Black or brown?

I'd posted about this as part of something else earlier but didn't get a reply, and just read something similar in the 4week old pictures thread.
Are black cats actually black or are they really brown?
They look pretty darn black to me, but then why do they bleach to brown in the sun?
Any ideas?

Sun lightens colors - blonde haired people usually get lighter in a lot of sun. I don't know why black fades, but it does

I just wondered why black faded to brown if it didn't have brown in it to begin with. *puzzled*

As already mentioned, the sun can bleach black fur to brown however lack of the amino acid Tyrosine will also cause black fur to turn brown since Tyrosine is involved in the melanine synthesis.

Thanks Sol, have no idea what you really said but it makes sense.

Originally Posted by Sol

As already mentioned, the sun can bleach black fur to brown however lack of the amino acid Tyrosine will also cause black fur to turn brown since Tyrosine is involved in the melanin synthesis.

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This is very interesting, and a topic I find quite fascinating. Would this mean a nutrient deficiency (of Tyrosine) could cause a kitty's fur to abnormally turn brown?

Originally Posted by dawnofsierra

This is very interesting, and a topic I find quite fascinating. Would this mean a nutrient deficiency (of Tyrosine) could cause a kitty's fur to abnormally turn brown?

Click to expand...

Yep, that's right so if it's in the middle of the winter, not much sun and your cat suddenly changes color from black to brown you should suspect Tyrosine deficiency.