Why Is My Siamese Cat’s Face Turning White – 6 Causes

It is not uncommon for your Siamese cat’s physical appearance to evolve as they get older, including changes in their body shape or fur color. While this may be upsetting to witness as a cat parent, various factors can affect whether your cat’s face turns white as they age, including their breed. So, why do Siamese cat’s faces turn white?

A Siamese cat’s face turns white as they age and is due to genetics. Siamese cats are predisposed to have shifts in coloring as they age, and it is simply more common to experience with Siamese cats. 

Like humans, as a cat starts to age, their bodies may begin to change in ways that reflect its years. In this article, we’ll talk about how Siamese cats go through similar changes, and what causes their faces to turn white.

Reasons Your Cat’s Face Is Turning White

A cat’s face can turn right for many reasons. However, when it comes to Siamese cats, there are a few specific ones we want to outline: 

1. Your Siamese Cat Has Undergone Significant Stress

Cats are pretty intuitive and can easily pick up on the mood of your home. If there has been a sudden shift in their home life that has caused your cat to become stressed, it can result in them going white in the face.

This stress level could be from a variety of things, including bringing home a new pet or baby, a bad accident, or an extended and unhappy stay at the vet’s office.

This change in their fur color might only be temporary and may fade back over time, but it can also be a permanent change. That does not mean your Siamese cat continues to be upset and stressed or that your cat is in poor health. One isolated stressful incident can trigger the fur change.

2. Your Cat Needs To Be Groomed

Cats that need a good brushing or grooming can sometimes develop a dull coat that looks gray or white. A cat needs their fur to be properly groomed several times a week to ensure they do not develop mats or a skin condition.

If they go too long between grooming sessions, this can cause dandruff to build up on their fur, which will look white. 

3. The White Color Stands Out More Against Their Dark Fur

As a side effect of the Siamese cat’s dark coloring, any white or gray hairs your cat has on its body may seem more pronounced. While lots of cat breeds may have patches of fur change color over time, the Siamese coloring makes it easier to spot the shift quickly.

4. Your Cat’s Fur Went White Following A Surgery Or Illness

You might notice your Siamese cat’s face turning white following major surgery or long-term illness. This often happens when a cat has been physically sick, which results in a loss of pigment in its fur.

It is a sign of an imbalance or a deeper problem with your cat’s overall health. Sometimes certain medications being used to treat their health conditions can also cause this reaction with their fur.

Sometimes, a few months after the illness has passed, your cat’s fur may return to the original lighter color with Siamese cats.

This can also occur if your cat has not gotten all the nutrients and vitamins they need from their food. This is why you may find stray cats have white coloring around their faces, as their fur shifted colors while they were malnourished and living on the streets.

5. Your Siamese Cat Is Experiencing A Fever Coat

A unique condition that Siamese cats can develop is a “fever coat.” This happens when a female Siamese cat is pregnant and gets sick with a fever or undergoes significant stress during the pregnancy. Her fur may turn white or gray during the pregnancy.

While the kittens are not hurt or impacted by this, sometimes, when the mother Siamese cat experiences a fever coat during pregnancy, the kittens will be born with the same white or gray coloring.

Usually, throughout the first few weeks of their life, their coloring will change back to their predisposed dark colors.

This happens to Siamese cats, in particular, because the breed has a temperature sensitivity gene that causes their coloring to get lighter at elevated temperatures. 

6. Your Cat Has Developed Vitiligo

Vitiligo is a purely cosmetic skin condition where cats get a cobwebbed or snowflake effect on their fur. It is more common to see this condition on cats that already have a dark fur color, as it stands out more.

When a cat develops this, it can go completely white all over its body, but it can also affect one area of its body. 

This is a hereditary skin condition, so it is most likely that one or both of your cat’s parents had this condition if your cat develops it. Vitiligo can happen to Siamese cats at any age, and it can often be the culprit if your cat’s face goes white at a young age. There is nothing you can do to prevent this if it is hereditary for your cat. 

Do Siamese Cats Get Lighter As They Age

Siamese cats do not typically experience their fur getting lighter as they age. Typically, the opposite will happen, and their fur will begin to darken the older they get. This is a trait related explicitly to Siamese cats, as they are often born completely white and develop their colors as they get older. 

Siamese cats have dark color pointing on their extremities, and often those dark spots do not show up until they get to be a few months old. The reason this happens is related to their internal body temperature.

A Siamese cat’s fur gets lighter when in warm situations, and it gets darker in cooler situations. The longer they are out of their mother’s womb, the darker spots develop.

As an adult cat, the factors that can impact the color of your cat’s fur are their weight and the climate you live in.

Usually, a Siamese cat’s fur will be at its darkest coloring in your cat’s older age. You may notice that your Siamese cat’s fur color fluctuates seasonally as well, with their lightest fur color happening in the hot summer months. 

Is It Normal For A Cat’s Fur Color To Change

It is very normal for a cat’s fur color to change throughout its life, as several factors can result in this change. Everything from anxiety, how much sun exposure your cat is getting, to the food they are eating can cause changes in their fur color.

This may happen either gradually or seemingly overnight, depending on which of the root causes is resulting in this change for your cat. 

If you are concerned about the situation, the best thing to do is bring your cat in for a consultation with your vet. They should be able to ask you the right questions to help you pinpoint the cause of your cat’s fur turning white if you are having trouble figuring out what is going on. 

Things To Consider

As a cat owner, you should not feel like you did something wrong if your cat’s fur begins to turn white.

Fur discoloration is not something you will have any control over, and most of the factors that cause it are out of your control. Give your cat lots of attention and remember what you love about them goes far deeper than the color of their fur.

In particular, with the Siamese cat breed, there is always a possibility your cat’s fur could continue to change or return to its normal coloring.

Out of all cat breeds, they undergo the most change with their coloring throughout their life, and it is a continual evolution depending on the stage of life they are in, their age, environment, and overall health.

It is a separate and more serious problem if your cat has begun to profusely lose their hair to the point where they have bald spots. Excessive shedding or hair loss are both essential reasons to see your veterinarian, as they are symptoms of a more severe condition.