Here’s What Causes Loss of Hearing in Cats, Symptoms, Treatments, Diagnosis

Cats can experience a loss of hearing.

Complete or partial hearing loss are the two categories under which deafness can be placed. You will be able to tell when your cat is still young if it has congenital deafness, which means that the condition was present at birth.

It would appear that cats with white fur and blue eyes are more likely to be born with a congenital hearing defect than other types of cats. White Persians, white Scottish folds, Ragdolls, white Cornish rex and Devon rex, white Oriental shorthair, white Turkish angora, white Maine coone, and white manx are some of the breeds that tend to have the highest risk of congenital deafness. Other breeds that tend to have a higher risk include Ragdolls.

 

Symptoms

oblivious to the sounds of everyday life
Unresponsive to the sound of its own name
Totally unresponsive to the squeaky sounds of the toys
Not woken by a loud noise

Causes

Conduction (sound waves do not reach the nerves in the ear) (sound waves do not reach the nerves in the ear)
Inflammation of the external ear as well as other diseases of the external ear canal (e.g., narrowing of the ear canal, presence of tumors, or ruptured ear drum)
Otitis media, also known as a middle ear infection
Nerve
Degenerative nerve changes
Poor development (or lack of development) in the portion of the ear that contains the nerve receptors used for hearing; the condition causes fluid buildup in particular regions of the brain and damages the portion of the brain that is responsible for hearing. Anatomic disorders.

Cancers or tumors that involve the auditory nerves can cause hearing loss.
Inflammatory and infectious diseases include: inflammation of the middle ear or eustachian tube; inflammation of the inner ear; inflammatory masses that develop in the middle ear or eustachian tube.

Trauma
Chemical Hazards and Drugs
Antibiotics
Antiseptics
Drugs used in chemotherapy
Medications that are taken to reduce the amount of fluid that is present in the body Heavy metals such as arsenic, lead, or mercury
Products that fall into this category are those that are used to dissolve waxy buildup in the ear canal.
Additional potential hazards
Inflammation of the outer, middle, or inner ear that lasts for a long time and is classified as chronic.
Some inherited characteristics, like having a white coat, for example

Diagnosis

You will need to give a detailed history of your cat’s health, the onset of symptoms, and any possible incidents that might have preceded this condition, including any drugs that might have damaged the ear or caused a chronic ear disease. In addition, you will need to describe any possible incidents that might have caused this condition. In predisposed breeds, the onset of early age is typically indicative of birth defects (causes present at birth).

Brain disease, on the other hand, is a condition that affects the cerebral cortex and worsens over time. It is typically brought on by old age or cancer and results in the inability of the brain to register sounds that are picked up by the ear. In order to diagnose any underlying conditions, bacterial cultures and hearing tests, such as sensitivity testing of the ear canal, may also be utilized as diagnostic tools.

Treatment

Unfortunately, congenital deafness cannot be treated or reversed in any way. If, on the other hand, the inability to hear was brought on by an inflammation of the outer, middle, or inner ear, it may be possible to reverse the deafness through the use of medical or surgical treatments.

However, the success of these two approaches is determined by the severity of the disease already present, the outcomes of bacterial culture tests, the outcomes of sensitivity tests, and the findings of X-rays. Conduction problems, in which sound waves do not reach the nerves for hearing, may improve as inflammation of the outer or middle ear is resolved. Conduction problems can occur when sound waves do not reach the nerves for hearing. Hearing aids may be an option in certain circumstances; they have been utilized with some degree of success with various animals.

Making a Living and Managing Things

The level of activity that your cat participates in should be scaled back to prevent any injuries. That is to say, a deaf animal is unable to hear the approach of a car or another animal, and as a result, it will need to have restrictions placed on its ability to engage in activities that take place outside.

Your cat’s immediate indoor environment may also need to be controlled for its own safety and protection; in addition, members of your household as well as guests will need to be careful not to frighten or accidentally hurt the cat in any way.

If your cat is found to have an ear disease, your veterinarian will likely need to see it on a regular basis for treatment, either until the condition improves or until it is completely cured.