The coat color of a Siamese cat will change with its age, age and environmental changes. The colder the temperature, the darker the coat, and vice versa. The fur color of newborn Siamese cats is usually white, and then the color starts to darken. So what is the reason for this?

Siamese Cat

Such mutations are related to genes. According to "Wikipedia", genetics mentions that an enzyme responsible for producing pigments in Siamese cats contains a mutation. This mutation can cause this enzyme to become unstable at high temperatures and lose its function. Therefore, the coat color is darker in areas where the cat's skin temperature is lower (such as limbs, tail, face, etc.), while the coat color is lighter in areas with higher body temperature.

In addition to Siamese cats, there are also some cats with accent color patches that have a similar situation. For example, Ragdoll cats (detailed introduction), Himalayan Persian cats and some Taiwanese Mix cats often appear to be completely white when they are young, but completely different when they grow up.

In cold and low-temperature environments, Siamese cats’ hair becomes pigmented and has more dark parts. Therefore, the patterns and colors of Siamese cats will be subtly different at high latitudes and at low latitudes. The owner can also observe whether the color of its coat has turned lighter to infer whether it has a fever.

The most obvious example is that newborn babies are usually whiter because the womb is very warm. As it grows, the coat color will change from all white to light brown, and then the coat color will begin to darken in the nose, ears, tail, and limb pads where the body temperature is lower. The entire face of some Siamese cats is dyed dark brown by pigment, while the parts of the body with higher body temperature remain light brown or grayish white.

Interestingly, if a Siamese cat is unfortunately injured and the body temperature of the area wrapped by the bandage becomes high, when the bandage is first removed, it will be found that the new hair growing in this area becomes lighter or even completely white, and will slowly fade over time. Slowly restores original color. Therefore, it is not an exaggeration to call Siamese cats the chameleons of the cat world!