A Deaf Cat in Tennessee Needs a Home

UPDATE: ADOPTED TO JOIN SNOWFLAKE and he will be named Blake.

I received an email from Bruce, who once had Marlowe, in his custody as a rescuer. His email to me reads as:

My name is Bruce Wilson, you may remember me as Marlowe's original rescuer. What a wonderful posting by Stephanie Schmid, his new companion. I am interested in posting a deaf white kitty who currently lives in a household in Cleveland, TN with the Robbins family. I am attaching a couple of pics of this kitty, he doesn't have a name at this time, he is a rescue as well.

If you can post him on your web site, I can get information about the kitty for your listing. I appreciate your assistance on behalf of all deaf animals!!

Bruce Wilson

After giving Bruce the okay, he had Larry Robbins/wife email me with more information about this deaf cat:

Thank you for your interest in finding a home for our deaf white kitty. He is about three to four years old. He has been neutered but not declawed. He is very sweet and gets along well with other cats. My one cat, however, thinks he's a yucky boy. My others get along with him fine.When we rescued him, he had been hanging around the house. He wouldn't let us get near him so we started feeding him. One night we were outside and saw him almost get hit by a car. The next day, when we saw him, he was limping badly. I had a cage on my deck and put some food in it. He managed to hobble up the steps and when he went into the cage, we shut the door. He didn't seem to care. The next day I took him to the vet. His paw was inflamed, probably from a bite. Also he had a severe kidney infection. The vet said he probably wouldn't make it, but gave me an antibiotic to give him. He only weighed 7lbs. 14 oz. When I had him neutered, they did a bloodwork profile on him and everything was normal. As far as I know he is in good health.I haven't had him to the vet since he was neutered. I've had him for a year and a half. I tried PALS to get him adopted, but they said he was too old. People wanted kittens.I didn't have the heart to take him to the Animal Shelter. I finally made up an ad and took it to my vets office. That's where you came in.

All my other cats (five in all, also rescued) are 12 and 13 years old. We are retiring in three years and are ready to be free of animals (I think). I appreciate anything you can do to see that deaf kitty finds a loving home. He needs to be an indoor cat.

If you or know of anyone who would be interested in providing a forever and loving home for this deaf cat, do not hesitate to contact Bruce Wilson at carolinapanther1107@yahoo.com.

Deaf Pets Make it in the News!

I subscribe www.care2.com and they provide a wonderful resource, ranging from domestic animals/wild animals to environment to violence against women and so on. They send a petition from time to time on various issues to sign. I encourage you all to subscribe and give your support. I stumbled across this article that talks about deaf pets as well as someone mentioned about it to me. Overall, I agree with most of, if not all, what is being said in the article on deaf pets.

Go to Pets with Disabilities Series: Deaf Pets made available by www.care2.com or go to Pets with Disabilites Series: Deaf Pets made available by www.petside.com

Deaf-Blind Dogs Can Lead a Normal Life!

While I appreciate some of Carl's blogs/vlogs on http://carl-schroeder.blogspot.com/ about deafhood and linguistics when it comes to people, I was disheartened and saddened by what he expressed and how this deaf and blind puppy had to endure based on what he said in his vlog.

There were some things I noticed that were not done appropriately that may have contributed to this puppy's fear. Puppies do not come out of the womb afraid for no reason. Nothing doesnt seem to be done carefully and slowly to allow this puppy time for adjustment with every new thing at a time but instead was bombarded with everything thrown at its way. This is pretty obvious because this puppy was brought home at one month old or so and already given up within a few months with everything I read that shouldn't happen. This puppy was set up to fail. It is my observation that this puppy had a bad start and is not at fault.

#1 -- This puppy wasn't given time to bond and develop trust with one person who'll become its master, become familiar and comfortable with its home environment/territory and learn commands before introducing to other humans or animals, one by one with plenty of time space in between.

#2 -- This puppy with these special needs should not be in a home with young children and would be better off with one adult or two in the home. Who can expect children this young, 10, 8 and 6 not to leave things around, tease the dog or step on it? No one should be allowed to throw a ball at a deaf and blind dog or expect it to fetch a ball. Throwing ball, as common sense indicates, is inaccessible therefore not accomodating for this kind of dog. Tug of war rope or some kind of independent toys that it plays on its own would suit a deaf-blind dog.

