Cats come in different sizes, breeds, and patterns. And usually when you get a cute little kitten in one color, you expect them to grow bigger, but not completely change. That was David Platt’s reasonable assumption when, in 1997, he bought Scrappy, a perfect, all-black “panther” kitten.
But David was in for a shock when 7 years later, his all-black kitty wasn’t quite black anymore!
“When he was seven, my mum was looking after him and rang me to say a white patch had appeared on his head,” David told Metro UK.
“We took him to the vet as we thought he might have had a stroke. At that time, the vet couldn’t explain what was causing it.”
That small white patch was only the beginning of Scrappy’s beautiful (and rare) transformation. Over the next few years, the patches didn’t stop!
In the end, Scrappy completely changed from a panther kitty to a charming, salt-and-peppered gent!
Vets think Scrappy’s unique coloring is the result of a disorder called vitiligo.
Vitiligo is a condition where the body loses patches of pigment and is known to affect areas such as the eyes and hair. It’s so rare that only 1% of humans have it— but it’s also stunningly beautiful.
There is no known cause or cure for vitiligo, and there are very few treatment options. It doesn’t begin until later in life, generally around 20 or 30 years old. Here’s a picture of Winnie Harlow, a successful model known to have the condition.
As mentioned, vets assume Scrappy had vitiligo, but no one really knows for sure. Whatever the cause of his eye-catching coloring, the old boy was stunning and incredibly unique!
Scrappy lived to be nearly 20 years old— so, it’s no surprise, at the end of it, he started to be a bit of a grump.
David said, “He does have his grumpy moments, as I guess we all do in old age.”
“He doesn’t mind having his picture taken, but it’s definitely him who decides when he wants to be photographed.”
That’s right! As beautiful as Scrappy was, he was definitely not the cat to mess around with! In fact, Scrappy’s name actually originated due to the fact that he was always getting into scraps with other kitties in the yard!
Despite Scrappy’s feisty attitude, the kitty was quick to smother David with cuddles love. In fact, according to sources, David was the only one allowed to touch Scrappy’s uniquely marbled belly!
Scrappy’s age didn’t affect him too much. He still meowed loudly in the middle of the night and was always getting into mischief!
Prior to his death, Scrappy was the subject of his very own Instagram account. When David started posting the kitty’s photos online, he immediately caught the internet’s eye. From there the account grew to gain more than 188,000 followers!
Scrappy lived a long and happy life, but sadly this salt-and-pepper kitty has now crossed over the Rainbow Bridge. His family is grateful for all the joy he’s brought them— and a part of me thinks that we’ll never see a cat quite like Scrappy again.
Hear his story below!
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