Yoj wrote:


I noticed something I found even stranger. Skeeter is a black cat -
very black, except for a couple of white "designs" on her underside.
When I brushed her recently, I noticed that all the hair in the brush
was light gray. She still looks shiny black, so I guess that must be an
undercoat. Or something.

That's quite possible - I had semi-long haired black cat (black tabby,
actually - although the tabby markings were only visible in direct
sunlight). he was what the vet called a "smoke" tabby, because he had a
soft, fine white undercoat, which made the black not quite so black in
some areas.