#3 -- Why change dog food when the puppy was eating the old dog food and let it starve? Too much changes in short time is not good at all. With the puppy not being toilet trained, go figure with everything that has gone wrong from the start and at that age.

#4 -- Deaf animals require touching to replace the lack of sound along with sight but with a deaf-blind dog, it requires a whole lot more of touching to make up for lack of sound AND sight. It depends on tactile communication. I do not see any of this and I perfectly can see why this puppy gets frightened by touch it hardly was exposed to.

Just because a person is deaf and works with deaf or deaf-blind people doesn't make the person qualified to consult or train about a deaf or deaf-blind animals just as much as just because the person is hearing and works with hearing people doesn't make the person qualified to consult or train a hearing animal. There are people experienced and/or specialized in caring for those kind of animals.

With that said, the puppy was in the hands of people who do not know how to deal with a deaf and blind dog. It has absolutely nothing to do with the puppy being blind on top of being deaf that failed him. It is human who failed this puppy and the puppy chose to stay at one place and not move because it has no clue and has given up trying. I can imagine it being confused and scared. It won't surprise me if this puppy was euthanized by sheer arrogance and ignorance of some people involved.

There are success stories of deaf-blind dogs who lead a normal life by people who know how to deal with them rather than giving up and blaming on their blindness. Who are we, deaf people, to talk like that about blindness when the majority in our society views our deafness just like how deaf people views those who are blind? Anything deaf is not superior than anything deaf-blind when it comes to animals. For anyone in deaf community to say that, is it a projection that also meant deaf-blind people as well are inferior to us, deaf people?

Check this link at http://www.pawstoadopt.com/blindanddeafdogs/ and it has a lot of wonderful resources as a guide for deaf-blind dogs and I absolutely concur with it. Reading this will show that this deaf-blind puppy did not receive proper care and training. It took this deaf-blind dog in this link a year to learn this one thing.

Here is youtube of deaf-blind dog playing with blind dog and article about deaf-blind dog that were posted on this blog a while ago:

Deaf-Blind and Blind Dogs Having Fun

Hearing Dog Found Deaf-Blind Dog

Here is a few links of and about deaf-blind dogs:

http://www.deafdogs.org/resources/otherlinks.php#deafblind

http://www.rollingdogranch.org/dogs/spinner.html

This blog will close with this quote:

"It is the ultimate test of our worth as individuals and countries how we treat the most vulnerable and disadvantaged." Sir William Deane, Former Governor General, Australia.

Help Deaf Owner Find Her Lost Deaf Dog in MS!

UPDATE: CLYDE WAS FOUND SAFELY. KEEP YOUR BELOVED PET CLOSE TO YOU.

I get woken up by my brother this am, urging me to post this on my blog and then wished me a happy birthday :) Let's work feverishly in getting words out to your deaf fellows and hearing allies in bringing Clyde back home safely.

To deaf and hearing members of the Deaf community (as well as animal lovers who are not part of the Deaf community) in Mississippi and its neighboring state if where Clyde lives is near the border of another state, please flood as many shelters with a call and email them a picture of Clyde so that whoever drops her off there will not get euthanized. Some Southern states and Midwestern states, animals get euthanized quicker and their usual method is to gas them to death but more quickly when finding out an animal is deaf. Print this flyer and pass around and send via email as well. Read the article with picture and information below:

This is a copy of the flier Helen Margiotta and friends are circulating in hopes of finding Clyde.

From the newsroom of the Sun Herald, Gulport, Mississippi, Saturday, January 5, 2008 .....

Article from the newspaper can be found on this link

Deaf dog needs help to get home
By CREE CANTRELL
SUN HERALD

GULFPORT -- It's hard enough to lose a pet, but Helen Margiotta has a bond with her beagle, Clyde, that transcends the typical pet/person relationship. Both Margiotta and Clyde are deaf.

Margiotta adopted Clyde last winter after a close friend found him abandoned, flea-covered and starving.

Since then Helen and Clyde have developed a special relationship.

"She has even been working to teach Clyde some sign language so the two can better communicate," said friend Laura Lambert of Gulfport, who is helping Margiotta in her search for Clyde.

Margiotta first noticed Clyde was missing from her Perry Street yard on New Year's Eve after leaving the dog outside while she went out to run a few errands.

"Helen never leaves Clyde outside," Lambert said. "Our best guess is that he climbed the fence or possibly that someone let him out of the yard."

