The Pet Tree House - Where Pets Are Family Too : Why Does Your Cat’s Nose Change Color? The Pet Tree House - Where Pets Are Family Too : Why Does Your Cat’s Nose Change Color?

Wednesday, October 18, 2017

Why Does Your Cat’s Nose Change Color?


Have you ever noticed your cat’s nose go from pale to dark pink? Why would your cat’s nose change color like that? And is it normal or should you worry?

This first time I noticed that my calico cat Merritt’s nose seemed a bit pinker than usual, I thought I was just imagining it. But when it happened again and again I got curious and a bit concerned. Merritt’s pale pink nose would turn a bright, hot pink when she was excited or after a bout of fetch (yep, she’s one of those doglike cats!). This got me thinking: why does my cat’s nose change color — and is it normal?

Why does your cat’s nose change color?

If, like me, you’ve noticed your cats nose getting brighter and more vibrant like some sort of kitty Rudolph on a foggy Christmas Eve, you’re not alone.

“Cats noses can change color from light pink to darker pink, normally in times of excitement or stress due to a temporary elevation in heart rate and blood pressure,” says Jenny Kistler, DVM at Brandermill Animal Hospital in Midlothian, Virginia. “This is a normal event and is usually nothing to worry about as long as it is short term.”

Dr. Sasha Gibbons of Just Cats Veterinary Hospital in Stamford, Connecticut, says that temperature also plays a role in a cat’s nose changing color. “The cat’s nose is highly vascularized (which means it has numerous small blood vessels throughout it),” Gibbons says.“These blood vessels can grow or shrink with different variables (such as heat, cold and high or low blood pressure). This can cause variations in the pink coloration of the nose. For instance, when a cat is cold, the blood vessels are smaller so the nose might appear light pink. When a cat is hot, or blood pressure raises, the vessels are larger so the nose may appear darker pink or red.”

To read more on this story, click here: Why Does Your Cat’s Nose Change Color?


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