Elana wandered up the lane, cruising for something to eat. She often watched the little girl playing outside. The cat who lived in the garage seemed tolerant. But the dog, who was sometimes loose was worrisome. He seemed to know when she was hanging around and she could tell he didn’t like that.

After a few more days, the little girl noticed Elana playing with a leaf, but couldn’t get her attention. The garage cat allowed her to eat the leftover food in her dish. Elana began to spend more time at the garage when she was hungry. Sometimes she followed the little girl around. Once Elana even let her pet her, but she never stayed around for very long because of the dog.

One afternoon the dog startled Elana as she was sunning herself. He got her by the neck and shook her, hard. A man came out of the garage and grabbed the dog and put him back in the house. Elana ran off and didn’t come back for days.

 

When she finally returned, there were two bowls of cat food in the garage. The little girl was waiting. They sat quietly together. Elana began stopping by twice a day. The dog still came outside, but he was always on a leash. Elana stayed around for longer periods of time. Often, the man would see Elana sitting in the lane looking across the fields as he was approaching the garage in his truck. She never responded to the blasts of his horn...only when she actually saw the truck. Then she’d run into the ditch. But, recently the little girl was able to capture Elana in a box and bring her to us. Elana is deaf in both ears. She does have a nasal-pharyngeal polyp in one Eustation tube, but that doesn’t explain her total deafness. We took her to the Eastern Iowa Veterinary Specialty Center in Cedar Rapids to be diagnosed. In early January they removed two polyps (one from each Eustation tube). She still snuffles and snorts a bit, but that will get better as she heals. And who knows, since the polyps didn’t grow through her eardrums, perhaps she will be able to hear again. This cat is very fond of humans. She has a soft trill and follows people around. Elana also likes other cats, but you can tell she likes uprights better.

Although deaf cats compensate for their disability well, as you can imagine, they sleep quite soundly. Because they are so easily startled, they may hiss reflexively. You’ll need to use vibrations to warn Elana of your presence when she’s asleep and visual signals, and flashing lights to get her attention while she’s awake.

Elana likes—playtime; head bunting; found objects; exploring; soccer; watching everything; mealtime; wand toys

She dislikes—restraint; not much else

Elana’s Characteristics

—not much

—somewhat

—quite a bit

—very much!

 

Confidence—	Adaptable to change—
Plays well with others—	Activity level—
General Temperament—affectionate and playful