Q We have a new kitten and we're beginning to suspect that he may be deaf. How can we tell if he really is and should we be concerned?

A Deafness most commonly occurs in white cats, though there are always exceptions to this rule. Trying to determine if your kitten is, in fact, deaf can be a bit tough. One of the best approaches involves the use of your vacuum cleaner as hearing cats tend to be scared of this machine while deaf cats will often attempt to play with it.

You should talk with your veterinarian about any special considerations if you find that your kitten is actually deaf. However, generally speaking, cats handle deafness very well, so well that it's usually very tough to distinguish a deaf cat from a hearing cat. The other senses seem to take over and compensate for the deafness.