Fur suddenly turned white around my siamese cat's eyes

by Chris
(WEBSTER, MA)

My cat is 4 1/2 years old. Shes a seal point and the fur was always dark brown. My husband recently put Sergents Green to prevent mosquitos, fleas, and ticks on her. Is this possibly a reaction to this? I read online on one site that this could be a reaction to medication. She is mostly inside; but my husband takes her outside with him when he comes home from work. She loves it. I toke her to the vet today and she said that it relates to the weather. I'm not so sure about that. Anybody have this happen to their cat? Or am I just worrying for nothing?

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Aug 14, 2021
 sudden white fur around cats eyes
by: cliff

We live on southern Vancouver Island and we've got a 6 year old long haired siamese himalayan with similar situation. I see your comment is only a couple days old so figured I'd jump on this. The vet(s) have no idea. He got very sick for several days, just about died. We had to force water down his throat because he was so dehydrated. This helped a lot with big improvement throughout the day. The info to hydrate him came from the vet secretary as the vet herself was sick from the corona vaccine. Hmmmmm. I'm kinda pissed that it took me about 2 minutes to get more info from the net than hundreds of dollars of vet service. Another web site called it "fever coat". It happens when the the cat is sick and has a fever. The hotter parts of the face get "bleached" from the high body temperature. Our cats illness also came soon after his shots and around the heat wave so we thought initially it was the heat. I mean he's had the same shots in years past with no problems.
Here is the other web site
https://thecatsite.com/threads/cats-face-has-turned-white-after-illness.248707/
good luck.
Aug 11, 2021
 My two Siamese going grey in face NEW
by: Alicia

I took my Chocolate point siameses for their vaccines and flea and tick treatment about 5 weeks ago, and now 50 percent of my dark chocolate Lady's face has turned grey, and the other lighter chocolate Honey cat is also got grey fur in her face. I am in France. They were given the 3 month flea and tick treatment.
It will be interesting to know if it was the vaccines or the flea treatment, as I strongly suspect it's related to their medications, especially after reading these other posts. They were given PureVax RCPh FelV by Boehringer Ingleheim, and the flea/tick treatment was Bravecto 250mg Fluralaner. Any other feedback will be ineteresting.
May 14, 2021
 Same issue!!
by: Jana

This is happening to my cat now. She is a seal point Himalayan. The area around her eyes went grey last week and this week her mask is turning grey, It has ben hot here but she was not feeling well last month and the vet did not find anything wrong. Could this be a reaction she had to a vaccine (distemper) she had 6 weeks ago? The heat we have been having? Something in the garden? It is happening so fast....
Mar 07, 2021
 Comments
by: Linda Jacobson

Thanks for the answers everyone.
Mar 07, 2021
 reply to Linda - Siamese eyes
by: Anonymous

in reply to Linda Jacobson - about the cross-eyes and moving from side to side - yes, it's a Siamese thing. I'm surprised your vet doesn't know about it - maybe you need a new vet!
From: https://www.cuteness.com/article/siamese-cat-eye-problems

Feline Strabismus
Strabismus is when one or both eyes are misdirected. The eyeball sits normally in the socket, but the direction of the eye can turn inward toward the nose, outward toward the sides of the head, upward or downward. Siamese cats are often born "cross-eyed," with both eyes affected by strabismus and pointing inward at the nose, or convergent strabismus. When both eyes are affected and point outward, it is categorized as divergent. This condition can be apparent at birth or it may develop later in life in felines. Strabismus that appears suddenly in an adult cat can be a sign of a serious eye problem, which needs veterinary attention.

Siamese Nystagmus
Siamese cats may inherit nystagmus as a congenital condition. This is actually perceived as "normal" for a Siamese cat. The eyes involuntarily swing from side to side in a rhythmic motion. A slow movement in one direction then a quick motion in the opposite direction characterizes jerk nystagmus. Pendular nystagmus is when the eyes move slightly back and forth at the same rate of speed. Jerk nystagmus is more common and can include a Siamese cat who circles often or tilts his head to one side.
Mar 07, 2021
 Siamese Cat Owner
by: Linda Jacobson

I have had four Siamese cats through the years and have a question about their eyes. The one I have now and my previous one had eyes that are never still. They wiggle back and forth. I have been told this is hereditary but vets don't seem to have any knowledge about it.

My question is, do they see well? She doesn't seem as observant as other cats. Not bad, but it takes her longer to find a moving toy. Just wondering.
Mar 05, 2021
 it's temporary... don't worry
by: Nina G

Well, I have learned from these comments and from other sources over the past few months that this is a pretty common occurrence and generally is a reaction to stress or illness, sometimes just a reaction to temperature changes.
My cat lost the mask on one side of her face shortly after we adopted her in Dec.2019, the side where she was having herpes outbreaks in her eye... and sure enough after a few months of l-lysine treatment, and after she got more comfortable in her new environment with us, the color has started to come back. Her mask is still not as full as it was when we first got her, but it's getting there. It's almost as if there is an outline where the mask should be and it's ever so faint on one side.
She's still my beautiful girl!
Mar 05, 2021
 Mine too
by: Lori

Only one side! Eye and face? Why? He’s 10
Jul 31, 2020
by: Lynn

Have you given your cat any medication lately? We have discussed below that L-lysine is a good supplement for runny eyes. You can get it in powder or as treats? You may want to take your kitty to the vet.
Jul 31, 2020
 I DO NOT KNOW WHAT TO DO!!!!!
by: Anonymous

AROUND MY CATS EYES IS TURNING GREY!!!!! I have no idea what to do!!!!! The cats eyes are also watering a lot. AND HE IS LOSING HAIR EYES TO EARS AREA!!!!!!
Jul 09, 2020
 Thanks for the updates
by: Lynn

Glad to hear your meezer is doing better Nina. Most likely after being exposed to the herpes virus, she will always need to be supplemented with the L-lysine. Good to know that this helps them, without it, it can turn into a much worse infection.
Jul 09, 2020
 Improving slowly...
by: Nina G.

