Cat Chat Feline Forum

Hi everyone long story short we rescued a cat that had been around a while and we noticed she was pregnant and after a while we managed to get her in and she gave birth to 2 kitten (on 2 separate days!) they are now 10/11 days old doing well gaining weight and mum is brilliant. One of them is blue and the other im not quite sure on? He was born darker but has slowly got lighter over the last week, I have looked at fever coat but im not sure its that as he wasn't born overly silver and the roots of the hairs are very light instead of dark which I think would normally happen with fever coat? Im not very clued up on it so am wondering if anyone could advise? Thank you https://imgur.com/a/IcV7IvX

Another picture of both of them https://imgur.com/a/4zSPANy

I'm certainly no expert on fever coats, but from what I do know I wonder if both have them. What colour is Mum, is she Blue or Black / Black and White.

As long as they are healthy I wouldn't worry too much. The normal problem with fever coats is they make the kittens look different and people advertise them using photos from when they were kittens. Then the potential buyers suddenly find they have been conned and have a normal black or black and white cat, which while cute isn't what they thought they had been sold.

Mum is a black and white long haired cat and from what im assuming dad is a long haired blue cat that roams around here a lot defiantly a tom cat and both were spending a lot of time in my garden before I managed to get her in and makes sense with the blue kittens! Here are some more pictures https://imgur.com/a/WCt3Bev https://imgur.com/a/NySxlCm https://imgur.com/a/NrywFbM

Hi Lauren and welcome. I’m no expert on cat coats either unfortunately so can’t help you there - but just wondered - will you be getting mum spayed now? This is a rescue site and there’s so many cats and kittens needing homes it’s really sad to see them all. I hope you can get the male sorted too otherwise you could be inundated with cats in your area. It’s great that you’ve taken care of the mum btw

Yes mum will be now we have caught her and she trusts us so as soon as the kittens are old enough she will go in to be spayed. However the male im not sure if he is owned. He does come here for food im wondering whether to paper collar him and see what happens?

Lauren wrote:Yes mum will be now we have caught her and she trusts us so as soon as the kittens are old enough she will go in to be spayed. However the male im not sure if he is owned. He does come here for food im wondering whether to paper collar him and see what happens?

That’s great to hear. Yep, definitely do that if you can get hold of him, otherwise borrow a trap from a local rescue. I paper collared an unneutered tom twice, that kept coming here, I got no reply so took him for neutering and then got a phone call from an elderly woman who was sort of looking after him as a stray. So that worked out well he stayed with her after that - i.e stopped roaming but was neutered. Best of luck!

Ok will do that and hope I can sort it out. Now to see how the kittens grow and change colour wise as they are so unusual! One has already nearly tripled his birth weight and they have started playing with each other

Hi and welcome

I expect you've seen this but am posting the link just in case -

https://www.brucethecat.co.nz/blog/feve ... what-is-it

This guy looks just like your kittens. I'd never heard of fever coat. It does sound also as if they have some pedigree in their ancestry with the father being blue (it's not a colour that occurs naturally in cats, I understand) and the change may be a throwback to whatever characteristic there is of the pedigree breed in their ancestry. Kitten coats can undergo all sorts of changes; black kittens can have 'ghost stripes' that turn black for instance.

I've seen Siamese kittens changing colour (they're born white and develop their points gradually) but never this. They're bonny little things, whatever the cause

Thank you they are such lovely kittens do you think they will turn black then as I have just thought they would be blue like their dad? I can't see any black like the kitten in the link but maybe it's too soon to tell i will make sure to update as they get older

Just been looking at the link and other kittens with it and they seem to have darker legs and tail which would be the normal colour when the fever coat goes but my kittens don't seem to have that both their tails and legs are the same. Very confusing these kittens https://vimeo.com/277154168

I've had blue kittens from a dilute tortie mum and they did darken as they got older. I doubt they would turn black. I did have a kitten with such striking ghost tabby markings it made her black look grey, she grew out of it. Do be careful with photos, flash can damage their eyes

There is no flash on don't worry I know how sensitive their eyes can be the dad is very blue with very light blue on his tail and underneath hes a beautiful cat I cant understand why anyone would let him out and roam if he is homed.

Hi everyone so who we think the dad of the kittens was very happy to come into our house today, found out from someone he was left here by someone who moved so ill be soon taking him to the vets to be neutered here he is happily laying in my window, also see the silvery colour of tail! Think we can say he is definitely the dad! http://imgur.com/a/DcO1gOF http://imgur.com/a/Wgb8WDX

He’s lovely and it’s good that you’re going to get him sorted, I presume until then you’ll keep him away from the others though

Yeah he is kept downstairs, mum and kittens are in a room on their own upstairs

Both kittens are doing well one has already tripled his birth weight at 11 days old! Here is a new picture from today with the beautiful mum wondering how the lighter one will change! If it was fever coat when would I see a change? https://imgur.com/a/4wmW3Pl

Wow, what a gorgeous chap!

Good on you for taking him in

Honestly, all you can do is wait and see, they may stay like this as dad is carrying the dilute gene, I'd say fever coat was very rare, I've not come across it in 14 years of voluntary work (over 250 cats/kittens)

Lauren wrote:Both kittens are doing well one has already tripled his birth weight at 11 days old! Here is a new picture from today with the beautiful mum wondering how the lighter one will change! If it was fever coat when would I see a change? https://imgur.com/a/4wmW3Pl

Sorry I missed this - another gorgeous pic; they are all stunning. It will indeed be fascinating to see how those kittens turn out

booktigger wrote:Honestly, all you can do is wait and see, they may stay like this as dad is carrying the dilute gene, I'd say fever coat was very rare, I've not come across it in 14 years of voluntary work (over 250 cats/kittens)

I had never heard of it until someone mentioned that the kitten had it. Im guessing by the few kittens with it ive seen on google it must be pretty rare or maybe its not documented much. I will keep updating everyone to let you know how and if he changes

Kittens are 2 weeks old today they are so loving and playful and have changed loads! https://imgur.com/a/QpeqtBR

Are they both boys?

booktigger wrote:Are they both boys?

Yes both boys

Boys this morning looking very relaxed! Both are finding there feet so will be putting up a more secure area for them https://imgur.com/a/cj8nSLT https://imgur.com/a/ysjaElz

The boys are 3 weeks old today look how beautiful they are https://imgur.com/a/iBswGgg

Awww!

Sweet little guys!

Your kittens are adorable. I've attached a few pictures of my little dude with a fever coat so you can see what one looks like.

crazyanimalperson wrote:Your kittens are adorable. I've attached a few pictures of my little dude with a fever coat so you can see what one looks like.

Thank you. Wow he is beautiful how old was he when he began to change colour? Is he all black now? Im thinking my lighter guy is going to be blue like his brother maybe!

Lauren wrote:

crazyanimalperson wrote:Your kittens are adorable. I've attached a few pictures of my little dude with a fever coat so you can see what one looks like.

Thank you. Wow he is beautiful how old was he when he began to change colour? Is he all black now? Im thinking my lighter guy is going to be blue like his brother maybe!

He is about 7-8 weeks old. I'm not sure when he began to change colors I just got him last weekend from a feral rescue.