# My cat's fur is turning yellow



## Alrisaera

Hi everyone. I have a black and white cat, and the white fur is turning yellow. The yellow fur is mostly on her shoulders, under her neck, and legs. I washed her, but I can't get all the yellow off. It gets a bit darker each day. It doesn't look like she has Jaundice, but I cannot rule that out as an option either. Please help. Any advice will be appreciated greatly! 

Alrisaera


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## coaster

I don't believe jaundice would be manifested in the fur. I don't really have an answer, but keep watching this space. We have a lot of experienced members.


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## catgirl83

Is this an indoor or outdoor kitty? And how old is it?

I've never heard of anything like this, although I've had cats whose fur darkened or lightened as they got older. I'm sure this is something you've thought of, but could the little one be getting into anything that would cause the discoloration?


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## emma_pen

It must be staining of some sort, and jaundice turns the skin yellow not the fur. Is the staining in areas where she can reach to lick herself? If so, she could have a dental problem...? Other than that, I'm out of ideas! Do let us know if you find out!


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## coaster

Meowmie pm'ed me this information and gave me permission to post it here:



> This is the only thing I'm aware of regarding color change:
> 
> Color Changes in Fur
> 
> Q: Dear Dr. Richards,
> Have you ever heard of a cat's fur changing colors in isolated areas due to
> a medication, treatment or test being administered???
> 
> My grandmother is extremely concerned that her cat Eloise's fur has changed
> from black on her back to a reddish brown. This happened after a visit to UC Davis to
> determine if she might have inflammatory bowel disease. Eloise's brother - Peter - died
> a year ago, and my grandmother is quite distraught at the prospect of losing
> her other "child". She asked me to find out anything I could about it using
> the internet. Can you help?
> 
> Thank you,
> Sincereley, Rene
> 
> A: Rene-
> 
> It might be a good idea to have the cat's serum protein value checked. Inflammatory
> bowel disease can lead to difficulty absorbing protein or vitamins and low serum
> protein can cause a reddish discoloration of the haircoat.
> 
> It wouldn't surprise me if some medications can do this, too. I just don't know of any, offhand.
> 
> Mike Richards, DVM


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## icklemiss21

My cats sometimes get a bit yellow when they are dirty... I give them a bath and they are all white again... the vet says it may have something to do with the dye from dry food rubbing off a little on their coat when they groom. What did you use to wash her? Mine get 2 shampoos and a condition to come out white and fluffy again (but mine like baths and so are co-operative for 3 rinses!)


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## coaster

icklemiss21 said:


> the vet says it may have something to do with the dye from dry food rubbing off a little on their coat when they groom.


Hmmmmm....that's interesting. Might be on to something here. Alrisaera, what do you feed your cat?


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## Alrisaera

*Ash.. my poor yellowish kitty....*

Ashley (Ash for short) is only a year, maybe a year and a half, so I know it cannot be the age thing... She's an indoor cat, along with my other 2. The other cat's aren't turning yellow. She's never done this before and everything such as cabinets, closets, and utility areas are closed off due to the mischief of the other two cats. 

Perhaps it is the food thing. We feed her Special Kitty from Wal-mart because she absolutely refuses to eat anything else.. We just tried another flavor of Special Kitty, could that be the cause of it? 

I'll also check her teeth carefully, make sure there is nothing wrong.. 

Thanks for all the ideas and help. I'll surely keep posting my questions here! Maybe even a picture of my wonderful 3 babies! 

Alrisaera


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## Snowball2

icklemiss21 said:


> My cats sometimes get a bit yellow when they are dirty... I give them a bath and they are all white again... the vet says it may have something to do with the dye from dry food rubbing off a little on their coat when they groom. What did you use to wash her? Mine get 2 shampoos and a condition to come out white and fluffy again (but mine like baths and so are co-operative for 3 rinses!)


Do you mind if I ask what brand of shampoo you use? Banzai is mostly white and I'm thinking he may need more baths than Bogey and Buster, who only get baths when they get into stuff they shouldn't (like when Bogey got into the attic and got insulation all over his fur).

Banzai's fur is a little yellow from the flea medication that was used on him.


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## Sophie007

I think you should take her to a vet. I had a OUTDOOR cat once when I didn't know any better and the same thing happened to her...mainly on her paws. I don't mean to scare you but they said it was caused by feline leukemia and she passed away a short time after 

Take her to a vet just in case.


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## poogie

Some areas of my cat's white fur turned yellow, and the vet said it was just a reaction to her saliva (from grooming).


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## BoscosMum

The first question that came to my mind was if you happen to be a cigarette smoker? That would yellow the fur.


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## torrilama

Actually, my first thought was fleas!
My roommate had a fluffy perfectly white cat, and when she got fleas her whole underbelly turned orangy yellow.


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## icklemiss21

Snowball2 said:


> Do you mind if I ask what brand of shampoo you use? Banzai is mostly white and I'm thinking he may need more baths than Bogey and Buster, who only get baths when they get into stuff they shouldn't (like when Bogey got into the attic and got insulation all over his fur).
> 
> Banzai's fur is a little yellow from the flea medication that was used on him.


Cross posted from an old post...

The best one I have found was Professional Pet Products Tearless Formula Shampoo and Apple White Cream Rinse (same company) for Conditioner (they also have a quick rinse formula if it is your first time washing your pet!)

Some info on why our shampoo (even baby shampoos) aren't great for your pet - although I think I would choose them above Hartz!

* Pet Skin *  *Human Skin*
*pH Level *  7.5   6.5 
*Skin Turnover * 3 weeks(average) 4 weeks(average) 
*Skin Layers*  4-6   8-12 
*Hair Growth* Cyclical  Continual 
*Hairs/Follicle * Many   One
*Sweat Glands* Foot Pads/Bridge of Nose All Over Body 
*Sebaceous Glands* All Over Body  Face and Hair Areas

• Human shampoo will dry pet skin and hair, causing or aggravating skin and coat problems.

• Pet skin conditions often require special formulations that are not available in human products.

• Pet skin reproduces more quickly than human skin, making it more susceptible to skin turnover problems (Disorders of Keratinization).

• Pet hair is characterized by cyclical shedding which can be controlled by proper bathing and moisturizing.

• Pet hair follicles have multiple hair shafts which make the follicles more prone to blockage by debris or Sebum (i.e. Schnauzer Syndrome). The lack of sweat glands throughout the body complicates this fact since the skin does not have the ability to sweat and naturally cleanse and flush itself.

• The presence of oil glands body-wide makes full body shampooing a must (example - humans have a concentration of these glands on non-hair areas such as the face and hands which are the areas needing more frequent washing).


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## Sol

I think it's the urine that discolors the cat. It's very common with white and white spotted cats. They get a little bit of urine on their paws and then they clean themselves... This is something every owner to a white cat discoveres, sooner or later :roll: 

I recommed corn meal to get the yellow of the white. Mix some corn meal with some water, put the mixture on the yellow spots, let it dry and then brush it off. It usually takes a few times until the fur becomes clean, but it works.


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