the ears for mites. I've had a cat from a farm and my first thought was that it is deaf, too but the ears were just full of mites and dirt.

Read garfield comics, that'll give you a pretty well idea of cats' normal behaviour :)

would YOU react, if you are called bertha?

And watch Simon's Cat on youtube: http://www.simonscat.com/films.html

Bertha, lovely Bertha,
You are a lovely machine!
And anyone who works with you,
Will know just what I mean!
Woh!
Bertha, lovely Bertha,
Sometimes I think you're a dream!
And when we work out what you have to do,
You can always churn the goods out,
Always churn the goods out,
We can depend upon you!
Clicking the day, flashing the night,
Your computer is shining brightly,
Some people say you've a mind of your own,
And I think that's very likely.... likely!
Woh!
Bertha, lovely Bertha,
Sometimes I think you're a dream!
When we work out what you have to do,
You can always churn the goods out,
Always churn the goods out,
We can depend upon you!

I used to love that!

One of my (just two) cats doesn't meow, she beeps instead. I think she's communicating with her homeworld :)

Check if the cat points its ears towards sources of sound. And get it checked by a vet anyway. You can get some nasty parasites from an outdoor animal which doesn't receive proper vaccination.

did you replace the batteries already?

did you try to turn it off and on again?

Did you check the bios and drivers?

works ok after a full reset :)
this morning she started to meow for food, so it's a good sign. the meows sound very thin and rusty, I guess she just doesn't have a great voice.
As for te vet check, she's been fully checked before we brought her home so if there was anything tey would have probably told us.

And about her hearing, we did some tests and she does turn the ears around and react to unpleasant noises like a plastic bag.

So i guess she's only half-mute and half-deaf, or just plain doesn't care. Good cat :)

and thx all for the feedback!

my catz lub to touch himself! lololol



also, i have one cat that cant meow too. maybe because it has had a serious trauma. (previous owner dumped it along with 5 other cats in a shed and then moved to a new house. they where found after a week by the new house owners ;x)

I think they have a volume control somewhere. Also, did you install latest drivers?

BarZoule, do you have any pictures?

i have a very big red cat and he meows without vowels (it sounds like "mjkkk"), i reckon it is his norwegian roots.

the mandatory picture: