Expert: Dr. Louis N. Gotthelf - 3/2/2011

Question
My 14 year old domestic shorthair cat is recovering well from a severe pancreatitis episode last summer that almost took his life. He's on daily prednisolone and ranitidine. He had a thorough blood test one month ago and it came out fine.

But his black hair is slowly turning brown. Is this common? Should I be concerned at all in the absence of any symptoms?

Answer
Hair color change is often indicative of something internal causing the skin not to get the proper nutrition.  If the blood tests look normal, then it may be nothing to worry about. You can add Omega3 fatty acids to the diet to help the skin and coat.