Why is my cat's fur turning orange or rust? Is it a health issue?

Question

My cat's fur seems to be slowly turning orange. At first, the white fur on her belly slowly changed into the color, but now it seems her greyish body is doing the same. Her skin seems to be healthy and a good color, but I'm just wondering why her fur is changing? (Since she's only 5-7 months old, I don't really think it's aging). Pet's info: Cat | Bengal | Female | spayed | 3 lbs

Jenna Beyer, DVM, MBA, cVMA · Accepted Answer

A common cause of light colored hair turning orange or rust colored is from saliva staining. This can occur when a cat or dog is licking excessively. In cats, this can be cause by a range of medical things, including fleas, mites, ringworm, and allergies. It can also be a stress response. I would recommend that you have Zelda checked out by a vet to make sure that her skin is healthy - sometimes we will see something that you may not have realized was abnormal. If they do not find a medical cause, they can discuss Zelda's home environment and help you identify things that you could change to help with feline stress. Here is an article that discusses overgrooming in cats: http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&S=0&C=0&A=2565 Here is a product that can help stressed out kitties if other causes of itching have been ruled out by a vet: http://pet-supplies.drsfostersmith.com/search?view=grid&cartcount=0&wishcount=0&division=dogs&w=feliway&x=0&y=0

Why is my cat's fur turning orange or rust? Is it a health issue?

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