Just checking in to say that my meezer girl with the fading mask has been improving, slowly but surely. I am still giving her L-lysine treats and l-lysine powder on the food, and she still has occasional weepiness in one eye... but her mask color is coming back, slowly but surely. I am still not sure what caused the fading, but I'm inclined to think it was a combination of the stress of being surrendered to a shelter, being caged for a few months, and then having to adjust to a new environment with me... and whether she picked up herpes in the shelter or had it before, it doesn't matter. She's doing okay with me and her new fur family!
I have ALSO changed the food for all my cats, and am giving them Stella & Chewy freeze dried dinner morsels (reconstituted) and Tiki Cat chicken & egg. Higher protein, grain free, and I already see an improvement in their coats and their poops. Even with cats... you are what you eat!
Jul 09, 2020
 White fur around my Siamese's eyes
by: Aly

It's good to read the other comments. My 3-year-old seal point had cold-like symptoms-- running eyes, sneezing. I gave him L-lysine (for autoimmune symptoms) mixed in his food every other day for a few days and symptoms improved. However, a week later I noticed the fur under his eyes was turning white (like he was getting old before his time). I can see from the other comments that this happened to another cat after use of L-lysine. I hope fur returns to dark brown color again. If not, he just looks older than his age.
Feb 22, 2020
 Yes
by: Lerah

After getting my Siamese cat vaccine shots about a week later his face turned gray. It has been bothering me a lot because he was acting so sick after getting his shots and not eating . He always eats eats and eats very strange for him not begging for more food. I decided to google it and I find kitties that have gone through the same thing. His face was black now it has a lot of gray around his eyes and nose. 😿
Feb 11, 2020
 L-lysine for Cats
by: Lynn

Nina, interesting that you mentioned the L-lysine. I only discovered this a couple of weeks ago after researching how to improve cat allergies. My little guy was sneezing with watery eyes. He was a stray and when I found him, he had severely swollen lymph notes (sort of like strep throat in humans). So the vet fixed him up with antibiotics, but soon the allergies returned. I bought the powder form and put it over his food and he loves it. So now after a few days, his sneezing and watery eyes have stopped.
Feb 10, 2020
 Glad to know my cat is not a freak!
by: Nina G

I adopted a 5 year old Siamese female from a shelter in December 2019; they sent her home with antibiotic eye drops and oral meds because they said she had a little discharge from her nose, and her eyes were red and tearing up. At that time her mask was all black. The nose got better, but the eyes did not improve, then they gave me antibiotic eye ointment. Still no improvement, then they gave me antiviral drops... still nothing. Finally we stopped all the meds and added L-lysine treats, and the eyes are clearing up... but now the fur around her eyes is all white. I wondered if it was all the meds... or maybe just an autoimmune thing. She's happy, eating, purring... just looks like her eyes are ringed in white fur. Kind of reverse raccoon. Anyway, after reading all these comments, I'm hopeful that it may change again!
Dec 04, 2019
 It will go away
by: Linda Jacobson

It will go away but will take several months or so to completely turn dark again. My Siamese had this twice and it always went away.
Dec 04, 2019
 My Snowshoe looks old all of a sudden
by: Anonymous

Glad for this thread. Same happened to my 7 month Snowshoe. He had a eye infection and vet put him on Terramycin. Weeks later I started thinking he looked tired and older. It dawned on me that the fur around his eyes has turned salt and pepper. I know about the gene allelle that causes temperature changes to affect color on Siamese breeds. Colder temps bring out the darker color which is why their ears, eyes and tails are darker. I wonder now if he has a fever and that's why it's lighter. Guess it's time for another trip to the vet.
Aug 16, 2019
 Feline stomatitis
by: Lynn

Hi Shelly, thank you so much for the information about Feline stomatitis. I had no idea what it was or the effects it has on the cat. Wow a Tonkinese, that is so cool. What color are his eyes? I know that they can very.
Aug 16, 2019
 Stomatitis in Siamese breeds and fading mask
by: Shelly Swank

My Tonkinese (a "cousin breed" to the Siamese) has very severe stomatitis, which causes terrible inflammation in his mouth. He's not a candidate for full-mouth extractions because of his age and other health issues, so we're doing our best to manage it with medication, including antibiotics, steroids and cyclosporine. The inflammation causes warmth, and this has made his muzzle and mask color to fade almost completely away. Siamese and related breeds are particularly prone to this autoimmune condition, so it may be a very good idea to have your vet check the teeth and gums and oral tissues for stomatitis. This is a terribly painful condition, and if it gets very bad, as it does with my guy... these cats may stop eating because the pain is so severe.
Jul 14, 2018
 My Richie
by: Debby

Hello, I am having the same problem as a lot of you on this site. My Richie is only one year old. His face as well dark and he recently suffered pink eye and some fungus on his body.