Clyde does have a collar, but the tags are not attached. Margiotta and friends have been combing the neighborhood, putting up fliers and checking the animal shelters.

Clyde was last officially seen after his disappearance near his home across from Gulfport High School off Courthouse Road, and a possible sighting was reported in the Hardy Court Shopping Center area.

People who may spot Clyde are urged to remember he is deaf and unable to respond to audible communication such as yelling, clapping or whistling.

If you have any information on Clyde's whereabouts, contact Margiotta, who uses a Telecommunication Device for the Deaf, at 896-4305. The TDD line will ring a number of times and then beep as if reaching a fax line. The incoming telephone number is then sent to Margiotta, and she returns the call through an interpretive operator. Or people with information could contact Lambert at 343-1235.

Original

Sound Off

I am working on behalf of a friend, Helen Margiotta of Gulfport, trying to help her find "Clyde." He somehow escaped her Perry Street yard on the afternoon of New Year's Eve wearing his collar, but unfortunately without his identifying tags. Helen adopted Clyde last year after he was found abandoned in a rural area, emaciated and flea-ridden. Helen took unusually good care of Clyde, working tirelessly teaching him signals because he is stone deaf and misses most of the cues most pets get from humans and their surroundings. She has a special bond and purpose with Clyde also because Helen is also deaf!...

© 2008 Sun Herald. All Rights Reserved.

2008 Onward: For Animals, Earth and People!

10 Reasons to Go Vegetarian in 2008

Many people's New Year's resolutions include losing weight, eating better, getting healthier, and doing more to make the world a better place. You can accomplish all these goals by switching to a vegetarian diet, and you'll enjoy delicious, satisfying meals as well. Here are our top 10 reasons to go vegetarian in 2008:

1. Slim Down While Feeling Good
Is shedding some extra pounds first on your list of goals for the new year? Vegetarians are, on average, up to 20 pounds lighter than meat-eaters. And unlike unhealthy fad diets, which leave you feeling tired (and gaining all the weight back eventually), going vegetarian is the healthy way to keep the excess fat off for good while feeling full of energy.

2. It's the Best Way to Help Animals
Every vegetarian saves more than 100 animals a year from horrible abuse. There is simply no other way that you can easily help so many animals and prevent so much suffering than by choosing vegetarian foods over meat, eggs, and dairy products.

3. A Healthier, Happier You
A vegetarian diet is great for your health! According to the American Dietetic Association, vegetarians are less likely to develop heart disease, cancer, diabetes, or high blood pressure than meat-eaters. Vegetarians get all the nutrients they need to be healthy (e.g., plant protein, fiber, minerals, etc.) without all the nasty stuff in meat that slows you down and makes you sick, like cholesterol and saturated animal fat.

4. Vegetarian Food Is Delicious
So you're worried that if you go vegetarian, you'll have to give up hamburgers, chicken sandwiches, and ice cream? You won't. As the demand for vegetarian food skyrockets, companies are coming out with more and more delicious meat and dairy product alternatives that taste like the real thing but are much healthier and don't hurt any animals. Plus, we have thousands of tasty kitchen-tested recipes to help you get started!

5. Meat Is Gross
It's disgusting but true: Meat is often contaminated with feces, blood, and other bodily fluids, all of which make animal products the top source of food poisoning in the United States. Scientists at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health tested supermarket chicken flesh and found that 96 percent of Tyson chicken was contaminated with campylobacter, a dangerous bacteria that causes 2.4 million cases of food poisoning each year, resulting in diarrhea, cramping, abdominal pain, and fever. Learn more.

6. Help Feed the World
Eating meat doesn't just hurt animals; it hurts people too. It takes tons of crops and water to raise farmed animals-in fact, it takes up to 16 pounds of grain to produce just 1 pound of animal flesh! All that plant food could be used much more efficiently if it was fed to people directly. The more people who go vegetarian, the more we can feed the hungry.

7. Save the Planet
Eating meat is one of the worst things that you can do for the Earth; it's wasteful, it causes enormous amounts of pollution, and the meat industry is one of the biggest causes of global warming. Adopting a vegetarian diet is more important than switching to a "greener" car in the fight against global warming.

