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Hearing the alarm What happens to a deaf kitten?
All of the kittens were getting better and bounding about-- but one -- Ataturk-- was different. He slept VERY soundly. He was slower than his littermates in recognizing and playing with toys. And unlike his siblings (and perhaps most companion animals) Ataturk... ignored the vacuum! His foster mom thought he might be hearing-impaired, and an HSHV veterinarian confirmed she was right. So what would happen to a tiny deaf kitten? Could he adjust to the world around him? Would someone adopt him, and would he be okay? Within an hour of determining Ataturk was healthy and ready to be adopted, the little hearing-impaired kitten went home with a loving human dad. But then, two weeks later, they returned. "[He's] Great with people, [and] loves to be held," his adopter said. "But he bullies my dog." The adopter stated his pit bull/boxer wouldn't come out of hiding, and for the sake of his fur family, he returned Ataturk-- hoping that with this new knowledge about Ataturk's personality, we could find him a fitting family. As HSHV staff heard of this fearless feline (and as several contemplated making Ataturk part of their family!), another loving adopter heard about his personality and couldn't wait to adopt him. They renamed him Pascal and brought him to their dog-free home! It seems neither abandonment nor disability nor big dogs could hold this tiny kitten back from getting what he wanted in life. And as for the question of what happens to a deaf kitten, this guy's story goes to prove he gets what he wants!
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One morning in May, HSHV staff woke to a box of five tiny kittens who had been abandoned at our doorstep. Underweight, dehydrated and not even a month old, the orphans were in need of urgent care. Our foster manager sounded the alarm, and a loving foster parent and very experienced cat owner stepped forward immediately to help nurture the fuzzy babes to health.