I gave him some medicine and treated him topically on his body and now he is salt & pepper around the eyes and looking really old.

Before the salt and pepper look, he came into the house as he is (indoor-outdoor) with a limp. Shortly after this his coat started to change.

Seems his leg is getting a bit better but he is still walking around like an old man. I am worried about him and feel I should take him to the vet on Monday.

We live in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico so I doubt it has anything to do with the weather as its pretty much the same HOT all the time.

Any suggestion or advice is appreciated. I will keep you updated. He is an awesome cate btw and yes very vocal.

Debby


Mar 30, 2018
 Vitiligo ?
by: Mana

It’s been 3 months now and my cat is still losing pigment. His entire face is getting lighter not just around his eyes. I am afraid this is permanent. It started with around eyes and later cheeks chin paws tail. The color is drastically lighter by like 10 shades. only his nose and ears are still pretty dark. If this isn’t vitiligo how long would he be losing the color before it finally stops ?
Thank you
Mar 29, 2018
 For around the....
by: Bettydee

It WILL go back to normal. Might take 3 to 4 months, but it will return to normal.....
Mar 29, 2018
 For around the eyes turning Gray on a Siamese cat
by: Tejerian58@gmail.com

My Siamese cat had an eye infection a cleared up and now all the hair around both eyes he is turning Gray on his black face
If there's anything that can be done
Feb 25, 2018
 Thank you
by: Anonymous

Thank you for giving me hope. He looks a little scary lol. He is also long hair Siamese. I don’t know how to post a picture of him before and after. He looks like a different cat
Feb 25, 2018
 Could be weather
by: Anonymous

Two of my Siamese cats have this currently, one of them are indoor-outdoor and the other is strictly indoor. They both have little white furs around their eyes. They are only around 1 and 2 years old. Neither of them look sick either.
It could be the weather (in my case anyway) since it had started becoming really cold recently, when it usually isn't that cold.
Feb 25, 2018
 Patience
by: Anonymous

I have had this happen to two Siamese cats three times. It took several months and they darkened up again.
Feb 25, 2018
 Vitiligo?
by: Anonymous

My 1 year old male was dark faced when adopted. He was treated with antibiotics for upper respiratory infection and pink eye plus yeast in his ears. His face is turning white by a lot not just the eyes. Also his paws ate getting few shades lighter too.
Went back to the vet he said it's Vitiligo. Help !
Oct 19, 2017
 Fur turns white
by: Anonymous

I have posted on this site before about areas of the mask turning gray or white. It is usually from a slight fever. You will not usually notice it until the fur has had a chance to grow and white comes to the surface. My siamese Misu just had a slight eye infection and the white showed up about a month later around the same eye. So go back a few weeks and you may get a clue to why it happened.

Diane
Oct 19, 2017
 white around right eye SealPoint Siamese
by: RoInSeattle

My 5 year old male cat in the last week has had his fur around the right eye and below it turn white. It is cold here, 60 F degrees and lower to around 35 F. So, it's not heat like some people mentioned here. Also he hasn't had any antibiotics and he saw his vet last week for a checkup and his teeth were fine. I don't know what it is. I hope it's not cancer.
Oct 05, 2017
 Siamese Ragdoll hair graying around 1 eye
by: Jill

My 17.5 female seal point siamese-ragdoll developed a tooth abscess with fever. After finishing her antibiotics I noticed 2 weeks later that she was graying only on the side where the abscess was.

Vet gave her a clean bill of health now that the infection is gone (and the teeth). I was told it is a response to infection & stress. They said it will fill back in with color and not to worry. :)
Aug 01, 2017
 My three cats have poorly eyes and one cat is turning grey around face
by: Julie

I have eight cats and I am concerned there is some type of infection going through them. It started with my brown snowshoe having a poorly eye and then has since developed a grey fur mask around his face suddenly aged him overnight. He is eating well but his eyes are still glazed. My second white snowshoe has now got a poorly eye and I am concerned he has the same although he will not develop a change in fur colour as he is already white. My ragdoll ginger boy is also showing a poorly eye. I am hoping this does not spread to the rest of my cats, I am very concerned
Apr 21, 2017
 Seal point face looks powdery
by: Anonymous

My 2 year old seal point looked as though he had powder on part of his face around one eye and snout. Come to find out, its just the tips of his fur turned white/grayish. Hes perfectly healthy and has not been on medication or food changes. I guess its just a seasonal thing. March and April.
Apr 20, 2017
 Siamese Went White
by: bettydde

Don't worry. The coloring WILL come back to normal in 3 to 4 months. 😊
Apr 20, 2017
 glad i found this site
by: Anonymous

my 7 year old seal mitted ragdoll has a similar issue. a month ago, she was lost outdoors for a couple days (she's an indoor cat) and then was found.

she then developed an upper respiratory infection/fever and the vet prescribed antibiotics. having read the other comments, it sounds like stress/fever/antibiotics could contribute to this issue and she's certainly had all three recently. am glad to hear that this may only be a temporary.
Apr 18, 2017
 Siamese
by: Anonymous

