What Causes Sudden Vision And Hearing Loss?






  •  Causes, sometimes subtle signs and how to help your cat adapt.When he was 19, Sylvia Smith's family cat, Loekie, did something that caught his attention: he walked on a chair.




In my father's house, almost nothing was ever done, so Loekie knew his way around, says Sylvia, who lives in Gouda, the Netherlands. One day, after a break, my father took the seat back a little more than usual and the cat got into it. It was only a few centimeters away, as the marks on the carpet showed. It was then that the family realized that Loekie could no longer see. 


After that, we made sure that everything was there and that nothing moved: the house, the garden, his food and his water, says Sylvia. As long as things are where they should be, there is no problem. Like Sylvia, Susan Harris also has mild symptoms that her cat has lost one of its senses, but for 14-year-old Lahara, it's her pet. 


We found out a few months ago that he lost most of his ears, a resident of Orting, WA shared on the Modern Cat Facebook page. If he doesn't know where we are, he sits and screams loudly until one of us comes to him.



However, Lahara still hears some high frequencies. If we clap our hands loudly or my husband splashes, he will hear it. Susan has also changed her communication with her cat: she steps on the ground to get his attention, pats him gently to wake him up, and looks at him carefully when he is outside.



Loekie also learned to move out of furniture he knows he doesn't usually have, like the kitchen bench. On the family side, he was promised. We will always be aware of bags and things on the ground if he is there, because we know that he can fall on them. Although hearing or vision loss in cats is usually a result of aging, 


loss of vision can be caused by accidents, injuries, diseases and birth defects. In most of these cases, the pain and vision loss will be solved only by changing the lifestyle and environment of the cat and the person. However, sometimes the condition can be corrected by treating the cause.





1..What causes vision and hearing in cats


If you think your pet is losing vision or hearing, you should see a veterinarian as soon as possible, Dr. Danny Joffe said. Some causes of vision loss, including high blood pressure (hypertension), can be controlled, as can ear infections and eye diseases. Treating cataracts or taurine deficiency (an essential amino acid for cats) can also contribute to vision loss. 


For hearing, removal of affected wax or non-cancerous tumors are two possible root causes of treatment. Unfortunately, many other causes cannot be treated, but your veterinarian can give you some good ideas about how to best manage a blind or deaf pet, says Dr. . said Joffe, director of health care for VCA Canada and co-founder of Landing. Veterinary Clinic, in Calgary, Alberta, and the Calgary 


Animal Referral and Emergency Center (C.A.R.E. Centre), a 22-veterinarian multi-specialty referral and emergency clinic of which he is currently the medical director. Cats with severe eye disease that are left untreated (such as stray cats) may lose sight as their cornea (the surface of the eye) becomes opaque; It can happen at any age, 


Dr. Joffe said. Odors occur more frequently in older cats due to two different disease processes. High blood pressure (hypertension) is common in cats and if severe, it can cause detachment of the retina which can lead to blindness. This usually happens in the middle years (eight years and older).





2..When cats lose their hearing, they can become very loud (some cats can make noise if they become deaf


Another common cause of blindness in older cats is retinal degeneration, where the retina slowly deteriorates over time, causing the cat to go blind, said Dr. Joffe says. In these cases, the customer sometimes does not understand that their pet is blind, because it shows slowly that the cat adapts to the change and does not bother them at all. 


This usually occurs between the ages of two and five, although births of the condition occurring between the ages of two and three months are rare.






3..Signs that your cat is losing vision


So how do you know if your cat is lost? Signs of vision loss can include walking carefully, putting things together first, and being active, says Dr. Dan Gilchrist, founder of the Waterville Veterinary Clinic, a small animal practice in Waterville, Wash. New York State says. 


Owners may notice that their cats have grown better, even in the light. there is no fear reaction (does not react or flash in response to the rapid movement of the hand in front of the eye) and the cat is careful not to cause air movement in the eye that will make it shine. Dr Joffe adds that if cats gradually lose their way, for example due to retinal damage, many people can not even say that the cat is blind because they adapt well. 


If the vision appears quickly, such as high blood pressure that leads to back pain, the cat may fall into something while walking, act as if it confused or confused, and speaking louder than usual. Finally, the medical causes of shortsightedness in cats, trauma, neurological problems, and high blood pressure are more common than genetics. It is rare for cats to become blind at birth due to birth defects, Dr. Joffe says. 






4..Signs and symptoms of hearing loss in cats





Cats who listen to their ears tend to sleep a lot or seem startled when you try to wake them up, says Dr. Joffe says. In addition, when cats lose their hearing, they may be very loud because they cannot hear and therefore do not reproduce their sounds. Some cats may become noisy if they become mute. They are also easily agitated and may not be aware of their owner entering the room. 


