Vicky ([info]littlegirlvik) wrote in [info]cathealth,
2009-09-25 02:15:00
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Possibly feline acne?

I've been watching this community for a little while, but I joined today because I have a quick question that I was hoping you all could help me with.

One of my cats has a darkening of the skin on his chin. At first, I thought he had gotten something on him, but as I tried to wash him, it didn't come out. I've looked at some pictures online after some Google-Fu, and I think it looks like Feline Acne.

I have a couple of questions. I work all day tomorrow, but was thinking about calling off for the afternoon to get him to the vet. However, some of the links I was looking at make it sound like this isn't such a huge deal. If this is the case, it'd be easier for me to wait until Saturday. However, I don't want to jeopardize his health. He isn't scratching, and it's not a very large spot. How serious is feline acne? Is there anything I can do from home to start helping him out before I get to the vet? We use stainless steal bowls already, and after reading up on this, I put them in the dishwasher today.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

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  • 10 comments

[info]magiccrackers

September 25 2009, 07:07:45 UTC 2 years ago

When my boy had feline acne i really thought he had a fat lip, like he'd bitten it by mistake or possibly another animal bit/scratched him.
I asked my vet to look at it when he had his jabs and he said it was feline acne and it comes and goes.
I think the most important thing is that if it does get quite big near his mouth it then doesn't stop him from eating.

My partner -actually- suggested we squeeze it. gross.

[info]charliejoy

September 25 2009, 09:44:27 UTC 2 years ago

our little fattie, cheby, had something like that called Stud Chin. It really isn't that big of a deal from what i got from the vet, and she had it forever until we just took her to the vet. i think we have her clavamox and it went away and hasn't come back. it's been a while, so i don't remember exact details (which means it wasn't a big deal, because i remember details exactly of all the big time issues with our kittehs).

[info]small_chicken

September 25 2009, 11:56:20 UTC 2 years ago

Not very; we use thrift-store plates to feed our kitties and wash them along with our regular dishes.

[info]karmen

September 25 2009, 13:01:29 UTC 2 years ago

Don't take time off work if he is acting ok and eating and drinking ok, use a warm damp wash cloth and scrub it though, you need to get the black stuff off or it will clog up his pores and cause pustules to form. For sure take him but I think it can wait until Saturday!

[info]talonvaki

September 25 2009, 13:32:12 UTC 2 years ago

My two Abys both had it. It took a regimen of cleaning their chins with hydrogen peroxide and salicylic acid pads (Stridex, basically), using a flea comb to remove the black flakes, and applying benzoyl peroxide (2%) cream and neosporin. They already were eating from glass/steel bowls. I also used warm washcloth compresses. All of the above was recommended by my vet.

They both got it when they were over a year old, and on both it disappeared by the time they turned two, so I really think it's a developmental thing, at least with Abys.

[info]spiltvinegar

September 25 2009, 13:41:26 UTC 2 years ago

My cat has had it since we got her at age 8 weeks (2+ years ago). My vets have never shown concern. They suggest washing as a preventionary measure (I use dye-free soap or hibbaclens, depending on what I have on hand. My current vet's daughter uses Estes Lauder, apparently). If it gets really bad, there are special creams and steroid washes you can use, but I've found that if I check in with it once a week and do a quick wash of the area, it tends to stay at bay pretty well. I was cautioned against using anything that humans would use for acne...the vet said the percentages that humans use are higher than a cat should.

[info]irish_ais

September 25 2009, 14:03:47 UTC 2 years ago

My Himalayan has it, and he doesn't even care; I don't think I've ever seen him scratch at it (outside of normal kitty scratching). He hasn't had serious darkening (not that we can tell, as he's a giant furball and you basically have to feel around to even find any bumps.)

We took both of ours to the vet recently for something totally unrelated, I mentioned the bumps, she felt around, and said it wasn't a big deal, especially if the cat's not acting like it's aggravating him.

[info]fritters

September 25 2009, 20:20:47 UTC 2 years ago

My mom had this problem with her cats, but she switched from plastic water bowls to metal and it went away...

[info]bonhommie

September 25 2009, 23:34:41 UTC 2 years ago

If it's acne, it wouldn't be darkened skin so much as being able to see the "blackheads" on the skin in different areas around the lips, whiskers and chin. If it's turned into a pimple though, then the skin would be just like a human case of acne pimples when the skin raises up in a bump. You still should be able to see blackheads around the areas though, because when there's one clogged pore, there's likely more blackheads around also.

My cat was diagnosed with feline acne in 2004, after he had a pore that became a large pimple. Due to his fur, we never even noticed it until it began bothering him. He kept kicking at his chin because the sensation was bothering him, and he ended up aggravating it more and kicked the pimple open and it became infected. Vet put him on Clavamox and gave us Pyoben shampoo to clean his chin with. He usually always has blackheads present nowadays, but I keep his chin washed and cleaned regularly so we've never had any reoccurences of a pimple forming that would make him uncomfortable enough to kick it open again.

[info]matchgirl42

September 26 2009, 03:47:23 UTC 2 years ago

My Athena has it. Basically we've switched from plastic food and water dishes to metal/ceramic, and we went through a phase for a while where I was washing her chin every day with just a warm, wet washcloth. It's been 4 years since the diagnosis and these days I just check her chin about once a week, and it's been about 5 months since I've seen a blackhead....

Your experience may vary. Definitely get him to the vet, but if it *is* cat acne, and he's eating, drinking and eliminating normally, and not running a fever, bleeding profusely or acting lethargic, then it's not a life-or-death emergency and can wait a few days.
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