Help! My Cat's Skin Turned Black! (Vet Answered)
This question has been answered by a vet
Veterinarian & Animal Behaviorist
With nearly two decades in veterinary medicine, Dr. Paola brings hands-on experience across multiple species. A graduate of the University of Guadalajara, she specializes in preventive care, animal welfare, and positive reinforcement training.
The Question
"Hello, Dr. Paola.
Maylee is 16 and an indoor house cat. She developed a fairly large area where her skin pigment turned from creamy white to black, and all the hair fell out in that area. It runs from a little near the neck and spine and gets bigger as it runs down towards her tummy.
She scratched it so that there were sores in 2 smaller areas. I immediately called the Dr and took her in. I told him that I had never seen anything like that on her. She has never been sick except for some serious scratching, thanks, I think, to our SC pine pollen, for which I gave her some homeopathic drops, which seemed to help. Anyway, He gave her two shots, an antihistamine and an antibiotic. He gave me a topical cream, Animax nystatin-neomycin sulfate, to apply twice a day.
Two weeks later, the same thing happened, but I asked for a blood panel to be done. She has always refused to drink water (so I added water to every meal) until just recently, I praised her every time she went near her water bowl, so I was worried about her kidneys. Dr said he wasn't worried because the sores went away. She had stopped scratching because I was lubricating the area twice a day. What could this be?"- Kathleen
Quick Info about Maylee
Hi Kathleen,
Thank you for describing everything so carefully. It really helps build a clear picture. In an older cat like Maylee, a large patch of hair loss with darkened skin often reflects chronic inflammation of the skin rather than a primary “pigment disease.” When the skin is irritated over time, it can thicken and produce more pigment, much like how human skin darkens after repeated friction. The most common underlying causes we consider are allergic skin disease, external parasites such as mites or fleas, even in indoor cats, and, less commonly, fungal infections. The fact that she was scratching enough to create sores supports itch as a driver, and the improvement with the topical and injections suggests inflammation and possibly secondary infection were part of the problem, but not necessarily the root cause.
At 16, we also widen our perspective. Conditions like hyperthyroidism or early kidney disease can subtly change skin and coat quality, and older cats can develop paraneoplastic skin changes, although these are less common. Your instinct to request bloodwork was very appropriate, as a basic panel and thyroid testing help rule out systemic contributors. Another important step, if not already done, would be simple skin diagnostics such as cytology, skin scrapings, and possibly a fungal culture. These are low-stress tests that can identify infections or mites that are not visible to the eye.
Since she is currently stable and not actively self-traumatizing, this is a good moment to take a step back and investigate rather than just suppress the signs. Continuing the topical as directed is reasonable, but I would be cautious about long-term steroid-containing creams on fragile senior skin. The key now is to identify the underlying trigger so her skin can truly recover, rather than just keeping the surface calm. I hope this helps!
Kind regards,
- Dr. Paola