Deaf Cat Bullies Other Cats

[KateMc82]

I have 3 cats. In order of age and when I got them, they are Rocky (DSH Tabby), Luna (DLH Tabby), and Ollie (DSH White and Deaf). Rocky and Luna get along great. Ollie, however, will sometimes attack Rocky or Luna (especially Luna). He jumps on their backs and bites their necks or he lays on his side facing the other cat and scratches and bites. This doesn’t happen every day, but it is a regular behavior for him. He was neutered last year, but am wondering if it was too late to modify his behavior (he was 5 when he was neutered). He also attacks my roommate’s female calico. We have to keep them away from each other. Rehoming any of the animals is a non-starter. How do I modify Ollie’s behavior, especially since he is deaf and he cannot hear the growling from other cats or verbal cues from me.

 

[FeebysOwner]

Hi. How long have you had Ollie in comparison to the others? I am guessing that given he wasn't neutered until 5, you haven't had him all his life, yes? That being the case, you probably don't know what his past is either.

Can you tell us a bit more about what you do know? For example, has he been deaf all his life?

Short of all that, the only other thing I would wonder is if he is still producing hormones because there was tissue left behind when he was neutered. It is not unheard of...

 

[KateMc82]

Actually, I’ve had him most of his life. My mom found him as a kitten outside in the summer heat sleeping under a car. He almost died as a kitten. He had a bot fly larvae in his neck that got infected. He was very small and frail. I wasn’t sure he was going to make it. We took him to the vet and they fixed him up. Once he got better, my mom didn’t have the finances to get him neutered and she was reluctant to get it done at a lower cost by the humane society. Then my mom got sick. She had dementia. Her health declined significantly and swiftly and she passed away about a year after first being diagnosed. I had no time to get Ollie fixed during this time. I was taking care of my mom full-time. I finally was able to get him fixed through the humane society a few months after my mom passed away. I’m not sure if they got all the tissue or not. Can you tell that without opening him up and looking? Ollie was a really good kitten. I don’t remember any problems. I believe he has been deaf since birth. He is affectionate with humans once he trusts you. He’s skittish if he doesn’t know you. I’ve never seen any aggression towards humans that he shows towards other cats. I never really noticed when his aggression started. I’m guessing it was once his hormones started kicking in.

 

[KateMc82]

Ollie is now 6 and I’ve had him for 6 years. I’ve had my oldest, Rocky, for almost 10 years (he will be 10 in October), and I’ve had Luna almost 8 years (she will be 8 in July) Rocky was about 6 months when I found him outside. Luna was just a kitten when I found her outside.

 

[FeebysOwner]

I am so sorry for what you have been through and what Ollie has been through!

You can ask your vet about what can be done to see if your cat had tissue left behind when neutered. I think there has to be another way besides surgery - perhaps checking hormone levels via a blood sample??? But, now knowing more of the background, I would guess Ollie's behavior is more likely a habit since it has been going on for most of his life.

Since he doesn't attack the other cats all the time, you need to pay close attention to what is going on right before an attack. Is he being startled accidently by one of the other cats? I would suggest you try paying super close attention to him for a while and see if you can identify any specific triggers. And, then log them to see if you can find specific things that are causing him to act out. What the causes are will help to determine solutions.

You also need to find ways to get his attention - but different ones for when you are just wanting to interact with him versus when you want to correct him for some bad behavior.

Laser lights or even a flash light might be one of the ways to get his attention, or even forewarn him about approaching cats. Stomping on the floor is another way to alert him that another cat is around. But, if you use stomping as a positive attention getter do not use it for bad behavior too. When he is behaving and you just want his attention, make sure you smile and use a singular hand gesture (thumbs up, or what ever you choose) so he knows you are not upset with him.

You may want to consider a vibrating collar (not a shock or spray collar) that would let you send a gentle vibration to the collar when you want to distract him from an undesirable behavior. Then, when he looks at you, frown and find a singular hand gesture you want to use to tell him "no", and use it consistently. You can at that point, even pick him up, use the gesture again and put him into a time-out for a couple of minutes.

Whatever you choose, it has to be done each and every time. It may take a long, long time for him to understand since this behavior is obviously deeply embedded in him. However, you want to spend as much time with him in a positive way, so that the interaction you have with him isn't always related to correcting his behavior. And, additional play time with him might help with some of his behavior as well.

The other thing is to try calming sprays on all of the cats - the scent might help him smell them approaching, and it might also help to relax him a bit too.

