Deaf Blind Cat and a Blind Cat Having a Ball!

If you remember from one of the blog pages with a videoclip about deaf blind dog and blind dog playing. Here's this site of a deaf blind cat with a blind cat. The deaf blind animals (dog and cat) have a similiar behavior as they rely on touch to know where their partner is to continue playing. It melts my heart watching that. Contrary to some people's belief, they do lead a normal life and don't let people tell you otherwise.

International Deaf Dogs Among Other Animals

Above video is to inform the international deaf community. I thought about sharing this video will enable those in the deaf community in a particular country to help spread the word to adopt a deaf dog close to home who needs a home. It looks like they are available in England and Ireland. A few are still in need of a home and those who do, you'll see a link of them for adoption. Those that don't have a link, it means they have found a home. The links are available to check out on the video. Not something the American deaf community can do for these deaf animals as they're overseas! That's when the international deaf community need to step in :) Spread the words, our international friends! :) It was inspiring to watch this video.

Vlog: Blind Dog and Deaf-Blind Dog Play Together!

Tears welled up in my eyes as I watched this video of a deaf-blind dog, Baron, and blind dog, Widget. It is fascinating to observe how Baron relies on touch to respond and sometimes Widget touches with its nose or paw to get the blind-deaf dog’s attention. When it doesn’t do that and barks instead, Baron wasn’t responsive. Widget appears not to realize Baron was deaf. Baron seems to rely on the movement of the doggy bed to get a feel of what Widget is trying to do. You’ll see how they’re just like any other dogs. Just that they had no slightest idea how lucky they are to be adopted by loving owner who sees them as no different from any other animal :)

With all good intention by the owner, let's explore how the title is worded on title,

"Blind Widget plays with Blind-and-Deaf Baron."

It is as if the deaf-blind dog is not capable of playing. 'Play with' implies directionality, and it seems the deaf-blind dog needed the blind dog to play with him. From this title and how deaf animals are unwanted by most because of its inability to hear, it seems deaf animals are not immune from audism as well, thus supporting our argument that deaf animals should be considered part of the deaf community.

Instead, we should word it so that both dogs are put on an equal footing, for instance,

"Blind Dog and Deaf-Blind Dog Play Together."

Think about it. This also spawns another discussion. When we (the deaf community) turn our cheek and not do our part when it comes to adopting, fostering or rescuing and advocating for deaf animals, are we being audists?

Did you realize that DeafRead.com does not post the majority of our posts about deaf animals (specifically when it comes to deaf animals on death row), because they say that deaf animals are not part of the deaf community. See the publishing guideline, #1) Deaf Related Posts.

Deaf animals are not a part of this guideline, therefore Human Editors reject any posts about deaf animals unless deaf people are part of it, for example: People share experience about adopting, fostering, rescuing deaf animal, articles/information about deaf animals, etc. These will get posted on DeafRead.

If we post about a deaf animal about to die this week if it is not adopted, fostered or rescued, DeafRead does not usually publish this. Share your thoughts about this... Are deaf animals part of the deaf community? Or not?

A Hearing Dog Found a Deaf/Blind Dog

A neighbor took her hearing dog on a search for another neighbor's deaf/blind dog, Fulton, after learning it got loose and do not know way its back home. For 24 hours, Fulton was lost somewhere on the 190 acres of land where it's unlikely a human will cross the path of where the dog is. This is what humans and animals do for another humans and animals.

For more, read this article along with a movie clip

New Home for Deaf Dolphin and You to Swim With!

Or click on this: Deaf Dolphin Finds New Friends

Deaf dolphin calls Dolphins Plus home sweet home

BY STEVE GIBBS Citizen Staff KEY LARGO — Castaway, a deaf Atlantic bottlenose dolphin relegated to public display, finally has a permanent home.

The dolphin, whose 3-day-old calf died June 15, has been moved to a natural seawater lagoon at Dolphins Plus, a research and education facility where visitors pay to swim with the dolphins. It was a long journey getting there. Castaway, named for the cove near Vero Beach where she stranded herself last November, was placed in isolation at the Marine Mammal Conservancy at Mile Marker 102.5 in January after rescuers learned she was pregnant. Her calf, named Wilson, was born on June 11 and lived almost four days. The results of a necropsy, done to determine the cause of its death, was not available at press time.

Because the National Marine Fisheries Service considers Castaway to be rehabilitated, the agency said she either had to be released or transferred to a facility that displays, not rehabilitates, dolphins. But she could not be moved to the Dolphins Plus lagoon immediately because a pregnant dolphin there is about to give birth at any moment. Due to the recent loss of her own calf, it would not be healthy to introduce Castaway into an environment where she would be exposed to another newborn calf, said Robert O. Stevens, director of veterinary medicine.

Castaway spent a few days alone in a 24-foot circular above-ground pool at Island Dolphin Care while Dolphins Plus erected a barrier to separate the lagoon. The pregnant dolphin, named "Dinghy," lives on one side with another adult female dolphin, while Castaway now resides on the other side with two other adult female dolphins, facility curator Art Cooper said.

