Fever coat or black smoke?

[AStep]

Hello!

We have had our gorgeous little black kitten for about a month, and her coat has always been very pale/white at the root, especially on her neck. However she now seems to have lighter (almost tabby) markings showing through. She is also getting white hairs dotted throughout her coat too.

Is this anything to worry about? Google seems to come up with either fever coat or black smoke.

Thanks in advance for your help, we are new cat owners!

 

[Kris107]

All looks normal to me. Our black kitten has some random white hairs too.

 

[FeebysOwner]

HI and welcome to TCS! Sorry no one has responded yet with more knowledge than me.

Black smoke coats contain hairs that are light-colored at the root and black at the tips/ends. These cats can have what they call ghost tabby markings that often will ultimately disappear. The fever coat is usually the opposite and has dark-colored roots with lighter tips. This can vary a bit from cat to cat, so it is not an 'absolute' rule.

Normally, cats who have a fever coat are perfectly healthy and their hair will grow out to be its ultimate color/pattern as they age.

She looks pretty young, so her coat could go through numerous changes in the coming months.

Hopefully someone who understands this better than I do will come along and give you a better explanation!

 

[amethyst]

I have a cat that looks very similar, Black Tabby? Black Smoke Tabby Maybe? and was told he is just a solid black.