What is fever coat?

Fever coat is a condition whereby a kitten is born with a grey or silver coat which changes colour after a couple of weeks.

There is no hard evidence as to why this might occur. It is widely believed that if a pregnant mother cat has an illness, or suffers stress, or is sick due to an infection, during the pregnancy then this may induce a fever coat.

Essentially the silver coat occurs when the pigment is not properly deposited in the fur coat. This gives the fur coat a silver sheen.

Images on this page

Above are listed some photos of a kitten in our cattery that was born with a slight fever coat. The kitten featured in the photos has now lost all it’s silver sheen and the true fur coat pattern has been revealed.

For the record the kitten featured in the images is completely fit and  healthy.

How long does fever coat last?

There is no strict timeline for the change in colour from fever coat to final fur coat.

Reading online the fever coat can disappear from 1 month to 9 months. once the fever coat disappears the final fur coat is revealed.

Can Maine Coon kittens be born with a fever coat?

Yes they can. In fact that is what happened with one of our kittens. I have included the photos of this kitten’s development.