German cat develops vitiligo and turns from black to white

A cat has turned from black to white after developing vitiligo in Germany. 

Elli, aged three, was diagnosed with the skin pigmentation disorder when she was 18 months old. 

Medics assessed she had vitiligo after her owner, Nicole Böhm, from Rauenberg, southern Germany, noticed a change in her fur.  

The pussy cat was originally mainly black with a white tuxedo like her sister, Rosie. 

Before and after: German cat Elli used to be mainly black (left) but was diagnosed with vitiligo aged 18 months and has now turned almost completely white (right)

Elli, who lives with her 39-year-old owner in southern Germany, was diganosed with vitiligo after her appearance began to change from black (left) to white (right)  

But now she has been left almost completely white with small black patches. 

Her owner has made her an Instagram account which more than 15,000 people follow to see pictures of the pet. 

Sales department worker Ms Böhm, 39, said: ‘Elli’s fur started changing in April 2017 with a little white spot on her back.  

‘At first I thought it was a little bit of lint, but it turned out it was her real fur.

‘The vitiligo has been a slow process over the last two years; it’s still developing even now.

Elli curls up on a cushion, after some white spots had begun to appear around her face but before most of her body had turned from black to white 

Elli rests her head (left) and peers around a corner (right) with the signs of white pigmentation appearing all over her fur 

‘Luckily, it doesn’t affect her in any way than the way she looks – she’s still as happy and playful as always!’   

Medics have previously said that vitiligo is extremely rare in cats but can develop as they get older.

The condition is also found in humans, causing pale, white patches to develop on the skin die to the lack of melanin. 

It affects one in 100 people in the UK most affects skin exposed to the sun, such as the face, hands and neck. 

Vets are however unable to predict which cats may go on to develop signs of vitiligo.   

From the very small number of cases which have been examined, vitiligo does not seem to have cause any ill-effects, experts have said. 

Elli grasps with a paw and peers around a corner (left) and has someone stroker her head while she slumps over a chair (right)

Elli sits on someone’s lap outdoors (left) and grasps an object in her paw with her mouth open (right) with most of her skin turned white 

Elli with her eyes closed when she still had plenty of black fur (left) and with her paws in front of her face after developing vitiligo (right)