Because it never fails to amuse me ...

[apocalypsos]

... two different pictures of Otis.

Before, when he was still living with my parents, getting picked on by the other cats, and suffering with rotten teeth:



After, when he moved in with me, got away from those other fuckers who beat him up, and got all of those bad teeth removed:



As my mother says every time she sees him without fail, "Oh, he's gotten so DARK!" Yes, Mother, I know. Heh.

Comments

[pekover.livejournal.com]

That's actually kinda weird - it gives credence to the cliche of stress turning people's hair grey!

Is it normal for Siamese to do this? (I'm just guessing Siamese, I don't really know cats). Is it because his overcoat grew in better, and his overcoat is dark?

Sorry to grill you, I'm just intrigued...

[pekover.livejournal.com]

Oh, and I forgot to say - good for you, giving him sanctuary. It's obviously agreeing with him!

[dhark-charlotte.livejournal.com]

Awww! He's so pretty now!

[apocalypsos.livejournal.com]

I know, right? I've never seen any of the other cats my mom's had do it, and there really isn't any other reason that I can think of for it to get darker (which is really all it did, it grew it fine up there, just gray, which just looked weird on a 3-year-old cat) other than his being less stressed out. There really was a marked difference in his behavior between being there and here, too -- up there he was more afraid of strangers and didn't come out much, but down here you'd think I never pay attention to him the way he goes running for new people. :)

[roseredathena.livejournal.com]

Is it colder at your place than at your mom's? I know that due to the Siamese cat's genetics the fur actually darkens in response to a lack of heat. It's why the paws and tail are darker than the trunk of the cat. Overall darkening can be a response to a cooler climate.

Citation: Hartwell, Leland, Michael L. Goldberg, and Leroy Hood. Genetics : From Genes to Genomes. New York: McGraw-Hill Science, Engineering & Mathematics, 2006.

[apocalypsos.livejournal.com]

Not really. That was what I thought it might be, but aside from a draft in the living room when the wind hits it right the entire apartment's pretty much the same temperature as my parents's house.

[aquila1nz.livejournal.com]

Siamese colour patterns are governed by temperature - keep little warm boots, nose and a tail warmer on a kitten and its points won't darken (this is of course a theoretical kitten that allows ypu to dress it and doesn't chew things off ).

http://community.livejournal.com/wtf_nature/317287.html

So if the place you live is cooler than Otis original home he would darken - and all Siamese darken somewhat as they age.

[apocalypsos.livejournal.com]

I know, but it's not any colder here than it is at my parents's house.

[writerrising.livejournal.com]

Color aside, his coat looks so much better now than then, and he looks so much healthier.

He looks so beautiful and happy. Bless you for taking him.

[lilacsigil.livejournal.com]

The fur in the first picture just looks like baby fluff - maybe he was too stressed out and hungry to actually grow proper fur? He looks like a happy litle guy now, though, even though his cushion looks like it's eating him!

[anoel.livejournal.com]

Awwwwwww.

[elusive-life-77.livejournal.com]

His face reminds me of a bat!! He's gorgeous!!! (I happen to like bats)

I like the blissed out, sleepy, "why the heck are you bothering me" look on his face.

[fyrdrakken]

Maybe there was somewhere really warm in your parents' house he liked hanging out in that there isn't an equivalent of at your place?

I guess the real test is to see if he's similarly dark in the summer.

[apocalypsos.livejournal.com]

Nope. There's not really any difference in the heat between the house and the apartment. They're both pretty much the same size and the heat distributes pretty well in both places.

He really is that dark all year round, too. Well, at least now he is. :)

[fufaraw]

Such a handsome boy!

[random-serious.livejournal.com]

Awww, Otis. So cute!

[hellziggy.livejournal.com]

Such a cutie pie!

Since there's no real temperature difference, I'd say it's probably a result of less stress. If he was really stressed out before he could have been shedding his hairs before they had a chance to get really dark.