A lot of deaf cats like to have high perches to hang out on so that they can see what is going on around and below them. Does he have a cat tree or shelving that he uses? If not, you might want to consider getting a few to place around the house, if possible in front of windows (for the view/entertainment) so that all the cats don't try to use just one.

I am sure there are tons of other ideas that hopefully other members will offer you as well. I am hoping that some who have deaf cats can share some successful tips with you too!!

 

[FeebysOwner]

In addition to my novel above, here is a thread from another member who dealt with a deaf cat, an TCS article about a deaf cat, as well as an article from yourpetspace.com. Maybe there are some ideas in them for you?

Advice For A Deaf Foster Cat

The Deaf Cat

Caring for Your Deaf and Blind Cats

I looked through other threads from members who posted about their deaf cats, but tbh, there was not a lot of responses with advice.

 

[KateMc82]

Thank you for all your help and suggestions! I have noticed before he attacks, he acts like he’s going after prey or a toy. He crouches down, sometimes wiggles his butt and then pounces. I haven’t noticed him being startled and lashing out. I will observe him further. I will see about him getting a vet appointment soon. My oldest cat, Rocky, just recently broke his canine tooth and has to have surgery to get the rest removed. This comes with a pretty hefty vet bill. They have a cat tree, but it is small— only about 3-4 feet off the ground. I’ve been wanting to get them shelves and a new tree, but again, expense is the problem. He does like to sit and sleep on the back of the couches, which are about the same height as their tree. I will check out those articles, too! Thanks for the links! This morning, I already started doing hand signals with him. He knows one that I taught him a long time ago— “come here,” so I think he will be able to learn new ones. He’s pretty smart.

 

[FeebysOwner]

Good to know that he already knows a hand signal!! If he knows one, as you said, he can learn more! He might actually catch on pretty fast between him being very smart and being more visually astute than cats that can hear.

I have noticed before he attacks, he acts like he’s going after prey or a toy. He crouches down, sometimes wiggles his butt and then pounces. I haven’t noticed him being startled and lashing out. I will observe him further.

That sounds like he wants to play! Maybe you can intervene with a play toy? And, I am sure you can figure out some hand signal to go along with the play toy so that when he sees you gesture he knows it is play time - with you!!!

 

[Hellenww]

How do the other cats reespond to Ollie's attacks? Are they scared of him or hiding in fear? Do they seem stressed in any other way? Is he causing injuries? If no to all of these questions then the 2 older cats are ok with his behavior. I know adults accept rude behavior from kittens, I wonder if they are doing the same with Ollie because of his deafness.

It does sound like he just wants to play but the other weren't successful teaching him manners when he was young. Keep his nails trimmed to prevent injury and have as many play sessions a day as you can manage. Hopefully he will learn to come to you when he wants to play. Then you can try a reintroduction with your roomates cat when he's tired.

 

[KateMc82]

How do the other cats reespond to Ollie's attacks? Are they scared of him or hiding in fear? Do they seem stressed in any other way? Is he causing injuries? If no to all of these questions then the 2 older cats are ok with his behavior. I know adults accept rude behavior from kittens, I wonder if they are doing the same with Ollie because of his deafness.

It does sound like he just wants to play but the other weren't successful teaching him manners when he was young. Keep his nails trimmed to prevent injury and have as many play sessions a day as you can manage. Hopefully he will learn to come to you when he wants to play. Then you can try a reintroduction with your roomates cat when he's tired.

I do think most of it is play aggression. I don’t think he ever learned how to play and I definitely don’t think he was ever able to pick up on signals from the other cats that he was being too rough. The other cats do avoid him at times and are a bit intimidated by him. He does pull out fur, but I have noticed no other injuries in the cats from Ollie. They do at times seemed stressed by Ollie. This makes me feel guilty and sad for the other 2 who had the run of the house before Ollie came in.

 

[KateMc82]

Ollie also is very intense with affection, especially with humans. He purrs so loud and insistently when being cuddled. He is very needy when it comes to affection and kneads with his claws a lot. It hurts me but I endure it because he’s so content while doing it. He also likes it if you pet him harder than my other cats like. I’ve wondered if he could be autistic (if cats can have that?) or some other similar developmental disorder.

 

[Hellenww]

I’ve wondered if he could be autistic (if cats can have that?) or some other similar developmental disorder.

I managed group homes and have wondered the same thing about our skittish Sqeeker but I think each cat has it's own personality. Yoshi is more rough and tumble than most cats I've met but he also enjoyed "fetch" so that used up a lot of his energy. At 8 yrs his energy level decrease to equal a normal 2 yr old, at 12 he just stared getting tired before me.