Thread: Can a Tarnished Silver Classic Maine Coon Become "Untarnished"?

What a shame you have not achieved the colour of kitten you really wanted. I have a silver tabby girl, who was also very distinctly silver when she came home with us at 16 weeks, but gradually she became grubby looking, and has remained that way ever since. She is now 6 and is a very much loved pet, but I understand your disappointment.

Mating silvers and blue silvers with red keeps the silver clear and clean, introducing brown will lead to the discolouration, I understand, though not always. As a breeder, it is not easy to predict the final adult colouring of some kittens as they can change as they grow and develop. Your breeder may have had other silver kittens that remained silver, or had kittens that became tarnished, but are still classified as silver. Not all owners keep in touch with their kittens' breeder, so finding out how the kittens develop can be problematic. I have no idea whether it is possible to reduce or remove the tarnish with a change in diet, for instance. That would be interesting to find out.