Some Siamese cats naturally have this happen in certain seasons due to a slight mutation in their genetics that is technically an albino gene. Their cool points of the body (tail, nose, paws) get darker in some months and lighter in others. The main source of heat (the body) will likely darken with age.
Feb 26, 2017
 Siamese Fur around eyes turning salt/pepper
by: Esther

I commented a few years back regarding numerous questions on this topic. My seal point Siamese had this happen to him after being placed on antibiotics for an URI (upper respiratory infection). After about 4-6 months, his fur was normal. Upon investigation on my own, I was able to find that antibiotics can cause the color points on Siamese cats to take on a salt/pepper look regardless of their color point. When my blue point was put on antibiotics, his fur around his eyes did the same thing only it wasn't as pronounced because of his coloring. Sadly, I have lost both my Siamese boys (my seal point in 2014 to pancreatic cancer, and my blue point in 2015 to a severe case of stomatitis that, despite pulling all his teeth, antibiotics, anti-inflamitory and pain injections that started every 5 weeks and slowly to every 3 weeks and only canned food, his quality of life was horrible and the vet recommended I humanely put him down. Both of my boys were full brothers and 22 months apart. They were both 13 when they passed. I miss them dearly.
Feb 26, 2017
 Siamese Fur around eyes turning salt/pepper
by: Esther

I commented a few years back regarding numerous questions on this topic. My seal point Siamese had this happen to him after being placed on antibiotics for an URI (upper respiratory infection). After about 4-6 months, his fur was normal. Upon investigation on my own, I was able to find that antibiotics can cause the color points on Siamese cats to take on a salt/pepper look regardless of their color point. When my blue point was put on antibiotics, his fur around his eyes did the same thing only it wasn't as pronounced because of his coloring. Sadly, I have lost both my Siamese boys (my seal point in 2014 to pancreatic cancer, and my blue point in 2015 to a severe case of stomatitis that, despite pulling all his teeth, antibiotics, anti-inflamitory and pain injections that started every 5 weeks and slowly to every 3 weeks and only canned food, his quality of life was horrible and the vet recommended I humanely put him down. Both of my boys were full brothers and 22 months apart. They were both 13 when they passed. I miss them dearly.
Feb 25, 2017
 Eyes are Turning black again
by: Anonymous

I commented back in November about my cats eyes lightening, and wanted to update that his eyes are returning to normal. Still a tiny bit of salt and pepper but definitely darkening. Thankfully!
Feb 25, 2017
 siamese cat's face has suddenly turned gray
by: Anonymous

Same situation with our 4 yr. old male Siamese Seal Point cat! I am baffled by this sudden change. His face is also turning white. He recently was ill with an upper respitory infection that required antibiotics. He is well now, but his gray face is concerning me! I plan to take him to the vet to try and find an answer to this mystery.
Jan 09, 2017
 White hairs around an eye on a Snowshoe cat
by: Anonymous

My 5 year old Snowshoe cat suddenly got sick while holidaying in FL. Had a high fever and diagnosed at Blue Pear Emerg. Clinic to have Pyothorax. Next day surgery and removed left lung. He is recovering but his dark face mask is going grey around his left eye. I had a Choc. Point Siamese and after major surgery/illness his dark face mask went white around the eyes and after time it went back to his dark mask.
So pleased to read all these comments....they reminded me it happened before and eventually went back to a dark mask.
Nov 27, 2016
 White flecks around eyes
by: Anonymous

I just noticed White hairs around my seal point rag dolls eyes as well. And it showed up over 3 weeks after having a very high fever, antibiotics and a stressful stay in the hospital. I washed him with Sentry Natural Defense shampoo with clove and thyme essential oils. Within a week he had acute liver toxicity from the shampoo. Now his eyes are changing, I'm glad to hear that they will return in time. We are so lucky he is still with us.
Sep 26, 2016
 What tail and around the eyes
by: Anonymous

She gets it when she is ill, the vet had no idea what I was talking about, i beleave its something to do with heat from the body,
Aug 03, 2016
 Gray hair around eyes
by: Mimi

It should return to normal. My siamese ragdoll had this when she was sick and it took a few months but eventually resolved itself. I am told that it has something to do with illness, stress or certain medications.
Aug 03, 2016
 grey hair around eyes
by: Anonymous

Interesting posts. My part sealpoint siamese is 3 years old. I first noticed some greying about 4 months ago around one eye. Last week finished applying eye drops for conjunctivitis. Seems like overnight she is very grey around both eyes. Live in Sarasota. On routine parisite and heartworm meds. How is this possible? I am not concerned about it but a bit sad about it.
Jul 27, 2016
 URI
by: Anonymous

Came home after a long weekend trip and my Siamese cat had somehow come down with his worst (and maybe first ever) kitty cold. Took him quite awhile (about 2 weeks) to fully recover and a shortly after that point I noticed practically overnight that this young fella had white speckled fur around both eyes and even the mouth. I was like-is he aging suddenly or maybe they guessed the wrong age when we adopted him two years ago and he's actually quite old?! But now reading all these comments, I would guess it was from the stress of being super sick and hopeful hell return back to his old soot-faced ways:)
Apr 26, 2016
 White fur in the mouth area
by: Anonymous

My Siamese is 9 years old. Her brother from the same litter was was an oriental who had to be put down in Jan 2016 due to stomach lining cancer. My Mom who they were both close to also passed away the end of January this year. Her cheek(cheek ?) turned white. It is now back to her normal chocolate point color. I just assumed it had to be stress. Just sharing.
Feb 20, 2016
 tyrosinase!
by: IwasStudyingGenetics

