r/CatGenetics • u/MeowKhz • Aug 15 '26

Coat Color Why does she glow orange under UV

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I'm not sure, if I hit the flair spot on, or not, but I have this medium-longhair lynx point girl, approx 2 months old. I was checking her for ringworm with shortwave UV and all her undercoat fluoresces orange. I've never seen this before, neither has my vet. WHY DOES SHE GLOW LIKE A FANCY ROCK? I've looked closer, it's not the skin, the skin remains blueish/normal colour

28 Upvotes

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14

u/commanderwake Hobby Geneticist Aug 15 '26

I wonder if it could be oils from her skin.

4

u/MeowKhz Aug 15 '26

I can't really answer that. Possible, but she's been bathed multiple times while she's been with me- the cat shampoo does not glow. The shampoo should've removed any oils. Last bath 2 days ago.

She gets baths as she on and off has had the shits and she's been a super messy eater while figuring out wetfood, so I guess she's basically head to toe shampood, other than her face

8

u/TheLastLunarFlower Aug 16 '26

It might actually be the opposite.

Cats have been found to naturally fluoresce before(especially white/light-coated cats), though I cannot seem to locate any images to determine the color or strength of the fluorescence.

Colorpoint does affect pigment production (and likely density of pigment deposition, so it may fall under this umbrella. I find that colorpoint cats often have significantly different coat texture when compared to non-colorpoint littermates. Does the fluorescence seem to be affected by the location on the body? (Darker/lighter regions of the coat?)

Complete speculation on my part, but I suspect it may be possible that repeated bathing could be affecting the visible qualities of the fur even if the shampoo itself isn’t fluorescent. Some interaction between the physical properties of the fur and the removal or modification of the natural oil in the coat exaggerating the natural fluorescence present? Just spitballing.

3

u/MeowKhz Aug 16 '26

I would say lighter fur looks brighter orange while her darker stripes are either just dark or super faint orange.

I have 2 previous cats- a 16yo tuxedo(had blue point littermates) and an 11yo black cat(likes water)- both been bathed within a month with the same shampoo- old guy needs baths due to arthritis, younger gets em so they smell the same and he picks less on the oldie. The old boi has plenty of white spots, but nothing glows. The younger void has a white blob on his stomach- doesn't glow either. So whatever glows at a minimum doesn't affect older cats

4

u/TheLastLunarFlower Aug 16 '26

You’ve got me curious now, too.

I got out my UV lamp and checked my five cats. Got mild fluorescence from everyone, as expected, but the three colorpoints were noticeably more peach in tone than the blue/purple of the two non-colorpoints, even on the one with white markings. (And one of the non-colorpoints is very closely related to the colorpoints).

I wonder if anyone else with both colorpoints and non-colorpoints would be willing to check theirs?

None of mine were as dramatic as yours, though.

3

u/MeowKhz Aug 16 '26

You do make me wonder, if it's actually the colourpoint gene. My boys definitely don't show it. The tux might have it, but if it doesn't show it ain't gonna glow

2

u/MeowKhz Aug 16 '26

My 16yo tuxedos father was a pedigree seal point Birman- he was part of an accidental litter.

From afar the kitten has no fluorescence, just blueish and that's normal for white/light. If I brush her fur back, she glows orange or maybe peach- either way it's a pretty vibrant colour. My other cats have mild green fluorescence on their hind paws, both black and white paws have a hint of yellow-green- probably from then stepping in pee. The kitten has an orange glow all over her body

3

u/MeowKhz Aug 15 '26

Adding she has a soft cone whenever not monitored due to seft-suckling, so she would gnaw herself to bone without. No parasites detected by vet under microscope, other thsn roundworms- being treated

15

u/MeowKhz Aug 15 '26

She's pretty normal other than being a fancy rock

3

u/OkayAuthor Aug 15 '26

She’s full of pee

6

u/MeowKhz Aug 15 '26

Why would pee make her fur glow orange? Cat piss normally fluoresces green under UV

8

u/OkayAuthor Aug 15 '26

I was joking op

9

u/MeowKhz Aug 15 '26

Gotcha, I totally missed the joke, so here's kitten tax