I really don’t know if this is the correct place to post this so I apologize if it’s not. My kitten was jet black when I first got her at 4 weeks old. Not that she is 9 weeks old she is developing more white fur. Her undercoat appears to be white/grey. I’ve searched this and “smoke” comes up but it’s mainly in long-haired cats and I’m not sure this is the same thing. I was also thinking perhaps it’s just her undercoat coming in since winter is coming up but I don’t know anything about that. Please let me know! The first photos are what she looks like now and the last two are when I got her.
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Black kitten turning white?
- Thread starter Laynej37
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Is she eating well and gaining weight appropriately?
The reason I ask is that I've seen something similar in an adult black cat who was starving (and I do mean "starving" - she nearly died). Her body began to consume the melanin as new fur grew in.
If your kitten is eating well and gaining weight I don't think you need to worry, unless someone else here has seen something similar that proved to be a symptom of a problem.
Margret
The reason I ask is that I've seen something similar in an adult black cat who was starving (and I do mean "starving" - she nearly died). Her body began to consume the melanin as new fur grew in.
If your kitten is eating well and gaining weight I don't think you need to worry, unless someone else here has seen something similar that proved to be a symptom of a problem.
Margret
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Yes I had also seen something about this. I believe it was called fever coat. She eats so much food it’s crazy so I don’t see this to be a problem. I haven’t weighed her in a week but she looks much larger so I would definitely assume she is gaining weight but I will check. Last I checked she was 2 pounds at 8 weeks which I thought was healthy.
Fever coat happens when a mother cat has a high fever while pregnant, and the kittens are born with a distinctive dark coat which lightens to reveal their true colors over time. Unless you have inside information that the mother cat was ill when your kitten was born I don't think that's what this is. I think it's more likely that your kitten's coat is just changing color a bit as she grows, which isn't really uncommon. Siamese kittens, for instance, are born with none of the "points" (the distinctive dark ears and other markings that all Siamese adult cats have), because those colors are temperature sensitive - the womb is too warm to allow them to develop before birth (kind of the opposite of fever coat).
Margret
Margret
I do think it's fever coat. I imagine something not-so-great happened that you got her at 4 weeks, so her mother may have been sick when pregnant, who knows. So it'll almost certainly grow out black again eventually.
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- #7
Thanks for your help! The only reason I didn’t think that it was fever coat is because it started out black and didn’t turn white until about 8 weeks. At the time it started turning white she was getting fed on a regular basis and watched frequently
Yeah, but the fur develops before it comes out, and that's when the color is set. I don't know enough about that to say when her coat at this age developed, but whenever it was, something happened.
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It does look like fever coat to me. You can confirm that it is fever coat when it begins to grow out. You will see a band of color growing in at the base of the hair.
Fever coat can appear in kittens of various ages, and is not always caused by the mother having a fever. It can also happen after a kitten is sick, or due to poor nutrition or other stressful circumstances for the kitten, and can occasionally also happen to a healthy kitten without any obvious cause.
And regardless, it isn't something to worry about unless you see some sign that she is currently sick, like not eating, not playing, not putting on weight (kittens are supposed to grow!), or irregularities in her bowel movements or peeing.
And, BTW, I've been remiss. Welcome to The Cat Site! You've found the largest and best community of cat lovers on the internet and we're very glad that you and your adorable kitten have joined our community. We hope you'll be members for many years.
Margret
And, BTW, I've been remiss. Welcome to The Cat Site! You've found the largest and best community of cat lovers on the internet and we're very glad that you and your adorable kitten have joined our community. We hope you'll be members for many years.
Margret