Siamese kits have a gene that makes an enzyme tyrosinase- It causes melanin production but is deactivated over 33 degrees. so warm areas of body=no tyrosinase=no melanin=white hair, while in cooler body areas like tail, face etc. its cool enough for tyrosinase to NOT be denatured, so cold areas=tyrosinase=melanin=color. illness causes a higher body temp. !
Oct 02, 2015
 My Siamese turned light around eyes
by: Anonymous

My Siamese cat has this problem. I was thinking the hot weather was doing it. He has been outside most of the summer. I treated the yard and my cat with Food grade D.E. a month ago. The weather is cooling down so I'll see. I treated him with flea medication purchased from the vet today.
Oct 02, 2015
 My Siamese turned light around eyes
by: Anonymous

My Siamese cat has this problem. I was thinking the hot weather was doing it. He has been outside most of the summer. I treated the yard and my cat with Food grade D.E. a month ago. The weather is cooling down so I'll see. I treated him with flea medication purchased from the vet today.
Sep 15, 2015
 White hairs
by: Anonymous

After having Siamese cats since the early 70's I have observed this strange lightening of the fur mainly around the eyes with my own cats. Siamese points are temperature sensitive which is why the extremities such as head, legs, paws, ears and tails are always the darkest. If for some reason your cat runs a temperature for a few days - such as with the herpes virus that many cats get {which is similar to a human cold) the warmer temps of the fever will turn those areas white or pepper and salt. Usually around the eyes. It will gradually return to nomal.Hope that helps explain what is happening.

Diane
Sep 10, 2015
 Update from 7/12/15, 5/30/15 - Topaz
by: Anonymous

Update to my previous post below. My cat's mask is back to normal as of a few weeks ago so it took about four months to go back to her original color. I am convinced that it is related to stress or fever, she experienced both so hard to tell.



Jul 12, 2015
Update from 5/30/15 - Topaz NEW
by: Anonymous

This is an update to my previous post. My cat still has salt and pepper hairs on her face as of 7/12/15, however it seems to be going away. I think it was stress related from going to the vet and being sick with the URI in May. I have learned from researching this that it sometimes takes months for the hair to back to it's original color. Will update again soon.
Sep 10, 2015
 fur mask colour change
by: desazius

My siamese mix 'Jummy' recently got an eye infection in her right eye. Symptoms were closed eye & redness on skin around the eye. Took her to the vets, they gave me a gel to apply once a day. It began to heal up after the 4th day or application but also the fur around the eye went from black to white. Is very strange i'd imagine it is due to stress. Can anyone shed light on this?
Sep 05, 2015
 Update
by: BettyDee

Update re: 9 yo Siamese whose 'mask' went gray. In my case, it appears this was stress related (not weather). Charlie went gray very shortly after his cat companion sole mate was put down. He looked like he got into a whole box of cobwebs. Color started returning to normal in about 2 months. He is almost back to his full Batman mask.
Sep 05, 2015
 White Hairs on face
by: Me

My Ragdoll who is a mix of Siamese is showing white hairs also. First time for this. He is an outdoor cat. Used to heat and cold. I put a flea collar on him and a few days later this happened. Thought the chemical touched his fur. Wiped his face. Hairs still there. But he did wear a flea collar before and this did not happen. I got rid of it anyway. Would love to know the cause. His fur knotted for a while. Wondered if he rolled in something for he loves to do that in the dirt. Eats great food and is hydrated.
Sep 05, 2015
 White Hairs on face
by: Me

My Ragdoll who is a mix of Siamese is showing white hairs also. First time for this. He is an outdoor cat. Used to heat and cold. I put a flea collar on him and a few days later this happened. Thought the chemical touched his fur. Wiped his face. Hairs still there. But he did wear a flea collar before and this did not happen. I got rid of it anyway. Would love to know the cause. His fur knotted for a while. Wondered if he rolled in something for he loves to do that in the dirt. Eats great food and is hydrated.
Jul 12, 2015
 Update from 5/30/15 - Topaz
by: Anonymous

This is an update to my previous post. My cat still has salt and pepper hairs on her face as of 7/12/15, however it seems to be going away. I think it was stress related from going to the vet and being sick with the URI in May. I have learned from researching this that it sometimes takes months for the hair to back to it's original color. Will update again soon.
Jul 12, 2015
 Siamese Turning Gray
by: BettyDee

My 9 yr old Siamese male all of a sudden is turning salt and pepper around his face - cheeks, nose, etc. He has no health issues, has not been to a vet recently, no antibiotics, is an indoor cat. The only 'issue' in his life is that his cat buddy had to be put down 2 1/2 weeks ago. He was initially in grief but has steadily come out of it. The salt/pepper look is now cropping up. Stress related or weather related ? It is very hot now (Phila suburbs).....
Jul 09, 2015
 Response
by: Grace

My Siamese cat named You-you is getting white hairs on one side of his face he goes outside often but I always am with him my cat started getting these white hairs when I gave him a flea collar! I'm thinking this is possibly an allergic reaction... I haven't had the time or money to take my cat to the vet and I don't think its the weather that's causing this.
May 30, 2015
 White Hair On Face of Seal Point
by: Topaz

