'Got hearing aids today and cried because my cat purred': Wholesome stories of deaf people hearing their cats purr for the first time and getting emotional

Author image for Mariel Ruvinsky
Mariel Ruvinsky • Writer and Editor
Jan 8, 2025 10:00 AM EST

There are some things about having a cat that simply cannot be explained to non-cat owners. When your cat comes to cuddle you - on their own, making their own decision, taking the long track from their spot in the living room to go be with you in the office. Or when you gently pet your cat after said cat has spent an hour in the sun, warming up, and they turn onto their back for you to pet them there. Or when the little cat goes chaos mode and runs straight across your face in the middle of the night for no apparent reason. 

And of course there's purring. If you have never had a cat sit on your lap and purr their little hearts out… if you have not felt those vibrations and heard that sound that cannot be replicated by anything else ever… you're missing out on one of the best feelings in life. So, when you guys told us all of these amazing stories of you getting hearing implants and hearing your cats purr and meow for the first time… believe us when we say that we shed a tear. 

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  • 01
    A deaf friend sent me a video in a panic once after getting a cochlear implant and asked if her cat was okay (I'm a vet tech). The cat was purring. We both cried.
    via Kasya Shahovskaya, kasya

    This image is for illustration only, and the subjects are models; the image does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • 02

    Got hearing aids today and cried because my cat purred

    I (31F) began to lose my hearing about ten years ago, when I was in the military. My husband and I got a cat about five years ago. I've never owned a cat before, so I had no idea what kind of noises they made besides "meow" so I had no context for what to expect when I heard my cat purr for the first time today.
    via reddit
  • 03
    I was laying in bed and he jumped up next to me and snuggled into my armpit. I started to feel him vibrate like he always does and then I heard it. I was so scared at first, I didn't understand what the sound was. Then it clicked: purring isn't just vibrating! It's a sound! I can hear it!
    via reddit
  • 04
    My cat has wandered off now, but I keep bursting into tears just thinking about his purr. I've never heard a cat purr before and it's so sweet. There's this ethereal quality to it I can't even describe. It has this rhythmic pattern to it. It's all nasally, but low and fluttery.
    via reddit
  • 05
    My husband and kids are sleeping and I don't want to wake them up, but I'll tell them in the morning. I just wanted to share this joy I'm feeling with someone now.
    via reddit
  • 06
    Cheezburger Image 10451009792
    via imgur

  • The post that started it all. We love this one. An oldie but goodie. And when we put it up on our page, wanting to share some of the feels with you guys, we truly did not expect so many of you to tell us their own similar stories. We're thankful. We really are. We needed this nice, pawsitive cry today. 

  • 07
    Cheryl Laviolette I had my cat for 3 years before I got hearing aids, and all that time I thought he was silent. Turns out he makes really low meows but us actually very vocal about everything! He just uses his "Indoor" voice so I couldn't hear him before!
    via Cheryl Laviolette
  • 08
    Terry Hawkins Cheryl Laviolette I did the same & loved it when I found she purred & talked a lot after my hearing aids were in!
    via Cheryl Laviolette
  • 09
    Elen Dupuis Bär A deaf friend sent me a video in a panic once after getting a cochlear implant and asked if her cat was okay (I'm a vet tech). The cat was purring. We both cried.
    via Elen Dupuis Bär

  • And this one specifically, we have to say, rivals the original with how many emotions it made us feel, and it is 10 times shorter. The love seeping from this story is really amazing, and we are so happy that this person got to hear the incredible thing that is a cat purring, because there is nothing else quite like it. 

  • 10
    Vickie Brooks Underwood First thing I said when I got my hearing aid, yay I can hear my kitties purr again!
    via Vickie Brooks Underwood
  • 11
    Kimberly Dee I just got my hearing aid on the 27th. The first thing I did when I got home was pick up each of my cats to hear them purr. So amazing.
    via Kimberly Dee
  • 12
    Abigail H Bast When i first got mine, I was shocked at the noises my kitties made. I thought they were silent meowers. But they are not! And now that I respond to them meowing, they do it all the time. I love it
    via Abigail H Bast
  • 13
    Paula Lozar That's so sweet! My mother was hard of hearing, but the last cat she had (which she got when she was about 90) had a REALLY LOUD purr -- so my mother never had any trouble hearing her. My mother passed away when the cat was nearly 15, so I took the cat home with me. She lived another year, and, although her purr had grown a little muted over the years, she still woke me up regularly at night with her purring ....
    via Paula Lozar
  • 14
    Mich Mac I understand. When I got my hearing aids it was amazing to hear all the sounds my cat made. I didn't realize how loud her meow was, the sounds her toys made shocked me.
    via Mich Mac
  • 15
    Mike Brinza I got hearing aids about five years ago. Although I could hear *most* of the sounds my cat made, when I came home with my new hearing aids, it was the first time I heard the quieter little vocalizations she made when looking out the window, and her meows sounded so LOUD!
    via Mike Brinza
  • 16
    Gwen Viral I just (last week) got hearing aids. I can hear my hair when it brushes against my ears. I thought all birds left for the winter but, no, I hear birds now!
    via Gwen Viral
  • 17
    Dana Harris I got my first hearing aid when I was 5. My mom shared my first discovery as we walked to the car and I heard strange noises up in the trees. I asked her what they were. She had no idea I'd never heard birds chirping before. Later that night I heard meat sizzling in the frying pan for the first time. I'm sure there were a hundred other things but those are the two that stick out the most because of my mom's reaction. She was so excited both times. •
    via Dana Harris
  • 18
    Alicia Fernandez I went deaf in my 30s-40s. I wear bilateral cochlear implants. Hearing sounds come back brought me so much joy. I love them!
    via Alicia Fernandez
  • 19
    Marion Joyner That purring is at some level of vibration that aids in healing. I've read many stories about someone having surgery and the cat would lay next to the incision and purr, it was like the cat knows it is helping. I have always had cats, they are amazing creatures.
    via Marion Joyner

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