Do Black Cats go Gray? 5 Interesting Topics

Do black cats go gray? Well, that’s a question that I have seen pop up quite regularly during my black cat research.

According to The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA), cats of all colors can gray but cats with darker fur may be more likely to go gray and to a higher degree.

Do Black Cats Go Gray?

Well, cats are no different to us humans in terms of age-related graying. Cats of all colors, shapes, and sizes may lose pigment in their coat but black cats may be more prone.

To answer the question in detail, I think we should establish what causes graying in the first place.

Causes of Graying

As the graying process in cats is very similar to humans, let’s take a look at what causes graying in humans.

Gray hair is finer than colored hair and this would suggest that a real change in state has taken place.

The common belief is that as we age, the pigment cells in hair follicles die resulting in less melanin (which determines color), leading to the hair having more of a transparent appearance.

From a distance these hairs have a gray, silver or white look.

Is this the case for cats too?

One thing that has always puzzled me is if graying is age-related, why do we see young people that have gone gray and older people that haven’t?

We also see young cats that have grayed and older cats that haven’t.

For many years I have been involved in the health and nutrition space and there is a belief from some that gray hair is actually a result of a copper deficiency.

As we age it is thought that our digestive systems are less efficient meaning that we extract less nutrition from our food.

The link to going gray is that not enough copper is being extracted from food leading to a reduction in the formation of melanin and this then affects the pigmentation of the hair.

I’m no doctor but this does make a lot of sense to me…

Forever, stress and anxiety have been linked to going gray and going back to the digestive system, stress and anxiety are also known to affect the stomach area.

Early Graying

Do black cats go gray? Yes and sometimes early…

As I mentioned above, I think there should be a cause for concern when a human or an animal is showing signs of early graying.

This could be a sign of a nutritional deficiency caused by poor or an incorrect diet or problems with the digestive system.

I would always advise speaking to a professional on this subject. Always consult your veterinarian when it comes to the health of your pet.

When is a cat considered to be elderly?

Cats are generally considered to be elderly around 10-12 years of age and this is when those gray hairs may begin to appear.

Remember, they may appear earlier, later or never…

When it comes to classing a cat as old or not this is going to depend very much on the breed.

As I’m sure you know, there are countless domestic cat breeds with varying life expectancies.

When it comes to black cats there are 22 breeds that can have a solid black coat!

Noticing the Gray

Graying amongst domestic cats is thought to be more common with darker coats.

Is this to do with pigmentation and melanin or is it due to the fact that gray hair stands out more against dark fur?

Our American Shorthair called Coco was born with white flecks on his chest and a few white hairs on his back here and there.

When you get up close they stand out for obvious reasons.

When looking at an elderly black cat that has grayed, it won’t be hard to guess that you are looking at an older cat.

Where do black cats go gray?

It is pretty common for cats to gray on the face.

As your cat ages, you may see the appearance of gray around the whiskers and muzzle.

My Thoughts

So do black cats go gray? Yep but I think the question should be ‘do black cats go gray and should they’?

If cats and humans graying is a very similar process, I think there’s some weight to the copper deficiency theory.

I am approaching my late thirties and I have a very healthy diet. I do have some digestive issues caused by a poor diet in the past though.

I eat a lot of fish, greens and healthy fats and I don’t have a lot of gray really.

I see photos of some of my school friends on Facebook and some of them have a lot more gray than I do and they don’t look the healthiest.

As a side note, it is common for athletes to go gray young and this may be due to depletion of minerals through excess sweating, but this is going into another topic…

I’m no vet and always consult a professional, if you suspect that your kitty is graying early, research further into domestic cat nutrition, it could make a huge difference to your cat’s life.

Summary

Do black cats go grey? Yes

Is it age-related or diet-related? Well, this is a long discussion and it’s up for debate.

Generally, cats go gray as they age but they may go gray early possibly due to nutritional deficiencies or illness.

A domestic cat may be considered to be elderly around 10-12 years old but this varies from cat to cat.

Cats with darker fur are known to be more prone to graying and at the same time, the gray fur will be more noticeable in a darker coat.

Cats tend to go gray around the facial area.

Remember, if you have any concerns about your cat going gray, contact a veterinarian.

For daily black cat content check out the My Mini Panther Facebook page.