So my 9 year old Himalayan developed a URI three days after I took her for a rabies vaccine. She is a strictly indoor cat and we have not wanted her to have any other vaccinations because she is only indoors. Her last full round of vaccines was five years ago so this is most likely why she got the URI at the clinic. I took her to her regular vet and she was only prescribed Benadryl as she did not have a bacterial infection so no antibiotics were necessary. She was completely well about eight days later. Towards the end of the illness she started getting white hairs around her eyes, then over most of her face. It's been a few weeks and her face is salt and pepper. I have read on some websites that cats develop this after they have a fever, after it goes away - called a fever coat. I took her to the vet yesterday for a follow up visit and told the vet about the hair/fever coat, etc. and she had never heard of that but my cat is healthy now, no fever and all is back to normal except for the hair. Will update you all soon.
Mar 08, 2015
 Here we go again
by: Linda Jacobson

Now for the third time my Siamese, Lexy, is getting white on her face. This time she is not on antibiotics, but she is on Prednisone and a bronchodialator. This is so funny!
Mar 08, 2015
 My 10 month old Loki
by: Rose

I have a 10 month old seal point siamese. She had not been on any kind of medicine or antibiotics. And I actually skipped their flea pill this month. She is getting fixed next week and they said no meds until then. Just thee past few days my Loki has quite a few white hairs around her eyes. I think it makes her look older. It has been a wee bit cold in Houston so it must be the weather. She is still full of kitten spunk and goes about her daily sacrificial offerings. I call her my demon because of her bipolar breed. She is super sweet one second then bites the next.
Mar 07, 2015
 No antibiotics
by: CatLover

Our 5 or 6 year old seal point long-haired Siamese has started to develop some white hairs around his right eye in the last two weeks. At first I thought it was just a sign that he was getting older. He hasn't been on any antibiotics, and there hasn't been anything stressful in his life (that I know of!). The only thing I can think of is the cold weather, but we don't let him out during the winter time so he shouldn't have been exposed to too much cold. Not sure what it is, but reading all these comments has made me feel better to know that it's at least somewhat common.
Feb 05, 2015
 White speckles of fur
by: Danielle Whetham

Recently in the last week or so, I started to notice little speckles of white in the brown of my 2 year old chocolate point's tiny little face. I just presumed it may be that she's starting to mature, or a seasonal thing. But then when reading these comments and that a lot of cats had taken antibiotics and then gained some white in their faces; about a month ago Aurora had a virus and the vets put her on Metacam.
So now I'm wondering whether it was that.
I think that it must be a mixture of stress on their body, not always bad, but this case the antibiotics. And also that it is freezing out, I think that may have something to do with it as well. If you're really worried and your cats have recently been on some form of medication I would advise taking them to your vet and mentioning all things going on and could this be a skin reaction to their medication.

Hope this helps, Danielle x
Jan 29, 2015
 Jesse (my three year old Choc Point)
by: Dana Colema

I just recently noticed that my Jesse has white hairs in his face. Only a month ago, it was completely dark and not he has white hairs on his face. My vet did a thyroid test and it was normal. He told me that some siamese get this and that it could go away and come back, but otherwise my boy is as perfect as always.
Aug 04, 2014
 Fur turning white on face
by: Anonymous

This happened to our seal point Siamese back in the 60's. For one trip we had to board her instead of taking her with us as we usually did. When we returned, her face was very gray. It was hard to believe it could happen so quickly. In time it returned to normal. From reading these, I have to assume it was purely stress. She lived a nice long life and never turned gray otherwise.
Jul 30, 2014
 Siamese face
by: Anonymous

I have a 14 year old Seal point and his face has been turning white and then going back to black at least two times a year for about 5 years. It has a lot to do with the temperature. It Always happens at the coldest or hottest parts of the year.
It's weird, but it's the only explanation.
Jun 24, 2014
 related to siamese patterning. . .
by: katlantis

so, i am reading here and finding this all reassuring... my maybe-7-year-old seal point, who was a rescue developed a terrible URI when i first adopted him (and cost me a fortune in the first weeks of ownership!). he had antibiotics, recovered well, but his mask turned grey/white/blond pretty abruptly. the vet explained to me that the coloring of siamese is dependent on body temp; warmer places with higher circulation are lighter, cooler places are darker--exactly face, ears, feet, tail, are all away from the core and trend towards darker. the increase in inflammation around the face made him lighten in that area. i was calmed. for the past few weeks my little guy has been developing some blond ticking around the eyes and he's had more crusties, but not yellow or gooey...but maybe the springtime/blooming season has some allergens that are irritating his eyes, because otherwise, he seems pretty much baseline and fine.

anyway, i might still take him to the vet but overall it sounds like this is more common than i realized!
Feb 06, 2014
 Seal Point's Mask Turned Salt/Pepper
by: Esther

My 11 year old Siamese's Mask has turned salt/pepper. I was very concerned until I read your comments. Five weeks ago he was on a ten day regiment of Clavamox for an upper respiratory infection. He eats and drinks normally so I do not think that dehydration is an issue. If antibiotics is the problem, I hope his beautiful seal point mask comes back.
Dec 22, 2013
 Cat's Fur
by: Linda Jacobson

I don't think this has anything to do with weather. I have seen it all times of the year and only after antibiotics. I suppose other chemicals could do this too. But after a few months the color will be completely back to normal.
Dec 17, 2013
 white hair around my seal points eye
by: Anonymous

