Tuxedo cat undercoat turning brown?

[movintime]

Originally Posted by catfluff

Hi there. I searched google and got this thread. My tuxedo cat is overlicking and his bare belly is looking quite brown. We are quite concerned but can't afford to take him to the vet.

How is your cat doing now? I would love to hear from you! Thank you.

Well yes, she overgrooms to this day. It is still stained & reddish in sunlight. But her other issue is she was diagnosed this wk as Hyperthyroid. I wonder if this may relate? Hmm, I'll ask vet Monday when I see her.

Also, I'd try to get your Tuxie to a vet soon too if you can. Things that seem/look normal can easily be missed by owners, when they're really not normal things. I'm not trying to alarm but rather ounce of prevent = lb of cure. I act fast now on any questionable issues.

I actually should retract this a bit as it was most likely unrelated. She saw a vet in 2010 when she was doing that & I had no idea why it turned red/brown fur. But the vet was very calm & solid saying it was NOT a problem w/ health. So, I only say this now to calm your worry, as she keeps grooming. I was told/read though, over-grooming, in general, is a "possible" but not guaranteed sign of another issue. If you can take her for a wellness check at least once, it'd be good idea & advice anyway. I try to get my girl in 2x/yr, or more, like last yr 2011 (like 4x).

Anyway sorry to alarm, if I did, & I just wanted to clarify the above statements. If any questions, etc. please feel free to DM me.

[catsmom21]

Originally Posted by catfluff

Hi there. I searched google and got this thread. My tuxedo cat is overlicking and his bare belly is looking quite brown. We are quite concerned but can't afford to take him to the vet.

How is your cat doing now? I would love to hear from you! Thank you.

Hello and welcome. As you read in this thread, this could be a vitamin or mineral deficiency causing discoloration. the licking though, can be caused by any number of things, so start putting money aside toward that vet visit.

Two of the main issues that cause excessive licking are stress and food allergy. What are you feeding, and what is going on in your kitty's environment? Have there been any obvious changes? If not, you might have to look deeper for the cause.

A diet change and a reduction or removal of stress may be all that is required, but you should always have some money put away for when a vet is needed.

[patricats]

hi...I will include a link for you to read on 'why black colored cats fur turns red' as you will see its usually a lack of the amino acid 'tyrosine' in their diet. I went through all this with my himalayan whose dark markings began to dramatically lighten. For him it was so dramatic that I did need to add a supplement of tyrosine for a short time to correct. however I would not recommended you doing so without a Vets approval.
this color change in my cat began when I started feeding him a new diet EVO, although EVO is a good brand, I found it is perhaps lower in tyrosine than some of the others....he is now on Merrick and I have long d/c the tyrosine...his color is restored.

Meat is a good source of tyrosine, if I were you I would try changing his diet to another brand of food higher in a good source of protein to see if this restores his black coloring .

Why do some black cats coats turn that reddish brown colour? - Cat-World