Cats and humans share many traits. And freckles are one of them. When you look at your adult or senior cat, you may have noticed that they have freckles. Kittens will not have freckles, just as human babies likely won’t either. Many cat owners with orange cats have cats that are freckled. If you’ve ever wondered why your cat has freckles, there’s a unique science behind it that’s pretty interesting.ย
What are cat freckles technically called?
We might think that these are spots our cats have, but they still do technically qualify as freckles. According to Ask the Cat Doctor, these dark spots can appear on your cat’s mouth, nose, inside of their ears, and on the edges of their eyelids.
For your cat, these dark spots can develop in any area of visible skin or mucous membranes. The development of these freckles is known as the lentigo complex. The plural, lentigines, often develops on cats as they start to age. Over time, more will grow as the years pass. This is similar for humans, but as we know, many people develop more freckles due to sun exposure. With our cats, this isn’t cause for freckles. For black cats that begin to look a tad rusty, this is actual concerning sun exposure.
For humans, freckles are most common in those with red or auburn hair. And interestingly enough, our ginger cats are the same. Freckles in cats are most common for ginger cats and calicos, seeing as calicos have the orange gene, too. Tortoiseshells and cats with flame points, like the Siamese, are also prone to the development of cat freckles. For our feline friends, the freckles generally appear on the lips first, followed by the eyelids. Then the nose and sometimes even on the pads of the feet.
When it comes to cat freckles, you need not worry.
As devoted cat owners, we often worry when we notice something unusual on our cats that we haven’t seen before. It’s a normal and natural reaction to feel worried about your cat’s freckles. However, the good thing is that your cat’s freckles are not cause for concern. It’s essential for you to regularly investigate your cat in between vet visits and dental cleanings. But know that cat freckles are not red (well, black!) flags jumping out at you. As mentioned above, these generally occur first on the lips, and their spread is relatively slow.ย
These brown or flat black spots are entirely harmless and simply a sign of aging. They result directly from increased epidermal melanocytes. It is these pigment-producing cells that result in hyperpigmentation and produce those adorable little feline freckles. Lentigo simplex is strictly a cosmetic condition, with no treatment necessary. Lentigo freckles donโt later become melanoma, so you donโt have to worry about it being an early warning sign of anything.
Did you learn anything new or interesting about our feline friends? Please share this article with other cat owners so they can learn something as well.
If you’re reading this, I bet you’re a lover of ginger cats. Want to find out more about these orange (and always striped!) cuties of the cat world? Check out my article dedicated just to them here on cattitudedaily.com.
