Solid Blue Bsh Developing Spots In Coat

[Megsnan]

I have a 7month old BSH and I’m noticing that he is starting to develop spots in his coat just around his midsection. They’re not bald spots, the coat looks darker in these spots. In general his coat seems to be getting lighter, around his eyes, mouth, ears. He’s a solid color blue BSH and there are no spotted BSHs in his ancestry. Has anybody else experienced this with their cat or ever heard of this? I’ve included a couple of pics to better show what I’m talking about. It slowly seems to be getting more and more pronounced.

 

[Margret]

At a guess, either there are spotted cats in his ancestry and you just don't know about them or he's a "sport," a mutant, which isn't some kind of bad thing. Either way, it looks as if he's coming into his adult coloration, and he'll be a spotted blue BSH. I seriously doubt that this is anything you need to worry about.

He's a very handsome cat.

Margret

 

[Columbine]

It looks to me like he is developing ghost tabby markings. This is pretty common in solid coloured cats - 3 of my 4 BSH guys had ghost tabby markings.

abyeb or @StefanZ can explain the genetics of it better than I can. It's certainly no big deal though. You have a very handsome boy there

 

[Megsnan]

At a guess, either there are spotted cats in his ancestry and you just don't know about them or he's a "sport," a mutant, which isn't some kind of bad thing. Either way, it looks as if he's coming into his adult coloration, and he'll be a spotted blue BSH. I seriously doubt that this is anything you need to worry about.

He's a very handsome cat.

Margret

Oh thank you! That’s such a relief! I’ve been very worried since he has DCM. I thought it was a sign that his condition was progressing.

 

[Megsnan]

It looks to me like he is developing ghost tabby markings. This is pretty common in solid coloured cats - 3 of my 4 BSH guys had ghost tabby markings.

abyeb or @StefanZ can explain the genetics of it better than I can. It's certainly no big deal though. You have a very handsome boy there

Thank you so much! He has heart disease and I thought for sure he was dying! Thank you for responding and putting my mind at ease.

 

[abyeb]

Looks like ghost tabby markings to me! In order for a cat to have visible tabby markings, they need to inherit both the the tabby gene and the agouti gene. If a cat inherits the tabby gene but not the agouti gene, they can have ghost tabby markings, which means that, the tabby markings are there, just not very visible. Since your cat is still a kitten, he hasn’t grown into his adult coat yet, the markings may fade.

 

[lutece]

Don't worry, your kitten is solid blue and nothing is wrong with his coat. It is quite common for ghost markings to appear at this age, when the kitten coat is shedding out and the adult coat is coming in. They should start to fade again when the adult coat comes in fully.

As far as the spotted pattern, ghost markings show the underlying pattern that the cat would have had, if it were a tabby and not a solid. The pattern could be mackerel, classic, spotted, or ticked. It is fairly common for British Shorthairs to have a spotted tabby pattern (as opposed to mackerel or classic tabby).

 

[Megsnan]

Looks like ghost tabby markings to me! In order for a cat to have visible tabby markings, they need to inherit both the the tabby gene and the agouti gene. If a cat inherits the tabby gene but not the agouti gene, they can have ghost tabby markings, which means that, the tabby markings are there, just not very visible. Since your cat is still a kitten, he hasn’t grown into his adult coat yet, the markings may fade.

Oh wow. I’ve searched everywhere trying to figure out what would make his coat do this. Not one mention of ghost tabby markings, it was all worst case scenario like liver/kidney failure or maybe vitiligo but probably your cat is just dying. I’m extremely grateful for your help!

 

[Megsnan]

Don't worry, your kitten is solid blue and nothing is wrong with his coat. It is quite common for ghost markings to appear at this age, when the kitten coat is shedding out and the adult coat is coming in. They should start to fade again when the adult coat comes in fully.

As far as the spotted pattern, ghost markings show the underlying pattern that the cat would have had, if it were a tabby and not a solid. The pattern could be mackerel, classic, spotted, or ticked. It is fairly common for British Shorthairs to have a spotted tabby pattern (as opposed to mackerel or classic tabby).

I’m so glad I asked here before taking him to the vet! This is my first time having a kitten and having a pure breed. I have a lot to learn! Lol. Thank you for replying!

 

[Margret]

it was all worst case scenario like liver/kidney failure or maybe vitiligo but probably your cat is just dying.

Really?! This astonishes me; I've never heard of liver or kidney failure causing new coat patterns. That sounds to me like a huge stretch.

Next time you take your boy in for shots or an exam or whatever, do ask your vet about this, just for your own peace of mind, but it isn't worth spending money to take him in for no reason other than this.

Margret

 

[Megsnan]

Really?! This astonishes me; I've never heard of liver or kidney failure causing new coat patterns. That sounds to me like a huge stretch.

Next time you take your boy in for shots or an exam or whatever, do ask your vet about this, just for your own peace of mind, but it isn't worth spending money to take him in for no reason other than this.

Margret

Well it’s highly possible that I was searching in the wrong place. A spared visit to the vet is music to my ears and his too probably.

 

[GemmaM994]

It looks like hes potentially had a tabby in his family tree somewhere,
I know that's what happened to our little Alfie he's got stripes on his head and tail from previous Tabby's

 

[Megsnan]

Awww Alfie is so cute!! My kitten’s name is Albie

 

[lutece]

It looks like hes potentially had a tabby in his family tree somewhere,
I know that's what happened to our little Alfie he's got stripes on his head and tail from previous Tabby's

GemmaM994 , the gene for tabby (agouti) is dominant, so it can't be "carried" and expressed in a later generation. Solid colored cats (blue, black, chocolate, etc.) often have ghost markings when they are young and the coat hasn't completely developed, but this doesn't indicate that there was a tabby in the family. It is just the way that the solid (non-agouti) gene works.

Your Alfie is a red tabby and white. His white markings cover most of his tabby markings, but if he didn't have white on him, you would see the tabby pattern on his body. Reds are always tabbies of some kind, since the solid (non-agouti) gene doesn't work on red pigment.

 

[GemmaM994]

GemmaM994 , the gene for tabby (agouti) is dominant, so it can't be "carried" and expressed in a later generation. Solid colored cats (blue, black, chocolate, etc.) often have ghost markings when they are young and the coat hasn't completely developed, but this doesn't indicate that there was a tabby in the family. It is just the way that the solid (non-agouti) gene works.

Your Alfie is a red tabby and white. His white markings cover most of his tabby markings, but if he didn't have white on him, you would see the tabby pattern on his body. Reds are always tabbies of some kind, since the solid (non-agouti) gene doesn't work on red pigment.

You definitely know alot more about cats colours than I do
And it's also cool to know that our little Aflie is a Red tabby