Hearing loss usually announces itself sideways
An older cat losing her hearing rarely presents as obvious deafness; she presents as a cat who has stopped coming when the treat tub rattles, sleeps through the vacuum cleaner she used to flee, or seems startled and annoyed when touched because she never heard you approach. Hearing often fades unevenly in older cats, with high sounds going first, so she may still react to a low voice or the thud of the food cupboard while missing a whistle entirely. Note too that a deafening home can mislead you: a cat responding to the air movement of a clap behind her, or to floor vibration from your steps, may be compensating beautifully with her other senses.
Simple hearing checks that do not frighten her
Test an older cat's hearing gently and from out of sight, because a visual cue invalidates the result. While she is awake and facing away, rustle a treat packet quietly, then at moderate volume, and watch for an ear flick or head turn; repeat on another day before drawing conclusions, since a deeply focused or sleeping cat ignores plenty she can hear. Try sounds at different pitches — a soft click, a low hum, keys jingled — and write down which ones she answers. Never clap loudly beside her ears: a startled response proves nothing useful and costs her trust in the game.
Eyesight changes show up in navigation first
An older cat losing eyesight usually copes so well in a familiar room that the first clues are spatial: bumping a stool that was moved yesterday, hesitating at the top of stairs she has used for years, missing the edge of the litter tray, or taking a longer, wall-following route to her bowl at dusk. Low light exposes failing vision before bright rooms do, so watch her at evening, when she may walk more slowly with her head low, whiskers forward. Also watch her eyes themselves for a new cloudiness, pupils that stay wide in bright light, or eyes that look different from each other — observations worth reporting, though only an examination can say what they mean.
Checks for vision she will actually tolerate
Roll a silent, soft toy slowly across an older cat's field of view and see whether her eyes and head track it without the help of sound or scent. Hold a treat still at different positions — left, right, slightly above — and notice where she reaches accurately and where she guesses. Do these checks in her normal room in normal light, then again at dusk, because the comparison between the two is often the real finding. Avoid shining lights into her eyes or dropping objects to startle her; calm, repeatable games give you information a fright test never will.
Adapting the house while you arrange a vet check
Whether the change is hearing, eyesight, or both, keep an older cat's world stable: return moved furniture to its place, leave a low night light on her route to the litter tray, approach a hearing-impaired cat within her view or with a gentle floor tap so your arrival is not a shock, and keep food, water, and bedding exactly where her memory expects them. Book a vet visit to discuss what you have observed — sensory loss in older cats sometimes travels with other age-related changes a vet will want to assess, and sudden loss, a painful-looking eye, or a cat who stops eating needs to be seen promptly rather than at the next routine visit. Bringing dated notes on what she responded to, kept in KinsLe's Pet Passport with the rest of her records, turns a vague worry into a clear history the vet can act on.