#fever coat

[amber-tortoiseshell]

Ik ur currently doing a tournament, but these two kittens I'm fostering have an interesting coloring on their backs and tails! They are the only two black kittens from their litter (the others are a calico and a Grey and white) and they are the only two with these stripes! The stripes also really only developed as they got older. (The third photo is of them when they were younger)

Oh, this is that the weird late onset fever coat thingie again! Like this and this

[mau-mao]

Vitiligo vs Fever Coat vs Smoke Color

Some may confuse these three things because of their similar appearances.

This is vitiligo ↑↑↑

They are not born with this condition (if they are, it may be a case of chimerism), it shows up as they age. The white/unpigmented spots will grow and develop all over. Don't worry, it isn't harmful. It's just like human vitiligo!

This is fever coat ↑↑↑

It's a rare condition in which the mama cat undergoes severe stress or an illness that causes a spike in body temperature during pregnancy. Prior to birth, the pigmentation of a kitten's coat is very sensitive to heat. When the kittens are born, you will notice white/frosted tips of fur along the body. Fortunately, this has no negative effect on them. Their original coat color is still written in their DNA and may take from 4 months up to a year to present itself.

This is a smoke pattern ↑↑↑

These cats have black fur with white roots. They are also born this way and keep this marvelous color. For longhair smokes, their mane and any other section where the fur is longer will look white.

[gentleeclipsey]

Some doodles of a lop-ear XD first one is Jack with lop ear and fever coat, both traits express when she's sick, her ears go back to normal when she's better, second is likely older Jackie (too lazy to color the hair), with stress, sickness, or age, her ears will lop eventually, it's a given, but she makes it look so cute qwq

[fyanimaldiversity]

The last couple years we've been getting in these weird leucistic red squirrel babies at the wildlife centre, one a year or so. This particular individual stayed with us for several months healing a leg dysfunction, and as it grew, it turned normal red colored and was indistinguishable from the others when released that fall. The others that have come in sadly died, so I cannot say if they also would have grown out of it.

How cute! I wonder if it is the same thing as fever coat in cats? Cat’s who are stressed or have a fever while pregnant can give birth to kittens who have problems with their pigment. Like your squirrel, they eventually get the pigment back as they age.

[redux-iterum]

Do queens ever have kits with fever coat? is there a term for it?

Talked a bit about this here! It's a rare circumstance, but it does happen. Because it's so rare, and no one knows exactly what causes it as a result, it doesn't have a name on its own. It's considered in the same camp as the also unnamed color-pointing that occurs when a kitten goes from white to having a darker face, legs, tail and ears. Both are weird and uncommon enough in the Clans that they don't know what to call them.

[glassfuzz]

my friend on twitter wanted some short hair catra with fever coat... she's precious

[liberbestia]

A suspected case of “fever coat” in a young barn cat. This kitten will likely turn all black as it ages. @catcolors do you know much about this?

Photos by Ashley Hale

[catcolors]

I love your blog. I've learned so much from your posts. I'm hoping you might be able to answer a question for me. One of the cats I rescued came in with a severe skin issue. During healing his solid black coat became black roan for a few months. Then transitioned back to black. It wasn't just the scarred skin either his entire body, save for head, legs/feet and tail was roan. He is a tux, long hair, feral born, breed unknown. Was it the injury or something else that caused the roan effect?

Ooh thank you so much, I love hearing people are taking away something useful from this blog. :)

As you already suspected this effect can appear after an injury or an illness, sometimes also after big hormonal changes. 

It is called a “fever coat” and is a temporary discolouration of the fur. It can be local, but it can also affect the whole body. Once the immune system and health stabilized the coat will return to its original colour.