catmanjoseph
Why Is Her Fur Reddish?
First of all these two are feral cats. They've been friends of mine for about four years. They get fed an excellent diet, which includes a nutritionally balanced spectrum of protein, vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, etc. I would venture to say that their diet is better than most indoor cats receive. Nevertheless, the kitty with the red fur is experiencing a deficiency of an amino acid called tyrosine. It's in the food, but for whatever reason she isn't able to absorb it. May be liver issues or metabolic digestive problems. Anyway, tyrosine is needed in a sufficient enough concentration to be able to synthesize melanin. Melanin is a pigment that is necessary for the fur to be black. With a deficiency of melanin in cats, their black fur changes to red. Same pigment is found in the skin of humans. In people, that pigment determines whether one is fair skinned or darker. When humans tan, they get darker because of an increased production of melanin. Anyway I thought this pic was unique and a bit intriguing, due to the pose as well as the red fur. :-):-)
Why Is Her Fur Reddish?
First of all these two are feral cats. They've been friends of mine for about four years. They get fed an excellent diet, which includes a nutritionally balanced spectrum of protein, vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, etc. I would venture to say that their diet is better than most indoor cats receive. Nevertheless, the kitty with the red fur is experiencing a deficiency of an amino acid called tyrosine. It's in the food, but for whatever reason she isn't able to absorb it. May be liver issues or metabolic digestive problems. Anyway, tyrosine is needed in a sufficient enough concentration to be able to synthesize melanin. Melanin is a pigment that is necessary for the fur to be black. With a deficiency of melanin in cats, their black fur changes to red. Same pigment is found in the skin of humans. In people, that pigment determines whether one is fair skinned or darker. When humans tan, they get darker because of an increased production of melanin. Anyway I thought this pic was unique and a bit intriguing, due to the pose as well as the red fur. :-):-)