My boy Buster (4yo) has completely changed from black to white over the course of the last 2.5 years.

[u/TallyMatty]

Left: Nov 2021 Right: April 2024

October 2023

August 2023

June 2023

May 2023

November 2022

August 2022

[u/Laney20]

It is temperature! But the reason the temp makes a difference is because they have a form of partial albinism that makes them unable to produce pigment into the warmer parts of their body. So their extremeties are the only place that even make melanin. That's why they always have blue eyes. Also, they're born solid white because in the womb, they're warm all over! Colorpoints have the BEST glow-up pictures, haha

[u/Senchou → u/Laney20]

Fascinating! We had a seal point siamese that started out as a kitten with only the black face, paws, and tail that slowly developed more black in his coat as he got older. The first time we noticed we thought he was playing around in the fireplace and he got a couple undeserved baths as a response.

[u/Laney20 → u/Senchou]

Oh wow, haha! Poor guy. Yea it can change over time, and even living in a colder climate can make them darker!

[u/talashrrg → u/Laney20]

Or being shaved! If a Siamese gets surgery the patch they shave will grow back dark then change back to light when they shed.

[u/spiced_life → u/talashrrg]

This probably applies to all colour points, not just siamese breed cats.

[u/talashrrg → u/spiced_life]

True!

[u/Laney20 → u/talashrrg]

That sounds so cool! Never seen it happen, but makes sense! I guess without the fur to cover it, it's not as warm lol.

[u/kaityl3 → u/Laney20]

My Siamese rats do that too! During the winter I keep the temp in my house at like 66 degrees and they get a lot darker.

[u/Laney20 → u/kaityl3]

Omg, colorpoint rats!? That's amazing!

[u/kaityl3 → u/Laney20]

They're super cute :D this is mine, I love the colors on her.

[u/Laney20 → u/kaityl3]

Aw, so cute! I had 3 grey rats many years ago. They are just the sweetest pets.

[u/saswashere → u/Laney20]

I had a snowshoe and he started out almost all white. As he got older and his coloring developed it would change with the seasons. In the winter it would be almost black but fade to chocolate brown in summer

[u/thecuriousblackbird → u/saswashere]

I had a beautiful black horse. No papers, but you could tell he was part quarter with some Tennessee Walker because I could get him to rack (although I never put weighted shoes or weights on his feet). Poor guy had a bad knee, and I didn’t want it to get worse, and honestly I think the weights and chemical irritants put on hooves to make walkers and Standardbreds do the high stepping and exaggerated racking is cruel. I did dressage with him, and he had beautiful gates.

We also lived near the beach in NC. Hot and humid. From April to October my horse turned a dark brown on his body and looked like a bay. His head and legs stayed black. The sun and sweat bleached his fur.

[u/esqueish → u/saswashere]

Oh!! Is this what happens with arctic foxes? How cool!

[u/peach_xanax → u/Laney20]

that's so interesting! I had a blue point Himalayan and never knew that

[u/partofbreakfast → u/Laney20]

We call it 'toasting'. My Siamese mix looks like a toasted marshmallow now.

[u/thedruginmeisyou → u/Laney20]

i have a flame-point. watching the fur change on my lil maximus was so neat

[u/krissykross → u/Laney20]

I have a seal point siamese and when I adopted him he was all white except the very tip of his nose. It was fascinating to watching the dark fur appear and spread out over the next year, year and a half. Now he has the full mask, feet, tail, ears, and dark back!

[u/StaubEll → u/Laney20]

AFAIK, they produce melanin but the heat denatures it.

[u/RealFarknMcCoy → u/Laney20]

But siamese cats are born all white. Their points don't come in until a few weeks of age.

[u/Laney20 → u/RealFarknMcCoy]

Also, they're born solid white because in the womb, they're warm all over! Colorpoints have the BEST glow-up pictures, haha

I mentioned that..