A deaf cat with a hearing partner can also look to a hearing cat for visual cues about what is going on. As Dr. According to Joffe, there are many reasons why cats lose their hearing. Deaf cats can be born (deaf cats), this trait is associated with white (and possibly blue) coat color, although white cats are not deaf. . 


In older cats (perhaps over 12 years old), deafness may be an age-related change due to changes in the auditory nerve as they age. Severe or multiple ear infections (usually severe) can lead to deafness. Sometimes the explanation is simple. Some ear medications can block the ear canal and cause permanent deafness, which can be corrected by removing the blockage, he explains. Dr. Joffe.







If the owner is still unsure, Dr. Gilchrist suggests that the test can be done while the pet is sleeping with a metal pan and a metal spoon banging the pan very close to the cat. No response will be an investigation. 


In addition,standing behind the cat whistling loudly or doing it at the whistle of the judge to know any response will also be a diagnostic test. For most cat parents, having a pet or pet does not cause more work or stress (for the cat or the owner) and does not affect the relationship between the cat and the person. own it.




6..A blind cat is moving

Two of Sarah Quincey's five cats are blind, but they have changed so much that people don't immediately notice that Hank, a three-year-old domestic calico and black, and Tillie, a five-year-old shorthair. calico with hair, cannot be seen. The cats, who had their eyes removed like cats (Tillie has contact lenses and Hank has severe eye disease caused by keratitis), look like regular cats, Sarah said. 


They love chasing toys while playing with boxes, climbing towers and even bird watching. My Hank and Tillie move their ears and heads based on the movements of the birds outside. And Hank also catches flies and beasts both of them will climb, fight, run, explore like others. When people finish, they don't believe that they are blind, because even if they don't have eyes, you won't know. 


Cats use their other senses to understand, Sarah explained. Cats use their senses of hearing and smell. If they climb up to the top of a tower and try to come down, they stretch their legs to see where the next level goes.






  • *Microchip your cat and put your name and number on its collar if it goes out and goes far from home.)




  • *To get your cat's attention, tap your foot on the floor or tap on the surface.)
  • * Give your cat some positive visual stimulation. Get down to their level and provide toys and safe decorations in your home so that if something falls and your cat can't hear the warning sound, it won't hurt them.)
  • *Use the language to communicate. Go call your cat, wave your hand, or use a watering bottle to correct bad behavior.
  • * Set a schedule for mealtimes and mealtimes.)








Aurora, a five-year-old former stray dog ​​who is missing one eye and blind in the other, loves chickens and smells them but she can't see them. He sits straight wherever he begs... kind of like a dog, 


Waving his little hand whenever he smells fire, Julie, who lives in Richmond, Virginia saying. I was so unprepared! Needless to say, it's totally functional and has some delicious chicken meat.


Geordie, a survivor of animal abuse, also made a difference after losing an eye when he was abandoned as a kid. In the year and a half since Shawna Pooler has owned him, Geordie has changed so much that when people come to his house, they don't realize he's blind, Shawna said.


Geordie was in bad shape when I got him. She was upset and angry because she couldn't see him, the Jefferson City, Mo., resident said. Working with him in a dynamic environment has really helped him. He is more confident and self-possessed. Now he is a very loving cat. 






10..Tips and tricks to help blind and deaf cats

Shawna tries to help Geordie in many ways. He keeps one around Geordie. And as a volunteer foster parent for Paws Cat Rescue, she lets Geordie hear the new kittens she brings home. When something is different, he will immediately put his hand up and move on. For stray cats, it is important that their habitat does not change, 


Dr. Gilchrist says. They look good if the furniture and other things are in place. Keep them on the same floor if possible. Sign language helps deaf cats. Sometimes, they may hear a high pitched sound, such as a referee's whistle, which can be used to get their attention.



For the most part, most pet owners have nothing to worry about. In my experience, the number of blind and deaf and the number of cats in general is low, said Dr. Gilchrist says. What cat owners can do is to give their feline friend regular physical exams. Dr. Gilcrest recommends providing initial treatment once a year, 


And whenever a problem arises, before health problems lead to hearing or vision. Veterinarians and owners can work together, he says, to monitor high blood pressure that accompanies heart disease and hyperthyroidism in cats, which if left untreated can lead to blindness. , as well as ear disease, eye irritation or hyperthyroidism can be diagnosed. and it is treated before irreversible damage is done. For Shawna, there was no failure. 



As for Geordie, she says, Honestly, he doesn't need any more care than my cats, Shawna says. There is nothing else together and it is just as romantic and fun as they are. All my cats have special needs and are no more problematic than a full-fledged cat or kitten.