Has someone tried to dye my cat?

[ParanoidCatDyer]

My black & white girl has come home with an extra patch of black on her!

It doesn't smell like oil and it isn't greasy. It's not dirt. It's not washing off. It's down to her roots.

Before I get paranoid that someone has dyed her, what possible explanation is there??

It's not your cat

you have stolen someone's cat

She's been sitting under a car and it is oil/ grease/dirt.

Or it's a changeling

What if she's an imposter and my actual cat is tied up in a cellar while this one infiltrates the family to gain important information about ... erm ... cheap Malbec and pasta sauces!

They might be a secret Russian agent (yours is tied up in a cellar somewhere)

I once had an argument with my DH that the black cat he was feeding was not our cat because it’s miaow was wrong. He thought I’d seriously lost it up until our actual cat turned up and was not pleased at imposter cat.

That’s not your cat.

I have an all white cat who is rarely all white.
She comes home green and black and grey.
Grass and grease from hiding under cars 😂😻

My white cat is never white in hot weather.
I suncream his white ears and he rolls them in dirty so they are disgusting.

He lays under cars and gets black spots- once they try to wash it off it doesn’t smell of oil

This is definitely our cat... or a very good imposter. Their disguise just failed on the extra black area.

She might be trying a new look. I'll check my mascara!

Maybe it is odourless oil and I need to stop eyeing the neighbours with suspicion.

Mum had a Tom cat and he used to come home with this weird stuff on him, just like your pics. My mum also was eyeing the neighbours suspiciously and saying ‘how could anyone be so horrible’ until we found him under a car lying in some old oil! We just had to let him clean it off as nothing would ever get rid of it.

We used to have a white cat who would acquire black patches from sitting under cars.

Mabel your cat has been playing with the Sharpies? Or, do you have a small child who may have tried to colour the cat in?

I house cat sat once for my friend. Her cat went missing. I eventually found it the day before she got home but he seemed a bit odd. She came home, looked at the cat - who was hissing at her - and said "That's not Dave!!!!". I'd cat napped the wrong cat!!

When I was growing up we sadly found our cat, Missy, dead by the side if the road, took her home and buried her, wrapped in her favourite blanket.

She (the real Missy) walked in a couple of hours later healthy as anything...we never did find out who's dead cat we buried

Well, I just think you're all awful for not being able to tell your babies apart from any old ragamuffin!

My ginger has a new black patch. Maybe it's a new fashion? Our cats are just very on trend ParanoidCatDyer.

I'm sure my cat introduced the trend and yours is a mere follower @StripySocksAndDocs

I walked in my house once and said hello to my black cat who was sat in the kitchen. Then I walked in to my living room and found my black cat asleep on the back of the sofa! The one in the kitchen was the absolute spitting image. When I went back and said "oi!", he looked at me as guiltily as a cat can and shot out the cat flap as if to say "damnit, rumbled"!!

Needless to say I now have a microchip catflap!

My first reaction to your extra black spot is that you have an intruder!

My cat has the most distinctive ugly face and pathetic meow. She's also a tad bow-legged... only a mother could love!! It's definitely her with extra black.

Pfft doubt it, Ginger Giant has had black patches before. Loads of them. So not a follower.

Black cats are definitely confusable. A friend of mine had booked his young tom in for the visit to the vets. Saw his cat on his wall, picked up, off they went.... came back to find his actual cat at home. Whoops.

He never did find out who the hapless imposter belonged to. Not sure how he explained his next booking to the vets, either!

Ernie has a new patch on his head that isnt shifting. I assume it's oil..or maybe a dusguise