[Wrao]

I don't like cats. I don't own a cat, and I don't want a cat. Regardless, we have 2 cats in the house and despite not being a fan of cats, I do feel some obligation to look after them as I can. One of our cats is some type of gray american short hair simple cat. Lately I have noticed his fur seems to be browning around the base of his neck. Additionally he's been more... loopy. For lack of a better word. Seems like he is spending more time indoors and rolling around on the ground than usual. But I don't really know, I'm not a 'cat-person'.

It's very possible he's always had that light brown hair beneath his neck and I just haven't noticed. Is this a winter thing? aging? did he rub himself in something? I know that there are a lot of cat fans here, so what's the scoop?

[Wyatt]

Cat's coats can indeed change with age. We have a healthy black cat with a white spot on his chest, and his white spot is spreading throughout his coat, making it look grayer. It's possible that your cat had a bit of brown in him before, but you hadn't noticed. That said, I don't know if some breeds change with the season. We've always had indoor cats, so the seasons don't really affect them.

[drewprops]

He may be turning. You should bake him into some banana bread at the earliest opportunity.



Or take him to the vet.

[billybobsky]

that so needs to be moded up...

[scratt]

For what it's worth our squirrel can change her entire coat colour in a few days... Sometimes she is dark chocolate brown, and the next day she can have light fleks all over her, which even appear pink for a short time as the transition happens.. She can even look quite unhealthy during the process and spend a lot of time cleaning her coat... But it's all just seasonal stuff..

She also tends to spin upside down from sticks a lot, and loop round and round running from floor to wall to ceiling for about 30 minutes each day.. We guess she is simulating running from one place to another, or exercising.. as the rest of the day she is totally normal... but during those periods she can appear a bit obsessive!

I think your cat is probably fine.. just going through changes..

[AWR]

Originally Posted by scratt ... Sometimes she is dark chocolate brown, and the next day she can have light fleks all over her, which even appear pink for a short time as the transition happens.. ..

Those might be the drugs, buddy. Just sayin...

I think your cat is probably fine.. just going through changes..

I think the cat is probably fine too.

[scratt]

Originally Posted by AWR Those might be the drugs, buddy. Just sayin...

And I guess you would say that when she talks, or unfurls her pink wings and flys around the sitting room that that is the drugs too.. Hmm?

[Gargoyle]

Just have a closer look and check that there is no irritation on the skin. The rolling round on the floor might be an attempt to itch something.

[zsummers]

Originally Posted by scratt For what it's worth our squirrel can change her entire coat colour in a few days... Sometimes she is dark chocolate brown, and the next day she can have light fleks all over her, which even appear pink for a short time as the transition happens.. She can even look quite unhealthy during the process and spend a lot of time cleaning her coat... But it's all just seasonal stuff.. She also tends to spin upside down from sticks a lot, and loop round and round running from floor to wall to ceiling for about 30 minutes each day.. We guess she is simulating running from one place to another, or exercising.. as the rest of the day she is totally normal... but during those periods she can appear a bit obsessive! I think your cat is probably fine.. just going through changes..

You own a squirrel?!?!? Or did I miss something?

[Windswept]

Originally Posted by zsummers You own a squirrel?!?!? Or did I miss something?

Yeah, really.

No kidding, scratt. You have a squirrel???

Is she a new acquisition, or have you had her for a while?

I think we need some pics.

Also, what's her name?

Does she look anything like this? (A grey-bellied squirrel from Phuket, with a reddish belly.)

[Windowsrookie]

Satin squirrel!

[Wyatt]

Originally Posted by windowsrookie Satin squirrel!

Satan?

[Windowsrookie]

oopsi. I said satain at first and spell check said "Satin". Gotta pay attention.

[scratt]

I thought you all knew we had a squirrel...

She is called scratt also. It's not a narcisic thing, but the fact that we got her as a baby when Ice Age was all the rage... and as I use my real name around the house it's not that confusing!! She is also obsessive about nuts of any kind, and does stash them.. In fact her similarities to the 'other' Scrat are quite numerous!

She is a Plantain Squirrel and lives sort of partly on our balcony and partly in our condo.. Not that different from the picture you posted, Windswept, except that apparently this particular breed has it's origins in Malaysia.. Although you do see them living in the wild here too..

Here are some pictures...

1. As a baby in our Bangkok Condo. We hand reared her, and she used to be completely dark chocolate brown. She likes Macs too....

2. Here she is exploring the cage of a baby flying squirrel we looked after for a while... (Our kitchenette has been renovated since that shot!)

3. A portrait shot for her school year book!


Back on topic...
As you can see her colour changes quite dramatically over the months / years..

[macleod]

Damn...now I kinda want a squirrel!
That is awesome scratt!

[scratt]

Originally Posted by macleod Damn...now I kinda want a squirrel! That is awesome scratt!

Thanks.. We love her. She is a real character, and has actually survived an 18 story fall from the side of the building we live in.. She decided to go exploring the outside wall of the building, against our advice, and was mobbed by birds.. So we kind of view her as blessed in a lot of ways...

I don't think she quite realizes her physical size in terms of the Universe either, as she is definitely the boss in this household. Also if you do something to iritate her she will do a very good impression of Chip'n'Dale and stand there and shake her fists at you, and voice her anger!

She is also a great boxer, and can run at you with all her claws flailing in a quite intimidating manner! Having said that, she has never drawn blood, or actually done anything other than give us a few rapid (but gentle) taps with her claws.. But, she does demand a modicum of repsect at all times! Her claws are sharp enough to climb vertical concrete, so we certainly appreciate the fact that she is hand tame, but carrys a pack of razor blades in each paw!

EDIT - Wrao, sorry for kind of hijacking your thread with this.

[zsummers]

Freaking sweet! I love dogs. But now I kinda want a squirrel. How about a new thread for kick-ass pets, with scatt's pics migrated over?