Changing cat fur color: causes and examples

Author: Peter Berry
Date Of Creation: 16 February 2021
Update Date: 16 December 2024
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Why Is My Cat’s Coat Changing Color?
Video: Why Is My Cat’s Coat Changing Color?

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Do cats change color when they grow up? In general, when a cat is born of a color, will stay like this forever. It's something that's in your genes, just like your eye color, your body structure and, to some extent, your personality. However, several situations, such as age, race, diseases or specific moments can cause the cat fur color change.

If you ask yourself questions like: why is my black cat turning orange? Why does my cat change color when it grows up? Why is my cat's fur getting lighter or matte? So keep reading this PeritoAnimal article, in which we'll explain all the reasons that can cause your cat's fur to change. Good reading.


Can a cat's color change?

The fur of cats, although genetics determines its color or colors, whether the texture is smooth, wavy or long, whether it is short, sparse or abundant, may change that will change its outward appearance a little, although inwardly nothing has changed.

Several reasons can cause the cat's fur to change. From environmental disturbances to organic diseases.

Your cat's fur color may change due to following factors:

  • Age.
  • Stress.
  • Sun.
  • Poor nutrition.
  • Bowel diseases.
  • Kidney Diseases.
  • Liver diseases.
  • Endocrine diseases.
  • Infectious diseases.
  • Skin diseases.

Changing a kitten's fur to becoming an adult

How do you know what color the cat will be? Although it depends on the breed, cats in general do not change color when they grow, only the tone intensifies or the puppy's fur changes to that of an adult, while maintaining the genetically inherited color.


In certain breeds, there is, yes, a change in the color of the cat's skin as they age, such as:

  • Himalayan cat.
  • Siamese.
  • Khao Manee.
  • Ural Rex.

Himalayan and Siamese cats

The Siamese and Himalayan breeds have a gene that produces melanin (the pigment that gives hair color) based on body temperature. Thus, when these cats are born they are very light or almost white, because during pregnancy the whole body had the same body temperature as the mother's interior.

from birth, the gene is turned on and begins to color areas that are generally cooler than normal body temperature. These areas are the ears, the tail, the face and the paws and, therefore, we observe the cat fur color change.

Cats that find themselves in high temperatures during the summer in some regions or countries may present partial albinism in the body, as the temperature increases and the gene stops coloring these areas when the average body temperature increases (39°C).


Otherwise, when temperatures are too low, the drop in body temperature can make the cat too dark.

Siamese cats can also develop a process called periocular leukotrichia, when the hairs around the eyes turn white, depigmenting. This change can occur when the feline is underfed, in a pregnant female, in kittens that grow too fast, or when they have a systemic disease.

Be sure to check out this other article where we explain why some cats have different colored eyes.

Khao Manee Cats

When born, Khao Manee cats have a dark spot on head, but after a few months, this stain disappears and all adult specimens turn completely white.

Ural Rex Cats

Another example where the change in the color of the cat's fur is quite clear is the Ural Rex cats, which are born gray and after the first change, they acquire their final color. In addition, at 3-4 months, the wavy hairs that characterize the breed begin to grow, but it is not until 2 years of age that the change is complete and they acquire the phenotype of an adult Ural Rex.

In this other article we talk about the personality of cats according to their color.

old cats

As cats get older, with the natural aging process, the fur can go through a slight change of tone and may appear by gray. this is more noticeable in black cats, which acquire a more grayish hue, and in oranges, which acquire a sandy or yellowish hue. It is common to have this change in the color of the cat's fur with the first strands of gray hair from the age of 10 onwards.

Change in cat fur color due to stress

Cats are especially stress-sensitive animals, and any change in their environment or the behavior of those close to them can be very stressful for them.

An episode of more or less severe stress in a cat can cause what is known as telogen effluvium, which consists in that more hair follicles than normal pass from the anagen phase, of growth, to the telogen phase, of fall. In addition to greater hair loss, the coat color can vary, and to some extent, usually becomes paler or gray. Which means that a stressed cat can suffer from hair loss and even change in the color of its coat.

In the following video we talk about another cat shedding a lot of fur - causes and what to do:

Change in the color of the cat's fur due to the sun

The radiation from the sun's rays affects the external appearance of our cats' fur, more specifically, it affects its color and structure. Cats love to sunbathe and will not hesitate to be out in the sun if they can, for a while and every day. This causes the cat's fur tones down, ie, getting lighter. Thus, black cats turn brown and oranges a little yellowish. If they get too much sun, the hair can become brittle and dry.

In addition to changes in hair color, excess ultraviolet rays can predispose to the formation of a tumor, squamous cell carcinoma, in white or almost white cats.

Change in cat fur color due to malnutrition

Cats are carnivorous animals, they need to consume animal tissue daily that provides them with the necessary amounts of protein and all the essential nutrients that they can only obtain from this source. An example is the essential amino acids phenylalanine and tyrosine. These amino acids are responsible for the synthesis of melanin, the pigment that gives hair its dark color.

When a cat has a diet deficient or low in animal protein, it develops nutritional deficiencies. Among them, phenylalanine or tyrosine deficiency and cat fur color change. This is well observed in black Cats, whose changes in the coat are notes because the coat is reddened by the lack of these nutrients and the consequent reduction in the production of melanin.

This reddish-orange color change in black cats can also be seen in other nutritional deficiencies, such as zinc and copper deficiency.

Change in cat fur color due to disease

When a well-fed dark cat that eats a lot of animal protein starts to turn orange, it is necessary to rule out the possibility of intestinal absorption problems that explain the lack of the amino acid tyrosine or phenylalanine. These problems can be caused by intestinal malabsorption, such as intestinal tumors, inflammatory bowel disease and infectious enteritis.

Disturbances in the secretion and production of bile acids in the liver or enzymes in the pancreas also make it difficult to digest and absorb nutrients. Sometimes these processes, together with an inflammatory bowel disease, can appear together in the cat, being called feline triaditis.

other diseases that cause changes in the coat color, appearance or skin condition of our cats are as follows:

  • kidney diseases: In chronic kidney failure, the cat's fur tends to become dull, paler, dry and lifeless.
  • liver diseases: the liver is the key in transforming the essential amino acid phenylalanine, obtained from the diet, into tyrosine. Therefore, a liver disease such as lipidosis, hepatitis or a tumor can affect the good functionality of this transformation and thus, the black cat will turn orange.
  • Jaundice: The yellow coloration of our feline's skin and mucous membranes can occur due to a liver problem or hemolytic anemia, and this can sometimes be reflected in the fur, which will turn yellow to some extent, especially if the feline is fair.
  • endocrine diseases: such as hyperadrenocorticism (Cushing's syndrome) or hypothyroidism, less frequent in cats than in dogs, can alter the skin and fur of our cats. In these cases the skin darkens, thins, and the hair falls out (alopecia) or becomes very brittle.
  • atopic dermatitis: This allergic disease makes our cat's skin red and itching and excessive licking can cause alopecia. It can also be the result of ringworm or external parasites.
  • vitiligo: consists of a sudden or progressive change in the pigmentation of the skin and fur of small cats. In this case, the hair is depigmented, turning completely white. It is a rare disorder, affecting fewer than two out of every 1,000 cats, and may be caused by presence of antimelanocyte antibodies, which target melanocytes and inhibit the production of melanin and the consequent darkening of the hair. This disorder causes your cat's fur to turn almost completely white.

Now that you know all about changing cat fur color, maybe this article on why a cat's nose changes color might interest you.

If you want to read more articles similar to Changing cat fur color: causes and examples, we recommend that you enter our Curiosities section of the animal world.