Adopting or bringing kittens into your house always comes with lots of surprises and fun. You get to pass your time and build memories with them and experience their building personalities, mischief, quirks that they develop.
But most of the time, people do not take it as a surprise and often tend to be worried about their cat’s health. Nothing to worry about though. Cats have more similarities with humans than expected. Sometimes small gray hair also says that your cat is entering into its senior years.
Why Does my cat have white hair?
Many people say that the white patches on the black cats are often known as “God’s thumbprint” or maybe “An Angel’s Mark or Angel’s kiss,” and due to these completely black cats were killed, and that is the reason why completely black cats are rare nowadays.
The reasons behind black cats having white hair are plenty. It can be because of metabolic or endocrine disorders (commonly dehydration), obesity, or electrolyte imbalances can also cause bad effects on your pet’s health.
Problems related to the brain of the cats or certain neurological problems can form spinal cord disease, primary nerve dysfunction, pelvic injuries can also cause graying hairs.
In some cases, cats can grow these white hairs very young.
Still, if your cat is not in its senior age, there might be a huge possibility that your cat might be suffering from anxiety or stress, or very premature graying of hairs might be the outcome of the poor diet or food habits.
In most cases, the reason behind the graying of hairs is that your kitten’s fur is going under natural changes, which are very common in cats (and it is largely genetic), or it could be some underlying disease that needs treatment(commonly known as fever coat).
Your cats can also grow paths or baldness. You have to keep in mind that it does not always mean that they are growing older.
Felines experience these kinds of baldness due to many reasons. It can be because of its poor diet, parasites, food allergies, salon treatment (like grooming sprays and other salon shampoos which can lead to hair loss)
1. It might be from birth
Animals in the cat family, including snow leopards in mountain regions or cold places, have white furs, from cats in jungles to cats in air-conditioned rooms in houses.
Every one of them has different and unique hair patterns.
Starting from spots, dots, stripes, black, white, pure gray, or white, there are different types, the maximum time it is the genetics who play a role in deciding the color your cat will have. Hence, if your cat is sprouting a few white hairs, it is likely because of its genes.
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2. Fever Coat
It is commonly known as a stress coat; it is found in kittens born from a mother who was highly stressed during pregnancy or had fever-induced allergies or diseases.
These conditions lead to chemical reactions in their womb, resulting in hair sprouts.
These color coats vary from kittens to kittens; some have true colors all over their body, and some have true colors on their legs, face, etc. These colors occur because of the high heat, which prevents pigments from properly depositing into their fur.
3. Cognitive Difficulties
Senior cats are just like humans and are also prone to naturally growing gray hairs and cognitive difficulties.
When cats grow older, memory and vision problems are very commonly found in cats. Sometimes, the stress of not pleasant developments can lead to stress and anxiety, in turn leading to loss of hair or gray hairs.
4. Hyperthyroidism
The most prominent symptoms of this condition involve shredding fur (frequently). This is frequent and is mostly found in genetic cats and includes high levels of thyroid hormones, and it also appears on cats typically ten years old.
Older cats are even more prone to hyperthyroidism, and they are more vulnerable to problems related to the thyroid.
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Can cats get white hair through stress?
Nowadays, it is pretty normal to see white hairs on black cats. Cats can grow Gray hair at a very young age. Cats can grow these white hairs at a very young age.
Still, if your cat is not in its senior age, then there might be a huge possibility that your cat might be suffering from anxiety or stress.
It is commonly known as a stress coat; it is found in kittens who are born from a mother who has been highly stressed during their pregnancy or was having fever-induced allergies or diseases.
These conditions lead to chemical reactions in their womb resulting in these kinds of hair sprouts, or it can be the result of a very premature graying of hairs might be the outcome of the poor diet or food habits.
In most cases, the reason behind the graying of hairs is that your kitten’s fur is going under natural changes, which are very common in cats (and it largely genetic), or it could be some underlying disease that needs treatment, commonly known as fever coat which is commonly known as a stress coat.
It is found in kittens who are born from a mother who has been highly stressed during their pregnancy or was having fever-induced allergies or diseases.
These color coats vary from kittens to cats. Some have true colors all over their body, and some have true colors on their legs, faces, etc. These conditions lead to hair sprouts, which occur when pigments are unable to properly deposit into the fur.
Why do black cats have white hair?
The reasons behind black cats having white hair are plenty. It can be because of metabolic or endocrine disorders (commonly dehydration), obesity, or electrolyte imbalances can also cause bad effects on your pet’s health.
Problems related to the brain of the cats or certain neurological problems can form spinal cord disease, primary nerve dysfunction, pelvic injuries can also cause graying hairs when they grow older, they commonly experience thinning of their fur and also sometimes develop patches of hair loss.
Your cat can also suffer from other genetic diseases like vitiligo or some other disease, so a doctor visit is a must, like humans, their hair turns from black to gray or white with age, and their eyes lose melanin and also the color of their eyes fades away and again as the stories from the past say that the white patches on the black cat’s body were used to known as god’s thumbprint or an angel mark and that is why they were worshiped and all the black cats which lacked white hair or any white hair patch were killed (as the only black color was unholy to any religion, but nowadays people do not believe in such superstitions and take the animal’s life as a priority)
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How to prevent your cats from having white hair?
Firstly, you have to accept that it is normal for cats to have white hairs or white patches on their bodies, cats can shed too much of their hair because of stress, parasites like fleas, or poor diet can cause more hair loss, plus white hairs are also the cause of diabetes, kidney failure which also increases in shredding and graying of hairs.
You will have to provide her with a healthy, staple diet, and also you have to let her drink lots of water (you have to keep them hydrated all the time for proper kidney functioning, and it also helps prevent urinal problems).
Keeping them hydrated will make their fur healthy and shiny (if you keep them dehydrated or unhealthy diets, it will lead to dull, matted hair and severe hair loss, and other health problems).
Please keep in mind that the environment where the cat lives is also very important; if you are stressed all the time and do not give your cat the love it needs, then it might lead to stress.
Cats are stress-free and lazy animals; they also like to be loved, and as an owner, it is your responsibility to take good care of your cat for its betterment and long life.
In other words, you don’t have to worry about your cat growing gray hairs, as it is normal for cats to grow gray hair when they age (just like humans).
You must keep in mind that they change their hair growth which is because the natural fur pattern changes (in the genetics of your cats).
Your cat can also suffer from other genetic diseases like vitiligo or some other disease; hence as already mentioned, a pet doctor visit is always recommended.
Conclusion
So, if your cat sprouts some white hair on its body, you have to believe that it is normal and it happens to every car; as already mentioned, it happens because of the natural fur pattern changes in your cat’s genetics.
And a cat’s genetics is complicated, and it will never negatively affect your cat.
Hence you do not have to worry about your cat, but other than genes, It can also be the result of your cat’s health issues (which might need serious treatment and doctor advice), so before concluding, a doctor visit is recommended!
Hi There, AJ Oren here. I am the founder of this amazing pet blog & a passionate writer who loves helping pet owners to learn more about their pets through my articles. I am also the content manager of this blog. I have experience in pet training and behavior, sheltering, and currently working for a veterinary clinic.