Nine-year-old Edgar was born deaf, and he loves to sit on the bass drum while his drummer dad plays.
Edgar was just a kitten when he was adopted by musician Jerry LaMark Jr.
“Right off the bat I knew he was unique, just based off of his eyes, he’s got the David Bowie eyes, and he just stuck out to me,” said LaMark.
He knew right away that Edgar was deaf.
He’s Got the Beat
“The first time we ran the vacuum cleaner he just had no reaction, he kind of just hopped on top of it and was just riding around on it,“ he said.
LaMark said he and Edgar quickly became buddies, and the kitten would follow him into the music room.
“He would come in the room with me and he would just jump up on my drums, and at first he was walking around while I was practicing,” said LaMark.
That could get a bit troublesome for both cat and drummer, so these days Edgar settles on the bass drum.
I think it also kind of works to help ease his anxiety or whatever he’s feeling, because it calms him.
“He will jump up on that bass drum and just sit there, that’s what makes him happy,” said LaMark. “That’s like his happy place, and I think it also kind of works to help ease his anxiety or whatever he’s feeling, because it calms him and there have been times where he’ll be on one of the other drums and he’ll just fall asleep completely.”
Edgar even likes to put his cheek up against the cymbals.
“Because after I hit them, they vibrate for such a long time, and he likes that feeling,” said LaMark.
“A Musical Sort of Cat”
LaMark said the day he got Edgar, the tiny kitten found his keyboard and started walking across the keys.
“And ever since, he’s just been a musical sort of cat,” said LaMark.
Edgar has even figured out how to turn on the keyboard. LaMark and his girlfriend will be downstairs and suddenly they’ll hear what sounds like an organ playing.
“And then we’ll come up here and he’s sitting on the keyboard. I think he also can feel that vibration as well, from like a piano,” said LaMark.
Dad on Drums, Edgar on Vocals
Deaf cats are known for their loud vocalization. Some cats may go into the bathroom and shriek, perhaps because the acoustics of the small space allow them to feel the vibrations of their voice.
They may experience some nervousness and become more affectionate and even “clingy.” Some people who have deaf cats speculate that some of the loud meowing may be a form of self-soothing. Older cats may have some level of cognitive decline, which can also be a factor.
Edgar does have some separation anxiety when he’s away from LaMark.
Sometimes he can almost sound like a little kid screaming.
“I’ll be in the house, but he’ll still cry sometimes if he doesn’t know where I am,” said LaMark.
“He’s usually pretty loud when he does that, and sometimes he can almost sound like a little kid screaming,” said LaMark.
Edgar can be so loud, LaMark and his girlfriend sometimes are concerned that neighbors hear him.
“We let our neighbors know that, you know, he is deaf,” he said.
White Cats Can Be Loud
A video of a deaf cat named Clarabelle loudly meowing at her mom went viral several years ago.
“She was found in a dumpster tied in a garbage bag when she was just a kitten,” said Clarabelle’s mom, Cristina Kintner. “We didn’t know she was deaf at first but then we noticed her not reacting at all to the vacuum or dogs barking.”
Kintner said like Edgar, Clarabelle meows when she’s separated from her.
“I’ll be asleep and she will be downstairs just meowing,” said Kintner.
Kintner said Clarabelle is incredibly loving and always wants to snuggle.
White Cats Are Prone to Deafness
Only about five percent of cats are all white, and both Edgar and Clarabelle are all-white with one blue eye and one yellow eye. Research has found that up to 40 percent of these cats are born deaf. That increases to between 65 and 85 percent for all-white cats with blue eyes.
While some cats are born deaf, others lose their hearing due to tumors, polyps, an infection, or other medical conditions. A cat’s eardrum thickens with age, so senior cats may lose their hearing as they get older.
Tips for Living With a Deaf Cat
Animal Behaviorist Dr. Mikel Delgado, Ph.D. said deaf cats just don’t know how loud they are, and it’s hard to say what information they’re getting from howling since they can’t hear themselves.
“Because they’re not getting that feedback it does suggest there’s another purpose for vocalization,” she said. “They either have learned that that vocalization gets a response from someone, and maybe because they’re not getting any feedback they’re doing it louder. But it doesn’t explain why they would do it in the first place, because again, they’re not getting any auditory feedback.“
Delgado said for the most part, deaf cats are like all other cats, you just have to approach them differently.
“They’re going to rely more on vision, they’re going to rely a lot more on vibration and touch, and certainly it’s not safe for them to roam outdoors,” she said.
Cats who have hearing loss can be startled more easily.
“That’s going to possibly lead to a greater chance that they’re going to get stressed,” said Delgado.
“I recommend approaching using vibration, like tapping on the furniture they’re on rather than just touching them to get their attention. You don’t want to wake them up suddenly,” she said.
Some deaf cats respond to sign language, such as a “come here” gesture.
For playtime, Delgado recommends something that is bright and sparkly.
“Like the kind of mylar wands where they can see more, there’s more light activity,” she said.
She also suggests providing olfactory stimulation with cat grass and catnip, as well as tactile stimulation with such things as a corner comb that the cat can rub on.
“Just encouraging those other types of engagement with their environment, I think can really be helpful for cats that have lost one of their senses,” she said.
Delgado said she would recommend those things for any kitty, but for a deaf cat it’s important to think about all their senses and how you can provide enrichment.
You can also take a tip from musician Jerry LaMark Jr., and just try picking up the drums. When it comes to keeping Edgar happy and content, “it’s like a comfort zone for him.”