New Hearing Aid for Cats Developed
by Charlotte LoBuono and Patricia Collier
Posted on March 28, 2003
Hans-Rainer Kurz, a German hearing aid manufacturer, has created a device that improves the hearing of partially deaf cats.
The hearing aid, which was developed with the assistance of the School of Veterinary Medicine of Hannover, is implanted in the cat's outer ear and held in place by a titanium casing.
The device has proven to be very effective, but will not aid cats that are completely deaf.
Kurz in 1995 developed a similar hearing aid for dogs that was first used by a Beagle named Joschi old age had caused him to begin losing his hearing.
Some cats and dogs do not like wearing hearing aids, but a veterinarian can place an inexpensive foam earplug into a pet's ear to check the animal's tolerance before beginning the implantation procedure.
Hearing aids for pets can cost as much as $1,000, but are covered by some veterinary health insurance providers.
Sources
Ananova www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_746772.html Deaf Cats to Get Adapted Hearing Aids
Utah Association for the Deaf www.uad.org/bulletin/jul2000/dogscats.html Hearing Aids for Dogs/Cats
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