Help, help, it’s right for a black cat’s hair to grow like this

Most of the black cats that turn white in patches like the picture above are pathological!

(1) Pathological aspects 1. Pathological albinism: Scientists believe that most white animals or the condition where their coat color gradually becomes white, may be based on albinism, and only a few may be ancient. A remaining white-furred variety. For example, the white lion may not be an albino animal, but an ancient species.

Pigments determine color. The pigments in living organisms are the same as those in skin and eyes. The color of hair is also determined by melanin. There are many melanin particles in the hair shaft of the hair. These particles come in various sizes, shapes and arrangements. It is these particles that give the hair its varied colors.

There are two types of melanin. One is called eumelanin. Its particles are round in shape and can absorb almost all light, so it is pure black. The particles of pheomelanin are olive-shaped. They can reflect red, orange and yellow light, so people have the illusion that the color turns to light brown in brighter areas.

When the number of eumelanin particles changes, the color of the hair will also change. If the hair contains a lot of eumelanin particles, it will appear black, if it contains less, it will appear chocolate color, and if it contains even less, it will become maroon.

The accumulation method of melanin in hair is also related to color. Different pigment accumulation methods can produce blue, lavender, light brown and other colors.

So, although there are many colors of cat fur, they remain the same. All colors are a combination of these two pigments.

Due to malnutrition and imbalance of nutrients in the body, some cats will show an impure turbid color on their fur, and the gloss of their fur will also become worse. They usually suffer from chronic diseases such as kidney problems. It is most easily seen in the color of the fur.

2. Genes determine pigments, and coat color changes caused by genetic mutations, such as inbreeding between a cat's father and mother.

Pigments determine coat color, and what determines pigments is genes.

There are two types of genes that control the production of melanin, the B gene and the O gene: the B gene controls the amount of eumelanin produced, which determines the depth of the cat’s coat color; the O gene can change the true melanin production. The metabolic pathway of melanin produces pheomelanin, which makes cats appear yellow. The O gene is on the sex chromosome X of cats, which is why tortoiseshell cats must be female cats.

The origin of white hair on cats is more complicated.

The albino gene is one of the reasons why cats have white hair. It can affect the enzyme responsible for processing melanin, and the strength of its effect is also related to body temperature. The face, ears, tail, and limbs have lower body temperatures. Where the fur is thicker, the coat color will be darker, which is how the coat color of Siamese cats is produced.

There is also a gene related to coat color, the W gene. This gene can greatly reduce the number of melanocytes in the skin by affecting the migration of stem cells. Therefore, when determining the coat color of a cat, as long as it is present, It's entirely up to him, or as long as he shows it, the cat must be white.

However, because the stem cells affected by the W gene are also related to the development of the cochlea in the inner ear, many white cats or cats with gene mutations that turn their coat white will suffer from some deafness.

In addition, because the W gene is also related to the production of iris pigment, white cats usually have blue eyes. The common yin and yang eyes in cats are still related to the W gene.

Many purebred cats with beautiful coat colors are the result of inbreeding. No matter how a black cat turns into a parti-colored cat, a cat that can accompany its owner obediently is a good cat. However, the breeding inheritance of inbreeding Sexual gene mutations are still the source of genetic or genetic diseases in cats, and this problem often appears in changes in coat color.

At this time, you can observe whether your pet cat has the following symptoms to determine whether the change in coat color is caused by genetic problems:

(1) Abnormal iris pigmentation and abnormal change in iris color;

(2) Deafness (deafness, hearing impairment);

(3) Photophobia;

(4) Strabismus.

3. Problems with cat food: a temporary phenomenon of nutritional imbalance.

Sometimes it is a matter of changing feed. Pet cats have adapted to the old formula of feed. If they switch to new cat food, it may cause temporary kidney failure due to the grain-free feed mixed with the original prescription. If the index is slightly higher, you can ask the veterinarian for advice to change the formula. Of course, you should also match the cat food and nutritional formula based on whether the health examination is OK.

Some cat food suppliers may prepare feeds that do not provide sufficient nutrients, resulting in an imbalance of cat nutrition. This will also appear in the cat's fur color becoming lighter, or a temporary phenomenon of white fur. , owners can consider changing cat food from different brands from time to time, and supplementing the various nutrients needed by cats to make your pet cats healthier, which should be able to improve the coat color problem.

The picture above is the powerful Chinese pastoral tabby cat!

(2) Physiological aspects

1. Aging: Natural aging will cause the color of pet cats’ fur to become lighter, and white hair will appear on the eyes, nose and limbs.

An all-black cat will also have a little white hair. Usually, aging begins with a handful of white hairs. For example, a black Persian cat will usually have some gray hair when it is about two years old, but the head It has dark fur on its head and feet. After it is ten years old, you will find that a few white hairs gradually appear on its head and feet, and white hairs begin to grow on its body near its limbs. The cat's inner hind legs are a little hairless, so Even for older cats, most of the time the head and the bridge of the nose will turn white, just like the one or two white hairs that occasionally appear on middle-aged people. Then as they age, more and more white hairs will appear on the nose, and the tip of the nose will become a little white. This is a normal part of aging.

2. Juvenile White: Cats are born with physical problems, which are signs of premature aging. This is obvious in some stray cats, and female cats are the most common.

Cats did not receive good immunity and nutrition when they were pregnant. When they grow up, they lack nutritional supplements for a long time, which will cause the white hair to grow neither dense nor obvious. If you don’t look carefully, you will think it is completely black. If you look carefully at the fur, you will see juvenile whites, especially when kittens are moulting. Most of the gray hair is caused by malnutrition in childhood or unrecovered chronic poisoning.

The cat was originally weak and malnourished. It may not molt normally after growing up, and it may not develop well in the early stage. As the environment and food change, non-malignant physical signs will change. The owner can add more nutrients. to improve.

3. Non-pure black cats: those of impure breeds or stray cats, usually with messy coat colors. Although owners will continue to love their pet cats no matter what, The cat is not a pure black cat. For example, a two-month-old kitten's coat color has not settled at all, so it is normal for the fur to become mottled later.

4. Normal hair loss: short-term results, as long as nutrition is supplemented, black fur can still be restored.

Spring and autumn are the seasons when cats moult. If the gender of the cat is determined, if it is a male cat, it may have non-malignant signs. People will have vitiligo and juvenile albinism. If it is a female cat, pure It is a normal molt. Cats will molt normally before winter comes. For example, Siamese cats are lighter in color in winter and darker in summer.

It is also possible that the cat has a little bit of white gene. For example, the gene of the Chinese garden cat is too high-end. If the coat color becomes mixed after moulting, it is healthy.