8. All the Cool Kids Are Doing It
The list of stars who shun animal flesh is basically a "who's who" of today's hottest celebs. Joaquin Phoenix, Natalie Portman, Tobey McGuire, Shania Twain, Alicia Silverstone, Anthony Kiedis, Casey Affleck, Kristen Bell, INXS lead singer J.D. Fortune, Benji Madden, Alyssa Milano, Common, Joss Stone, and Carrie Underwood are just a handful of the super-sexy vegetarians who regularly appear in People magazine. Check out our recent "World's Sexiest Vegetarians" poll for more hot, compassionate celebs.

9. Look Sexy and Be Sexy
Vegetarians tend to be thinner than meat-eaters and have more energy, which is perfect for late-night romps with your special someone. (Guys: The cholesterol and saturated animal fat in meat, eggs, and dairy products don't just clog the arteries to your heart; over time, they impede blood flow to other vital organs as well.) Plus, what's sexier than someone who is not only mega-hot, but also compassionate?

10. Pigs Are Smarter Than Your Dog
While most people are less familiar with pigs, chickens, fish, and cows than they are with dogs and cats, animals used for food are every bit as intelligent and able to suffer as the animals who share our homes are. Pigs can learn to play video games, and chickens are so smart that their intelligence has been compared by scientists to that of monkeys. Read more about these amazing animals.

Ready to get started? Make 'Go vegetarian' your resolution for 2008 and we'll help you every step of the way. Have a happy, healthy, and humane new year!

I have copied and pasted above in its entirety from GoVeg.com and it is made available by PETA, People of Ethical Treatment of Animals. On it, you'll find many valuable information and resources.

Marley's and My Best Hanukkah Gift!

The four medications I had for Marley -- lactulose, metrondiazle, denosyl and amoxillin. Lactulose has almost run out during my November 9th visit. I asked the vet about a refill. She said according to the bloodwork, Marley does not need lactulose. A week later or so after that appointment, metrondiazle has run out and I called vet about a refill and the office said no refill needed. Denosyl has run out a day or so before the next vet appointment on December 3rd, so I thought it's no harm to wait until then to find out if any refill is needed.

On December 3rd, I had an appointment with Marley's vet, who I have begun taking her to near my home since November 9th on my blog after I pulled her out from this hospital, for her another bloodwork. While there, I waited for Marley's turn to be taken in, there was 5 rescued cats roaming around at the vet office. One of the cats climbed onto my shoulder and sat comfortably on my back while I was holding Marley in my arms. I had to chuckle when Marley squinted her eyes and moved away her head in fear, thinking the cat would claw her when the cat only swung its tail. Marley can learn to tolerate cats but not my other dog, Murray, who is a true hunter. Marley would join him as a pack if she saw him go after an animal. They have killed a possum in my yard and since then, I have added a wind chime under my storm door to alert critters to run for their lives when I open the door. No dead animals found again.

Did you just talk briefly about me on this blog?

Marley demands to get closer to the dogs at the vet office and sniff them or else she'll bark up the storm! She is loud, considering that she can't hear herself and has given the wrong impression to people that she's mean and vicious -- actually she's quite the opposite and harmless! :) She does the same with people she is unable to get closer.

When it was Marley's turn, they had her blood drawn to be sent for testing and have the result back the following day. I had to call the next day to find out the result. The assistant took her to be weighed and said Marley has gained to 11 lbs and 4 ounces from 10 lbs and 7 ounces. I was relieved to know she was gaining albeit slow.

I called through relay and was nervous to learn about the result. The vet picked up the phone and I asked her about the result, being tempted not to hear it. She responded with the news that Marley's bloodwork has returned to almost normal. I couldn't believe what I was reading and asked her if she was serious. She said yes and she was very happy about the result. She said I can go back to Marley's regular food. I was afraid to jinx it and continued feeding Marley her special food while slowly changing the food that's proper for her diet. The news was my best Hanukkah gift and that one gift is enough for the whole 8 days! I do not know if Marley thinks it's enough and probably wants more :)

Don't stop feeding me special food just because I am well!

P.S. I just heard back from this person from the liver support group for dogs that I should be cautious in spite of the bloodwork result. Here is what she said:

"My opinion is that she's only "near normal", I wouldn't change food just yet. Do you have the most recent blood work results you can share with us so we can take a look at them? It's very possible she could have had an acute attack from an outside toxin. If Marley is eating the food you have her on now, which I think is lower protein, I would probably wait until you run the next set of blood work and BATs to know for sure that she's completely leveled out blood-wise. Why rock the boat or make a quick decision that might interfere with her progress? Also, I would look at her previous food and examine ALL the ingredients to ensure there's nothing in that particular food that she may be adverse to long term, cumulatively speaking.

