That first photo of Merlin looks amazing. He really looks like some kind of other-world, creature of the night.
When working with deaf cats, your best bet in training is with scents. For example, with the dishwasher (and the oven), spray a pet repellant around the base of the appliance, and up the sides of the door.
**Deva ** – No, he’s got one green eye and one yellow eye. No deafness (just extreme skittishness), so sorry, I can’t help you on that front.
MercyStreet – I’d doubt that’s the case here…we have a half-dozen very shallow bowls set up for their food. Nothing that he would bump his whiskers on. I think he just prefers to be hand-fed. 
Wile E – Wow, Digit is a cutie! Love the look on his face.
Death Ray – Heh…he was lying on the stairs in a very cute pose, so I grabbed the camera. As I apporached him, he started getting a little flippy and tried running back up the stairs, but I was in his way. So he was dashing back and forth trying to find an opening to get past me. I just hit the shutter button and hoped for a halfway decent pic. It turned out to be one of my favorite photos of him.
Too late, my cat already runs the house with normal, unimproved, paws. I shudder to think what he could do with opposing thumbs (I would probably need a locking deadbolt for the fridge . . .).
Criminey! With hands, er, paws like that, they could scoop their OWN litterbox!
(If only they could…)
Heck, they could just open the front door, go outside, grab a shovel, dig a hole, poo in it, wipe themselves with toilet paper, fill the hole, and wander back inside.
I’m not scared.
I have two shotguns and three rifles.
I’m not scared at all.
Not a bit.
Really.
You’re just asking for trouble, Exgineer.
I’ve gotta stop reading so fast - I kept seeing pterodactyl when reading polydactyl and imagining a cat with wings!