Vet commented on Abbey's coat.

I see Cammy is a calico.

Our Phoebe (a calico) seems to have the same kind and length of fur as the picture shows for Cammy.

Phoebe's hair is so soft I almost can't feel it when stroke her - it's silky.

We, too, feed Natural Balance dry, and Trader Joe's canned, along with some other premium brands occasionally.

I wondered if maybe her fur was so soft because she was a girl - the boys have soft fur, too - but not as silky as Phoebe's and I have no other female cats to compare with hers other than the semi-feral who won't let me touch her - yet .

I read/heard once that dogs have different coats depending on the sex. Haven't ever researched it, though.

Nice for the vet to give you some good feedback about her coat, a sign of good health I imagine.

We took our girls to a new vet last week and they also commented on how soft and shiny the girls' coats were as well as how CLEAN they were. I thought the clean comment was kind of strange, but I guess they see all kinds of cats in various conditions. I try to brush Callie, my medium-haired girl daily, mainly because it helps with the hairball issues, and Hannah gets brushed as often as I can, at least 3 times a week, if not more. I think the Missing Link supplement they get has helped tremendously with coat condition.

My vet/techs often comment on that too (and the vet techs at the blood donor program.) I've know a lot of cats on low quality diets with gunky coats, dandruff, etc and I think they're used to seeing that sort of thing so when a cat is nice, clean, dandruff-free and shiny they are pleasantly surprised.
I always reply that the cats are on Orijen. In my experience the diet has a LOT to do with the coat although it's also partially genetics. For example my cat Church has the softest coat I've ever felt on a short-haired cat. His fur feels like a rabbit. Even though the younger cats are probably his half-siblings and they're all on a good food, his fur is a lot softer. The other kitties are nice and shiny and soft but it doesn't compare to Church's fur. When he was a kitten I thought he'd be longhaired because he was quite fluffy. He turned out to have short but very dense, soft fluffy fur.
Of course Roxy is even softer than Church but that is because she is a Maine Coon.

I would think that genetics plays a role... but nutrition is so very important. All of my boys except Archie came in with coarse dry coats and in some cases flaky skin. .. now they are all soft and shiny with very little dandruff, except Rex... I tried salmon oil and he won't eat it or any food with the oil mixed in. Maybe Missing Link would be good for him. He's my fusspot.

I do think that it's a combination of diet and genetics. All four of my kitties eat the same diet (with the exception of Cassidy who eats more grain-free than the others), but have different coats. And, I think that's where their genetics come into play.

Emory is a 2.5 year old DSH tortie. Her hair is short and close to her body, but is also somewhat dense. And, while she is in excellent condition and has shiny fur, it is not as soft as my other cats' fur. It's not dry or flaky, but it just doesn't have the same consistency as the fur of my other kitties. Cassidy is a 2 year old DLH red and white tabby. She has long hair, but it is single-coated. Her fur falls almost cascades off her back and is soft, but not silky. It very rarely mats and is easy to work with. Her fur looks and feels healthy as well, but is not necessarily smooth. Delaney is a 2 year old DSH brown tabby with white. Her fur is silky, silky, silky. She has very soft, smooth fur. She's the softest of my kitties and her fur is shiny and a dream to pet. And, Finnegan is about 8 months old and is a DLH red and white tabby with a huge, foofy tail. He has the long hair and is double-coated. His fur is very thick and dense -- much unlike Cassidy's fur. He doesn't mat easily and his fur is not dry or flaky, but it's also not smooth. It's very soft, though. Actually, it almost feels like you're petting a cloud . I can't believe I just wrote that, but, alas, it's true...

For reference, my cats are fed a 75% wet/25% dry diet along with some raw treats during the week. They receive L-Lysine daily. They eat TOTW dry and a combination of primarily high quality wets (with the occasional Fancy Feast thrown in for variety).

And, by the way, my vet always comment on how clean and healthy my cats' coats look. I take it as a compliment and it makes me take a moment to pat myself on the back for taking such good care of my precious kitties.

I know... my new vet commented on how nice their fur and skin are... she has only seen two of mine... most of the rest come later this month for their annuals.