Besides being deaf, Castaway's vision is impaired, Stevens said. "Her vision on her right side is not as good as her left. She turns her head and looks out of her left eye," he said. "We suspect she might also have neurological problems. She may have had a stroke. She doesn't have pattern recognition, so we suspect a neurological problem. "We don't know for sure," he added. "Because of her size, it has not been possible to get to a facility where they could use an MRI." The mammal weighs between 550 and 600 pounds. Dolphin advocates have been critical of the care provided to Castaway, saying social animals such as dolphins should not be kept in isolation. "We're not isolating her at our whim," Stevens said when Castaway still was at Island Dolphin Care. "[The U.S. Department of Agriculture] says we have to isolate her. It is not smart to introduce her into a strange group of dolphin — boom — like that." While she was at Island Dolphin Care, she was under the care of the Marine Mammal Conservancy's Robert Lingenfelser. "Socially she's doing just fine," Lingenfelser said at the time. "She was depressed for 2 1/2 weeks after Wilson died, but she seems to have recovered from that." Dolphin advocate Rick Trout, a former conservancy director, said he was pleased that Castaway has been moved. "I'm glad to see that she is no longer at [the conservancy], that she is ... where she should have been moved last January, with other animals," Trout said. sgibbs@keysnews.com

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20103286/

Alliance of Deaf Ferret and Hearing Cat!

Half way through, you'll find the deaf ferret noticing the camera and stares directly at it for a while before resuming his activity with the cat. Being visual attuned, it doesn't surprise me how he acts. I find my deaf dogs and others' deaf animals to be detail oriented with their own sight. Also, touching is very important for them, the animal-deafies.



Clickable link

P.S. On a side note, please spay and/or neuter your pets to help control overpopulation and encourage others to adopt from the shelters.

In Honor of Deaf Dolphin and Memory of Its Calf

Here is the movie clips of Castaway and its calf to remember the calf:

http://video.msn.com/v/us/fv/fv.htm??g=ce155baf-024d-4ce8-a49c-3cb7f261a64f&f=05&fg=rss

http://player.clipsyndicate.com/main/player?playlist_id=7&wpid=47&clip_id=811368&cpt=8&

I tried to make post after posting the movie clips on Saturday but as soon as I was about to post, my internet was down.

From my observation of the movie clips, I am disturbed by the fact there is too much involvement by different people since the birth of the calf, Wilson. It led me to believe that too much of human interference is a potentially contributing factor.

First, knowing deaf animals, their sense of smell is sharper than their hearing animal counterpart due to their loss of another sense. I can only imagine it is the same for the mammals. Castaway would have sensed it and feels she is not valued as a mother and being allowed to do it her way. It was reported that Wilson was born healthy and doing well for several days, so what's the point of human interference?

Secondly, what struck me as odd is all the fuss these people did with this calf and the sound machines that imitated the vocalizations when in fact Castaway did alright without people involved or without any vocalization ability when it was born in the wild. It was cared for by its mother and it's obvious that Castaway managed to survive into adulthood. If Castaway did, Wilson would have and even if he failed to properly vocalize, he'll always be safe in the sanctuary like his mother. It bothered me a great deal in one of the pictures or movie clips that the humans would bring Wilson closer to other hearing dolphins to be exposed for vocalization purpose. All different things humans did to Wilson and away from its mother in short 4 days must be too much. I wish Castaway and Wilson are allowed to bond and progress naturally without any interference from humans. It is reported that the calf was born healthy. One of the

Lastly, no one knows for sure, but it is possible that Castaway stayed close with a group of dolphins for as long as she can until she got distracted or something happened in the ocean that separated them.

Ava the Super Deaf Cat in Action!

Due to popular demand, here's some shots of Ava the Super Deaf Cat in action! You'll see her tap my arm to get my attention. She's smaller than my other hearing cat, Taz, but she kicks his butt. My hearing sister says Ava has a Deaf 'meow' - not some horrible screech, but a cute Deaf meow. Enjoy :)

Meet a Deaf Cat... Ava!

In this vlog, Raychelle talks about deaf cats in general and the parallels in paternalism between deaf people and deaf cats. She then shares some experiences with her deaf cat, Ava and some video clips of Ava.

How do you get the attention of a deaf cat? Just like you do deaf people! Vibrations (from tapping floor, or a nearby object); Breeze (from flapping arm, newspaper, etc); Changing Lights/Shadows (from flashing lights, or blocking/unblocking the stream of sun/light); and of course by Touch (tapping, petting gently). Here are some urls if you'd like to investigate further. Do share your tips on how to "teach" Ava not to claw up furniture! :)

Gallaudet Library FAQ: Deaf Animals
White Cats, Eye Colours and Deaf Cats
Living with a Disabled Cat: Deaf Cats

Please pay no heed to my questionable taste in furniture and decorations... after all I am a poor college student :)