thinning coat replaced with white fur? *not urgent*

[ollie4444]

before I start this I want to point out, the cat I'm talking about is completely fine now

back in September one of my cats, smokey, started losing hair around his neck. it was never full-on patches where his skin was showing, just patches of very short hair. by December, his entire neck was a whitish-greyish color- along with his neck, his tail lost a lot of fur.. it grew back white as well but much shorter than before.

has anyone ever seen a cat go through this? I'm just curious because I've
never been able to find out what happened.

he wasn't sick, on any meds, same diet, etc etc

the pictures attached are him, in order, before hair loss, middle of hair loss, and after hair loss.

 

[silent meowlook]

He is adorable. I have a tabby that has white hairs where he has scars. Some times if there is damage to the hair follicle the hair can grow back white.

 

[FeebysOwner]

I found some possible explanations when searching the internet about what you described. Maybe one of these is the answer, or not...
"An episode of acute stress can cause something known as telogen effluvium. This is a process by which more hair follicles than normal go from the anagen phase of growth to the telogen phase (when the hair sheds). However, it can also affect a change in the color of the cat's fur. This color change can vary, but most often it tends to become paler or even appear gray."

Or perhaps, it is vitiligo, see article link below that explains it.
Vitiligo in Dogs and Cats: Everything You Need to Know | PetMD

 

[ollie4444]

I found some possible explanations when searching the internet about what you described. Maybe one of these is the answer, or not...
"An episode of acute stress can cause something known as telogen effluvium. This is a process by which more hair follicles than normal go from the anagen phase of growth to the telogen phase (when the hair sheds). However, it can also affect a change in the color of the cat's fur. This color change can vary, but most often it tends to become paler or even appear gray."

Or perhaps, it is vitiligo, see article link below that explains it.
Vitiligo in Dogs and Cats: Everything You Need to Know | PetMD

thank you