Why are my orange tabby cat's whiskers turning black? Is she sick?

As cats age their color can change. I wouldn't be too concerned about this. When you go into the veterinarian for your well visit you can show your veterinarian but I wouldn't be concerned. Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

This is likely an age related change and nothing to worry about. Some animals can develop white hair or whiskers prematurely at a younger age even. Regardless, it is typically something that is not concerning. Maintain her annual exam and get her blood tested each year as a preventive screening. I hope this helps!

This is most likely a condition known as Lentigo, which tends to happen in young orange cats. It is merely a pigment disorder and does not cause any serious harm. It is also possible (I think much less likely) that it is melanoma, which can be a harmful cancer. The best thing you can do is have a veterinarian take a biopsy of the skin and send it to the laboratory for analysis. They will be able to what the cause of this is. Either way, I think you are far from having to consider putting Little Boy down at this time. I hope this helps and Little Boy gets the all-clear from the lab.

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Black pigment or Lentigo are common developments in the mouth of cats as they age. More so in orange cats. That is what I think your last picture shows. The middle picture I can't tell if it is pigment or just some drool that had food in it that dried on the fur. It isn't uncommon to have dark crust at the nose openings. Some cats can have that and not be sick or if they are recovering from an upper respiratory tract infection. If Aphrodite is acting normal and not sneezing excessively I do not think she needs veterinary care. Have a good day!

Yes, we commonly see what we call Lentigo Simplex in orange cats. This should present as small discrete dark (pigmented) areas which it sounds like what you have seen in Bits. These areas tend to enlarge slightly over time and they tend to develop additional ones as they age. They are benign lesions, but they should always be flat. If Bits develops an area that is raised, it should be evaluated by your veterinarian. I hope that was helpful. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your concern. This could potentially be just a color change in the hair coat due to the change in season like you said yourself (winter coat). Some animals do develop color changes as they age as well. As long as she is acting normally and there are no changes to the skin, this is likely a normal change. If you are concerned at all, I would recommend having a veterinarian take a look at her so that the most appropriate diagnostic and treatment recommendations can be made.

This could actually be normal pigmentation on Phoenix's gums. This can be seen in orange cats, and it's known as lentigo. To be safe, I'd have him checked out by a vet since I can't say for certain without seeing him in person, but if it is lentigo, it's nothing to worry about. I hope this helps!