Black Cat Turning White

[gusandjohn]

Hi i have a black cat with a tiny white patch on his belly and a few odd white hairs scattered maybe 6 in total. lately iv been noticing he looks dusty like he's covered in dust, but he's not it almost seems like he has white tips on all his fur. So it's been getting more and more noticeable and it's i tried getting pics it wouldn't show but now it's showing enough i finally got a pic, he's a neutered 1 1/2 year old, i have a pic here of him before this change and a current one showing this change anyone have any ideas what's going on here?

 

[Blakeney Green]

Coat color changing slightly with age is normal. Some black cats do become whiter over time.

Zephyr, my tuxedo guy, is a lot whiter now than he was as a kitten.

 

[gusandjohn]

Thank you for your reply, i didn't know that could happen. I was worried it was something abnormal i'm glad it's normal.

 

[Margret]

How's his weight and appetite? I have known a black cat who was starving to death to turn white as her body pulled melanin from her fur to try to keep her alive. Note: That was an extreme condition. She really was starving, and her poor health was quite obvious. If your cat seems healthy otherwise this isn't what's going on. And yes, we caught it in time and she survived.

Margret

 

[gusandjohn]

He has a pretty good appetite, hes becoming a heavy cat he's 15.4 pounds now, but he was upset a couple months ago both my cats love the pet rats we had and the last rat died and he was so depressed, it sounds weird but the cats just loved the rats and vice versa, could that be a factor?

 

[Margret]

I doubt it. If he hasn't lost his appetite it probably isn't a problem. He could well be grieving, yes, but that's something that time will take care of and it shouldn't be causing him to turn white.

Margret

 

[shanzx]

Hi there. I've been having a similar situation with my 3 year old. I recently adopted her and her stomach was a bit white but over the past few months she has started to have more and more white/grey hair all over her body. Not to mention that the last time we visited the vet they had to shave her neck for a blood test and all that hair is growing white as well. Not sure if I should be concerned. I've attached some pictures to show you what her coat looks like in the sun and her neck too.

 

[Margret]

Same answer - if her appetite's okay and she isn't throwing up it probably isn't a problem.

Did you ask the vet?

Margret

 

[Boris Diamond]

I've had several cats get lighter as they got older. One cat I have now, Diamond, got a white patch at the base of his ear, just where it starts to rise. He was three years old. Since it was in such an odd spot the vet said she would keep an eye on it. It turned out to be just a growing patch of white fur.

 

[jcat]

A lot of black cats get white hairs/spots, some obviously more than others. Mowgli had a small white patch on his belly and 3 or 4 white hairs on his chest at 9 months. At 6, his belly spot is at least 1/3 bigger, the white chest hairs have turned into a "locket ", and he's getting more and more single white hairs throughout his coat.