A Cat's Hearing

by Pumpkin
Coordinator of Kitty Health

Hearing is a cat's best developed sense. We cats can hear sounds that are to faint for the human ear, and we can hear higher frequency sounds. According to the Cat Owner's Home Veterinary Handbook, kittens are born with the ear canals closed. However in 5 to 8 days they open, at 13 to 16 days kitties can orient sounds and by 3 to 4 weeks can learn to distinguish between different sounds.

How many of you know the sound of your meowmie and daddy's cars? Casey can hear meowmie's car pull up when she gets home late at night from babysitting, and meows really loud (hurry and get inside meowmie, I misses mew).

Ear infections are very common. Your Meowmie and Daddy can look for the following symptoms:

Dark waxy discharge
Bad order
Blood or pus
Inflammation or redness
Frequent scratching
Excessive shaking of the head

Parents please take your kitty to the vet quickly! For infection can cause ear drums to rupture, which in turn could turn into ear infection, deafness, and balance problems.

Oh says your meowmie and daddy, we can help take care of your ears at home! Here are a few things to remember.

• When bathing a kitty put cotton in the ears to prevent water from getting in there.
  
• Gently restrain kitty and do not use a Q-tip or applicator in the ears. Mew can apply a few warm drops of mineral oil or veterinary medicine to the external ear canal and massage the ear base to loosen dirt, excess wax and debris. Then gently wipe with cotton ball.
  
• Or have your kitty brofur or sisfur lick your ears. Pippin has the cleanest ears around. And again parents, if in doubt take kitty to the vet, for infections are not good.
  Lots of purrs Pumpkin.
  

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