How to Tell if a Kitten Is Hard of Hearing

A kitten is born deaf and blind and remains so for its first two weeks of life. After that, the kitten begins to hear and begins to see as it opens its eyes. If after this time your kitten fails to respond to the sound of your voice or other sounds, it may be hard of hearing. Hearing problems in cats have a number of causes, including genetic deafness, ear infections, ear mite infestations or the presence of a foreign body inside the ear. At the first signs of hearing difficulties, take your kitten for a veterinary checkup.

Instructions

1

Observe your kitten's behavior with its littermates. If the kitten behaves aggressively or seems constantly alert and more vocal than its siblings, it may suffer from deafness, according to PetPlace.com.

2

Look at the kitten's coloring. All-white cats -- with no patches of color -- with blue eyes are often deaf from birth due to genetics. Some cats with one blue eye and one yellow eye may be hard of hearing to some degree.

3

Step behind your kitten, out of its line of sight, and clap your hands loudly to see if it will respond to the noise. To prevent your kitten from seeing your hand movements, fill a tin can with coins and shake it with your hand behind your back. A deaf kitten will not respond to the noise.

4

Vacuum around your kitten. Usually a kitten is frightened of the loud noise of the vacuum and will run and hide. If your kitten does not respond in any way, or tries to play with the machine, it is most likely hard of hearing.

5

Watch your kitten when it walks. If it walks in circles, appears disoriented, tilts its head to the side, or walks leaning to one side, it may suffer from hearing loss that is affecting its balance and orientation.

6

Inspect your kitten's ears for signs of redness, irritation, blood or discharge from the ears. An ear mite infection results in discharge in the ears that looks like coffee grounds. Any of these signs indicates an ear infection, which can result in temporary hearing loss from middle-ear or inner-ear inflammation, according to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. Take your kitten to a veterinarian for immediate treatment of the infection to prevent it from leading to permanent hearing loss.

7

Call to your sleeping kitten, using only your voice to wake it. Try clapping loudly or shaking the can of coins. If the kitten does not respond at all, try to wake it by touching it gently. A deaf kitten will respond to your touch but not any vocal cues.

A kitten is born deaf and blind and remains so for its first two weeks of life. After that, the kitten begins to hear and begins to see as it opens its eyes. If after this time your kitten fails to respond to the sound of your voice or other sounds, it may be hard of hearing. Hearing problems in cats have a number of causes, including genetic deafness, ear infections, ear mite infestations or the presence of a foreign body inside the ear. At the first signs of hearing difficulties, take your kitten for a veterinary checkup.

Instructions

1

Observe your kitten's behavior with its littermates. If the kitten behaves aggressively or seems constantly alert and more vocal than its siblings, it may suffer from deafness, according to PetPlace.com.

2

Look at the kitten's coloring. All-white cats -- with no patches of color -- with blue eyes are often deaf from birth due to genetics. Some cats with one blue eye and one yellow eye may be hard of hearing to some degree.

3

Step behind your kitten, out of its line of sight, and clap your hands loudly to see if it will respond to the noise. To prevent your kitten from seeing your hand movements, fill a tin can with coins and shake it with your hand behind your back. A deaf kitten will not respond to the noise.

4

Vacuum around your kitten. Usually a kitten is frightened of the loud noise of the vacuum and will run and hide. If your kitten does not respond in any way, or tries to play with the machine, it is most likely hard of hearing.

5

Watch your kitten when it walks. If it walks in circles, appears disoriented, tilts its head to the side, or walks leaning to one side, it may suffer from hearing loss that is affecting its balance and orientation.

6

Inspect your kitten's ears for signs of redness, irritation, blood or discharge from the ears. An ear mite infection results in discharge in the ears that looks like coffee grounds. Any of these signs indicates an ear infection, which can result in temporary hearing loss from middle-ear or inner-ear inflammation, according to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. Take your kitten to a veterinarian for immediate treatment of the infection to prevent it from leading to permanent hearing loss.

7

Call to your sleeping kitten, using only your voice to wake it. Try clapping loudly or shaking the can of coins. If the kitten does not respond at all, try to wake it by touching it gently. A deaf kitten will respond to your touch but not any vocal cues.