A litter of kittens have been born with a rare condition that causes their fur to change colour.
The adorable group of six young cats have the condition fever coat – which results in unexpected changes in the colour of their fur.
It occurs when the fur’s pigmentation doesn’t develop normally in the womb, leading to unusual colouring at birth, and is often caused by the pregnant mother being ill or stressed.
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In this litter’s case, the kittens were born in varying shades of grey – which will darken up to 50 shades over time.
The kittens, currently eight weeks old, were brought into a Scottish SPCA shelter after they were found living in suitable conditions.
They are currently searching for their forever home, and have been dubbed ‘Scotland’s rarest kittens’, as reported by Need To Know.
Scottish SPCA senior vet, Jo Neilson, who has cared for the kittens, says: “This is a very rare occurrence and something I have never seen affect a whole litter before.
“The colour change can take months and can be quite a shock for people who think they’ve rehoming a ‘rare colour’, which then a couple of months later sees their kitten transform into a black cat.
“There is no one infection that causes Fever Coat, it can be caused by anything that results in a significant increase in the mum’s body temperature which could be any kind of infection or could actually just be due to extreme stress.
“And it doesn’t happen in all cases where the mum gets an infection during pregnancy.
“It’s so rare the exact cause is not fully understood but it probably only occurs if the fever hits at a particular stage of the pregnancy.
“It doesn’t harm the kittens at all and these six are happy healthy and looking for their forever homes with a loving family.”
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