feral kitty ticking color change
I have a feral kitty that I named Blacky... yes his coat was very beautiful and very black. He is anywhere from 2 to 3 years old. Since January I have noticed his coat has turned medium brown in what appears to be random spots all over his black coat. There is a marked difference in the two colors, although both black and brown patches are shiny, long and appear healthy.
Anyone, any idea why? |
color change
Oh holy F (cow),
Really so many hits and no responses? I love this feral cat... I have petted this cat, he will take food directly from my hands. I call him my "Salty Dog" because he looks like he should be that dog smoking a cigar with a mouth all wrong and two eyebrows different... Blacky has part of his lip missing and both eyes are different shaped, yet I have never seen him fight with another cat. He is THE sweetest feral animal I have ever encountered! |
You are on a pet forum. You will get lots of hits and no replies. It happens. :shrug: Your question has also only been posted for a couple of hours. Give some folks a chance. We'll get there. ;)
As for your cat "changing colour" - if it concerns you could you try a vet visit? One of our other members has a cat doing the same thing. Her vet said a normal part of aging. My thought would be the cat is losing it's winter fur. Try brushing the cat and see what happens. One of my black cats has a very pronouced colour change every spring. Once he has a bunch of his winter coat brushed out he is his normal black with reddish highlights. |
[QUOTE=junkyarddog;1012897]Really so many hits and no responses?[/QUOTE]
Many of the views on any particular thread may be guests who are not members and therefore can not respond without joining first. :) Do all the "spots" appear fairly even in size compared to each other? It is possible he has a spotted tabby somewhere in his lineage and that may be coming through w/a seasonal shed. Can you see a "M" on his forehead? |
color change
Sorry, I get so worked up about this feral cat colony I take care of. Every day I don't know if I will ever see any of them again. There is a fence around my wrecking yard but predators can still get in. I have seen my cats with actual bites out of their skin from narrowly escaping being food.
14+, I can get close enough to pet him, but that's with me on my knees reaching under a car - the same with feeding from my fingers. I don't think I could ever brush him. Growler, the patches do appear even and anything is possible in his blood line. This feral colony has dipped into their own blood line many times. I will try to get close enough to look at his forehead in the sun (should it ever come out). Why the M? |
[QUOTE=junkyarddog;1012994]
I will try to get close enough to look at his forehead in the sun (should it ever come out). Why the M?[/QUOTE] Tabbies bear the mark of an M on their foreheads. A lot of black cats are indeed tabby kitties. That is why in a litter of tabby kitties it isn't unusual to see a black kitten. If you get a chance to look at him when he is lying in full sun (it will come) you may see distinct "lines" of the tabby stripe or the M on his forehead. Sounds to me like he's just losing his winter coat. |
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JYD,my black cat Chico has the same color-change,I'll check for a pic where it shows.
I took him to the vet Monday and the vet was not too concerned,his thyroid-test was a bit high and that could be the problem,but she was not sure. |
Chico2,
Yes!!!! That's exactly what my Blacky looks like only with long hair. The brown seems to be the same color in the sun. I'm relieved that your vet doesn't seem to concerned. Thanks (BIG SIGH OF RELIEF) |
My Chico also has little white hairs all over,but I was told it's old age (he's 14)although in all my years of having cats,some reaching almost 20yrs old,I've never seen a cat getting white hairs all over.
There are several other medical reasons why a black cat turns brown...but my vet did not believe Chico had any of those. |
C2,
What are the medical reasons? I have another feral named Yoda (ears seriously low on the sides of his head) and I believe him to be one of the oldest cats at my wrecking yard... I'd say 3 to 6 years old and he has black fur with a white diamond above his breast bone. Yoda has random single white hairs all over his body. I assumed the white hairs were due to age. Granted he's not that old, but what a life he led before I trapped and neutered him. Not only lots of fighting but at night the predators come out. I have seen Yoda with coyote bites on his hind legs. Now he's mello and sleeps in a bus with the broken windows covered over to create a wind free environment. Just 2 weeks ago I was able to finally pet him. He's still not sure of the petting but I'll win him over by the end of summer. |
JYD,if you look in this same Forum,but under senior cats,I have a post"Chico going gray",there people helped with sites about the many reasons why cats change color.
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you can try this link for info on what can cause color changing best i can do for you. [url]http://www.vet.cornell.edu/fhc/brochures/seniorcat.html[/url]
as for anything else i would think it would be awsome to have a color changing cat :) most feral animal colors do that anyways. |
doknor,
Really, I did not know that about ferals. So far this is my only feral to do this. chico2, Finally got a look at my Blackys forehead and I'm pretty sure I saw an M. I was about 2ft away so I can't be sure, but it makes sense from what you said. Thanks. |
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