I noticed that my cat had a light cream coat when I adopted her one year ago, and now it is turning darker, and marked with black spots. My kitty was years old last June. Could it be related to feeding?
It is not easy to make a relation between food and the coat’s pigmentation, as you don’t give much information about your cat. Have you thought about a physiological problem? Indeed, your cat may have what we call a colorpoint coat. This coat is typical of Siamese and Birman, and can sometimes be seen in Persian too. The colour is light with dark tips (mask, ears, tail, limbs.) The kittens are born white, and the marks fully appear around one year, and as years go by, the marking inevitably becomes darker. What’s more, the gene responsible for this colouration is thermo sensible: it activates the pigmentation in the colder regions of the body. This particularity explains the fact that the tips, which are always colder than the rest of the body, are darker, and also that a Siamese going outside, will have a darker coat in the winter!
Concerning the role of food, we more often notice in the case of deficiencies (iron, copper…), a modification of the pigmentation towards decolouration than towards colouration. Generally speaking, if the food is not balanced, or if the animals shows digestive disorders, the coat colour is dull, the hairs are frail, easily broken, rare, and the skin is covered with dandruffs, then with a fat substance. Was it so before you adopted her? Did she have red or bare/crusty parts? The hair can re grow darker on a patch that had been irritated or infected. Ask your vet to check her hair and the balance of her ration. If he says everything is fine, then wait for the spring shedding: your cat will then “wear” a summer coat in lighter colours.
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