Expert: Jessica - 3/29/2010

Question
Hi Jessica,
 My cat (Kitty) is almost 11 in human years but, my problem is she is blind in one eye and completely deaf. I needed advice on having a better relationship with her. I play with her whenever I'm around. Which is probably 2 hours a day at the least. And I usually brush her which she sometimes enjoys. But, I also, sometimes point around a laser point and she'll pursue but, not to close to her because, I heard it is bad for her eyesight. Is that true? But, she also is partly nocturnal which I understand is normal for most cats but, are there anyways to sway her habits so she's not stirring the whole night.
     Also, I hear there are some signs to use for cats common ones that are easy to comprehend for her because, she is deaf of course. Any advice on signs and training her she knows when t is time to eat when I tap my heel twice or do the light swithc twice wherever she may be and also I use  a motion towards me to make her come. But, any other advice? Please write back as soon as you can thank you so much.
                                             Sincerely,
                                            Maddie Badoa

Answer
Hi Maddie.  While no light should be pointed directly into the eyes for prolonged periods for obvious reasons, the laser pointers available in the U.S. are relatively safe for eyes.  They won't cause any more harm than a flash light would.  The red dot from the laser pointer is not dangerous at all, so you can allow Kitty to get as close to that as she likes.

Most cats are active in the twilight hours by nature.  Generally, if we play with them for a good half hour right before bedtime and then feed them just before lights out, they will quietly groom themselves and then sleep through the night, or at least a great portion of it.  This is sort of recreating nature for them - hunt (play), eat, groom, and then sleep.  Outdoors, cats do this after the hot sun goes down and before it comes up, usually our prime sleeping hours.  With a little finagling, we can adjust the biological clocks of most cats to fit our schedules.  Nevertheless, if she’s too active at night, try setting her up in a room away from your bedroom at night with all her necessities so she doesn’t keep you awake.

As for teaching her signs to communicate, there aren’t any real universal signs for cats, but it sounds like you have established the important ones for her.  I think it’s great that you’re using the lights to communicate that it’s meal-time, and this is also a good way to let her know you’re in the room so you don’t startle her.  I really believe that touch is going to be your most important form of communication and interaction.  She may enjoy petting with a grooming mitt and receiving hand-fed treats.  With my deaf cat, treat time was our most special time of the day.  I prefer to give my kitties healthy treats like chicken baby food, which I have trained them to take from a syringe (this makes medicine time much easier, too, because they think the medicine is a treat!), or other treats that contain no grains.

Best wishes to you and Kitty!

Jessica