Skip to Content

This Cat’s Ears Started Turning White — And There’s Nothing Vets Can Do About It

Variety is the spice of life! What if your pet could actually change their coat as they aged? Not with the use of chemicals – but from within. There is a condition called vitiligo that will make your pet (and some humans) that causes patches of white to appear. The name is thought to have come from the word vitium, which translates to “defect” or “blemish.”

animals with vitiligo

Image Credit: N/A

According to the Mayo Clinic, how fast and how much of the skin will change is not known.

animals with vitiligo

Image Credit: N/A

Vitiligo can affect skin – anywhere on the body, even the inside your mouth and your eyes.

animals with vitiligo

Image Credit: N/A

The good news about Vitiligo is that it is not contagious or life-threatening. It is caused when the cells that make melanin (melanocytes) stop making melanin or die.

animals with vitiligo

Image Credit: N/A

Melanin is what gives skin its pigment.

animals with vitiligo

Image Credit: N/A