OK This is weird because I just took my 5 year old Seal-point Siamese to the vet. for the same reason. She suddenly has gray/white hair around her eye...Can't figure it out. She is an indoor cat, but just got back from a 2 week trip and she spent 9 hours a carrier as we drove there and back. Maybe stress?
Dec 17, 2013
 white hair around my seal points eye
by: Anonymous

OK This is weird because I just took my 5 year old Seal-point Siamese to the vet. for the same reason. She suddenly has gray/white hair around her eye...Can't figure it out. She is an indoor cat, but just got back from a 2 week trip and she spent 9 hours a carrier as we drove there and back. Maybe stress?
Dec 01, 2013
 White around eye
by: Anonymous

Nick's eye is getting darker but still really light. He wasn't on antibiotics. He wasn't on them the last time he got this.
Dec 01, 2013
 Lexy
by: Linda Jacobson

Lexy's face is back to dark brown after several months of the white hair on her face after her antibiotics. There is no doubt in my mind that antibiotics cause this because I have seen it happen four times to my cats. Strange.
Dec 01, 2013
 Lexy
by: Linda Jacobson

Lexy's face is back to dark brown after several months of the white hair on her face after her antibiotics. There is no doubt in my mind that antibiotics cause this because I have seen it happen four times to my cats. Strange.
Nov 29, 2013
 18 months old
by: Anonymous

My seal point siamese has started getting blonde flecks around his eyes over the past few days. This coincides with a strong antibiotic treatment he started first in the hospital and now oral pills. Since he is only 18 months old I am going to agree with the other commenters that this has to be a side effect of the antibiotics. Although I'm sure it can happen with age too. Well hopefully his dark hair grows back eventually. He's my chocolate love :)
Nov 29, 2013
 18 months old
by: Anonymous

My seal point siamese has started getting blonde flecks around his eyes over the past few days. This coincides with a strong antibiotic treatment he started first in the hospital and now oral pills. Since he is only 18 months old I am going to agree with the other commenters that this has to be a side effect of the antibiotics. Although I'm sure it can happen with age too. Well hopefully his dark hair grows back eventually. He's my chocolate love :)
Nov 23, 2013
 My Chocolate Point's mask got some ticking on it.
by: judy from Long Island

Thank you, thank you for some of the answers. About a month ago, my little Chocolate Point developed the "sneezies." No discharge, no fever and never completely lost her appetite.(She's strictly an indoor cat, as are my others.

My vet gave me zithromax suspension and the URI cleared up nicely (A week later, my calico developed a URI and a week after that, my big tabby also developed a URI). The zithromax suspension cleared everybody up nicely.

I recently noticed that there is gray ticking on her chocolate mask. She was young when I rescued her two years ago, but her age has been guesswork, as my vet said that once the adult teeth are in it's nearly impossible to guess age.

Your posters have indicated that illness and/or antibiotics might have caused this and that her normal chocolate mask could (hopefully) return.
I was afraid that she was older than we thought, although she is healthy, slim and in great condition. Fingers crossed that this was a reaction to the URI and/or the antibiotics, but I'd like to thank the many posters for their help.
Oct 22, 2013
 Seal point Ragdoll eye area white
by: Anonymous

Our Ragdoll has had this happen 2 times. Both times his eye started watering and matting some and then the fur around it turned white. The first time it turned back dark after a few weeks. I am still waiting this time. He is 13. One thing I know about pointed cats is the areas that are 'cold' turn dark. I wonder if he had/has fever in this area or this eye is warmer than the other and that causes the fur color change.
Sep 09, 2013
 Here we go again.
by: Linda

My Lexy is only 2-1/2 years old and her fur has turned white on her face two times since I have had her. Both times she was on antibiotics after a respiratory infection. It eventually goes away but takes several months. As I posted earlier, this also happened to my cat Meezy who passed away over a year ago. So this is getting to be routine around here! The time of year seems to have nothing to do with it because it has happened in winter and summer.
Sep 09, 2013
 White around eyes
by: Liliy's Mum

Interesting about dehydration and hot weather. Our hot spell has ended and we are back to cool and cloudy. Lily's beautiful little face returned to normal very soon afterwards.She is back on her heating pad and all is well in her world!!
Sep 09, 2013
 White around eyes
by: Liliy's Mum

Interesting about dehydration and hot weather. Our hot spell has ended and we are back to cool and cloudy. Lily's beautiful little face returned to normal very soon afterwards.She is back on her heating pad and all is well in her world!!
Sep 04, 2013
 Same here!!!
by: Sylvia

My 9 year old Siamese went light overnight! Well, not "overnight," but within the past week, the fur around her eyes has turned mostly white/grayish. Her beautiful solid dark face is now riddled with tiny white hairs. I asked a vet friend I know and she told me the cat is probably dehydrated. We've been having an incredibly hot week, so it makes sense that my cat needs some more liquids. I hope her face turns brown again. However, I am not holding my breath as she is almost a decade old, so it could also just be aging. It's not the fact that she's losing her color that surprised me, it's that is seemed to have happened within the span of two days or so.
Aug 19, 2013
 white over night
by: Nicole

Im glad I found this page. My 3 year old seal point has just turned white around the eyes pretty much over night. He had a cold and I was cleaning around his pretty blue eyes as they were gunky. I was starting to worry maybe I had rubbed the color right out of his fur lol. Glad to know this is more common then I would have thought. I've certainly never heard of it before!
Aug 08, 2013
 London
by: Lily's Mum