Maria"

While remaining cautious and taking Maria's advice to continue feeding Marley bland diet with low protein, M&M and I truly, truly want to extend our appreciation for your kindness and support through the difficult time. The donation some have offered will help pay down Marley's medical bill and those who have donated will be contacted individually to show my gratitude. I have been overwhelmed since Marley became ill and didn't have much time for anything else.

To maintain this blog's integrity for the sake of deaf animals, I will scan the medical bill with the breakdown of the costs that accumulated to 2k and post it on here.

A hard lesson I have learned is to get pet insurance for both of my dogs. This topic will be discussed in the future blog.

Here's a wink to mommy for taking care of Marley!

Marlowe Finds Home with Another Deaf Cat

Hi,

I just wanted to send an update your way on a cat, Marlowe, you had posted on Deaf Animal Row way back in July. I know that you already have him listed as "adopted," but I thought you might like a follow-up to know how he's doing. I'm a sucker for sappy cat stories, anyway!

I am so grateful to your website! I am hearing but had a deaf cat already in my home. He is seven years old and came from my aunt; it was always a family joke that as soon as I graduated from college and moved out of student housing, I would be given WC (short for "White Cat"; a lot of other names were tried out and they just didn't fit!). My aunt didn't feel like she could give WC enough attention because he's a very affectionate, clingy cat and she had a lot of other cats around. Her home is animal rescue central! Also, WC never really got along well with the other cats. They discovered that they could sneak up on him and were a little vicious about it, so when I took WC in July he became an only cat for the first time in his life. He and I latched onto each other 4 years ago when I moved to Kansas, and now we got to live together! Fantastic! He enjoyed the extra attention from me but would stand at the door and cry every morning when I left for work. So sad!

This is WC as an only cat.

I decided that WC needed a companion, and that it might be a good idea to look for another deaf cat. I figured that even if they didn't understand their similarities, at least they'd be equally matched in stealth ability :) I found Marlowe on your website and didn't pursue it at first. After all, I live in Kansas and Marlowe was all the way in Tennessee! Still, Marlowe caught my eye because he looked so much like WC; even their eyes are the same color, on both sides! I eventually emailed Bruce Wilson, Marlowe's original rescuer, and was soon making plans to take a 3-day weekend to make the 900 mile drive to Tennessee to pick up Marlowe. I had to wait about a month for this to come up, but it was worth it! Marlowe has been nicknamed as Moe.

Moe makes himself at home

Moe still acts like a kitten!

I was skeptical at first about how the two cats would get along. WC has never been close with any of the cats he's lived with. They usually tolerated each other but never played together, slept in the same area, etc, etc. It took some adjusting, but I am amazed at how well Moe and WC get along! It took about a week for them to get to know each other but now they play together, eat together, sleep in the same bed, and act like they have know each other their whole lives.

Best buddies :) In seven years, WC has *never* been this close with another cat! I am amazed.

I have noticed that both are considerably less vocal than they were prior to Moe coming to the house. WC used to meow constantly, mostly to get my attention and the attention of other animals, and I had heard from Moe's rescuer that he was quite the talker. My theory on this is that these two guys really do understand that they have to communicate with each other using body language.

WC and Moe will meow at me to get my attention, but never at each other. I have also noticed that neither sneaks up on the other one, which is exactly what I was hoping for! Amazing! Moe has also had to do some adjusting of his own. He was pretty touchy when I brought him home after spending all two years of his life in a kennel. While he was well taken care of and definitely loved, he never got to play or explore. He is still very kitten-like and runs almost everywhere! He is starting to handle human affection much better and even lets me pick him up and hold him now. He's also a bathroom cat...ugh! I don't know ASL but WC and I do know the sign for "come" and use it regularly.

We have developed our own language that works for us, and Moe is starting to get used to it and respond. I'm very interested in learning more about name sign, as I'm sure both WC and Moe would respond very positively to it. Anyway, here are some pictures. Again, I really appreciate your website and all you do for deaf animals! I'm glad that there are still people in this world who understand that differences aren't necessarily "disabilities" and that every one of God's creatures deserves to be loved.

Stephanie Schmid

Laser chasing is a favorite activity around here.
Scroll Down...

Get it, Moe, get it!