Life is hard enough without having a disability. Imagine being a sailor who can’t hear. How do you navigate without being able to hear? Well, one sailor has Skatty, a polydactyl Maine Coon cat to help him out! Skatty (or Strauss von Skattelbol of RebelPawz) belongs to Paul J. Thompson from Auckland, New Zealand.
![cat and sailor](http://www.relayhero.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/1-111.jpg.webp)
Image Credit: Paul J. Thompson
Thompson became deaf when he was a child and uses Skatty as his ears.
![cat and sailor](https://www.relayhero.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/2-106.jpg.webp)
Image Credit: Paul J. Thompson
Thompson, a computer programmer, set out on a journey across the Southern Atlantic Ocean in his 32-foot boat named, La Chica.
![cat and sailor](https://www.relayhero.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/3-88.jpg.webp)
Image Credit: Paul J. Thompson
You can tell if a cat hears something because their ears will swivel to locate that sound and it’s a no-brainer that Thompson and Skatty are a great team!
![cat and sailor](https://www.relayhero.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/4-79.jpg.webp)
Image Credit: Paul J. Thompson
Thompson said that Skatty knows that he can’t hear.
![cat and sailor](https://www.relayhero.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/5-70.jpg.webp)
Image Credit: Paul J. Thompson