My 13 year old Chocolate's under eye went blond over night,. We have had the brightest summer in the U.K. for eight years, I do believe this has caused the change, the sunny days(reflecting light?). She is perfectly heathy, happy and the joy of our lives! No antibiotics involved.
Nov 03, 2012
 Siamese mask turns white
by: Pam

We have 2 seal point siamese cats. They are 6 years old. Simon's mask literally turned white on one side overnight. His vet had shaved his tummy and scared my poor little guy half to death ! Two months later it had returned to the deep chocolate. Recently both were on a course of antibiotics and both of their masks have turned salt and pepper. That's the cause/effect-the antibiotics. Their fur will grow back dark within a few months.
Apr 14, 2012
 Thank you
by: Sophie's Mom Nancy

2 things happened simultaneosly in my Siamese cat's life and I did not know which caused the white face problem. Her long time friend passed away. Our cat Snooky was 21 years olds and had been in Sophie's life from the time I brought her home at 7 wks. Sophie is 14. She also had a kind of bad cold. The vet put her on antibiotics. I thought Snookies death had turned her grey but from your comments it looks like it was the antibiotics.
We all miss Snookie but I would hate to have Sophie be that upset.
We will wait patiently for the antibiotic effect to go away.
Mar 24, 2012
 It is Not aging!
by: Linda

As I said in a previous comment, I have had this happen to two Siamese cats. One was 10 years old at the time so I didn't think much of it. However, a few months after he had the antibiotics, his face went back to solid dark brown. My second cat is only a year old and the same thing happened after antibiotics. It's been about six weeks now and her face is beginning to darken again.
Mar 24, 2012
 My 10 yr old Tonkinese's face just turned grey
by: Michelle

My sweet male Tonkinese had a bad respitory cold a month ago. The vet recommended a humidifier as it was a cold dry winter with my furnace running. The cold got worse so he took a week of antibiotic drops. Now a month later his dark brown face mask has suddenly become a mix of grey and brown and he looks so different. I got a photo of him taken a few months ago and compared and it is amazing how much his appearance changed.

I love him no matter how he looks. His sister is
a year older and her dark face does not have 1 grey hair.

I'll post again if his fur changes back to brown. The rest of his body is champagne color.
Mar 19, 2012
 Siamese White Face
by: Linda

I have had this happen to two siamese cats, both times right after taking antibiotics for a week. The first one eventually went back to dark brown after a few months. The second one I am waiting to find out!
Jan 04, 2012
 Aging
by: Marie

It's called aging. Just as humans age and get grey hair so do cats. They lose pigment in their fur just like we do on our head and body. Cats age 7 times faster than we do, for every year we age they age 7. So just because they are 3 years old in real life they are equivalent to 21 years old. I started greying when I was 18. It makes sense when you really think about it.
Dec 15, 2011
 Ragdoll's fur aroudn eyes are turning white?
by: Anonymous

I just had the same problem and am googling for find answers and if I should take my beautitful ragdoll seal point in to see the vet! All of a sudden his fur around his eyes started to turn white and he just turned 3 but i was thinking ok he's not getting old what happened? We were leaving in a very dry dry apt with high ceilings and I wondered if the dryness got to him? I dunno. Let me know if you have any answers thanks!
Nov 12, 2011
 Salt changes fur color?
by: kimber

I just noticed my tonkinese's fur is white around her eye. She had a bit of dripping (clear) a while back and I put a warm cloth with some salt on it. After reading this, I am thinking the salt may have caused this color change in her fur under that particular eye. Before I made an appt. at the vet, I decided to check on line. She doesn't have a hard time seeing and isn't rubbing it. I too wonder if it was the salt (I used a bit of solution from my sinus wash packet). I'm glad I found this site and am interested in any others who have opinions.
Nov 04, 2011
 Seal point fur turning white
by: Anonymous

Hi, I have a similar thing happen to my beautiful 2yr old seal point, Coco. She had an almost black face but a mknth ago had a few grey/white hairs around her eyes and now has grey flecks coming out all over her beautiful face.
I'm not sure if its flea stuff - we did have to use a pretty heavy amount this year after a particularly bad infestation over the summer (we have three Siamese so it seemed a vicious circle) so maybe?
She also got in a fight with a neighbouring cat 6 weeks ago and came back with a nasty gash on her head which turned into a cyst. We took her to the vet who gave her an antibiotic injection and lanced her & we had to keep her wound clean. I used salt water 3 times a day. The grey came after this and I wonder if it was the trauma of what she went through, fight, cyst, vets etc. She is a funny little cat who is very typically Siamese and freaks out at anything - I worry about her as she gets so uptight... If anyone else has any theories on why her fur turned white I would be interested...
Jul 26, 2011
 reaction to medicine
by: angelina diantonio

My husband and I live at the beach.Our house is a split level with wall to wall carpets. As you can imagine it is hoorible to get rid of fleas. I went to the grocery store and bought flea medicine down the cat isle. I knew not to by cheap flea medicine ,but I was like lets try it. My poor cat had such a bad reaction to it. He lost all his hair exactly where the medicine had gone. When his hair finanlly grew back it came in darker and not as soft. I never put that horrible medicine on my cats again.

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