Feline Acne.. A right pain in the...

Pushkabounce · 11-14-2012, 04:14 PM

Hey guys.

My 3 year old Male cat has his first bout of acne. I've never come across it before so this is still a learning curve for me.

I'm just interested to know if you guys know anything more about it?

He got it a week after I changed his food to a high meat (biscuit) food and I read that acne can be caused by oily foods that block their pores? I have since put him back onto his normal biscuits.. anyways..

I was washing his chin every other day with an antibacterial wash and holding on a warm cloth to draw out as much as possible, after no change I took him to the vet and she wasn't at all worried about his chin and just said to start washing it every day. So I have been.

The only change is that now the bits are bigger and flat. Also like dried dark red flakes of skin. I rub it with my fingers now to create a lather and I find that better at getting bits out BUT IT'S STILL HERE!!

Has anyone found a way to get rid of it, to speed up healing, keep it away? Any other reasons why they can get it other than the normal things?

(He has cane bowls which are cleaned after every meal and his mat his cleaned daily)

Thanks!

Nan · 11-14-2012, 04:56 PM

What is a cane bowl made from? I haven't heard that term.

CJinCA · 11-14-2012, 05:09 PM

When I adopted Squeek, I was told she sometimes got chin acne, and to dab it with q-tip (cotton swab) soaked in alcohol. She hasn't had it since we've had her though, so I've no real experience. We assume she got it from the stress of the foster environment - too many cats in too little space.

I've also read it can be caused by bacteria lurking in plastic water / food dishes. Anything porous can start to harbour bacteria and be difficult to get fully clean. By 'cane' do you perhaps mean bamboo? I'm not sure how anti-macrobial that is, I would imagin similar to wood? I use porcelain / ceramic bowls and we have one stainless steel water bowl for the upstairs, and they all get washed on occasion.

Have you tried switching back to the old food, albeit temporarily, to see if the problem goes away? At least then you can start to identify the cause by a process of elimination.

spirite · 11-14-2012, 09:56 PM

One of mine has had acne for years. Sometimes it doesn't seem to be there, but it flares up every now and then, and I haven't been able to find a pattern. She wouldn't tolerate the wet washcloth, so when I see that it's looking a little dirty, I take a flea comb to her chin to get rid of the little black flakes (it's definitely acne and not flea dirt). She LOVES it, and then sometimes grooms herself to get to what I couldn't - I guess it itches?

Her chin is red for a few minutes afterwards, but then the acne seems to just calm down for a while.

Pushkabounce · 11-15-2012, 05:25 AM

Hehe sorry I think maybe cane bowls is an silly english term for china/ceramic bowls. We sometimes call them all cane.. I have no idea why?! So yeah he doesnt have plastic or wooden bowls.

We have only had Tinker for 10 months as he was a rescue so I don't know if he has ever had it before or not.

I'll get a flea comb today to see if that can bring anymore out. He loves have his face rubbed with a towel so he doesnt mind the daily washing.. too much!

It's such a pain and it looks so horrible on his white chin, his hair seems to be thinning a bit where it's at its worst!

Just wish I could find a way of getting it gone

October · 11-15-2012, 08:04 AM

Murphy has had acne on and off, mostly off, for years. It looks like a smudge of dirt along his 'lips' (if he had any).

I wasn't too concerned because he didn't seem bothered by it at all. We had a vet tech do his cat-sitting once, I asked her about it and she said, "No biggie." So coming from a vet tech, I decided to just leave it alone and sure enough, it goes away by itself.

eva026 · 11-15-2012, 10:41 AM

Lucy has had some for about 2 yrs now. The vet also said not to worry, just to not let it get infected. I try exfoliate her chin regularly and if there is a big red one, to disinfect it. If it gets bad the vet gave me some cream to put on too.
We tried changing her bowls to ceramic ones and it made no difference and changing her food is also not an option because she gets the runs with any thing else.
It doesn't seem to bother them so if you keep it clean I think it should be ok but yes it is ugly, I agree.

Pushkabounce · 11-15-2012, 02:04 PM

Yes the vet I saw about Tinkers acne didn't really even give it a single glance. Could I be making it worse by washing it every day?

October · 11-15-2012, 02:32 PM

You could be making it worse by the amount of stress being caused to both you and your kitty, I guess you could say. I think you're probably okay leaving it alone and see what happens in the next couple weeks. One day you'll notice that it's just gone.

Pushkabounce · 11-15-2012, 02:42 PM

My Tinker is a very submissive cat and I actually think he enjoys having it washed.. just not rinsed. He will even go to the towel on the floor where I do the washing and wait for me to get everything ready. Saying that I know he isn't happy about having it done!

I'll give the washing a rest and see how it goes

11-14-2012, 04:14 PM	#1 (permalink)
Pushkabounce Cat Join Date: Nov 2012 Location: Oxfordshire, UK Posts: 179	Feline Acne.. A right pain in the... Hey guys. My 3 year old Male cat has his first bout of acne. I've never come across it before so this is still a learning curve for me. I'm just interested to know if you guys know anything more about it? He got it a week after I changed his food to a high meat (biscuit) food and I read that acne can be caused by oily foods that block their pores? I have since put him back onto his normal biscuits.. anyways.. I was washing his chin every other day with an antibacterial wash and holding on a warm cloth to draw out as much as possible, after no change I took him to the vet and she wasn't at all worried about his chin and just said to start washing it every day. So I have been. The only change is that now the bits are bigger and flat. Also like dried dark red flakes of skin. I rub it with my fingers now to create a lather and I find that better at getting bits out BUT IT'S STILL HERE!! Has anyone found a way to get rid of it, to speed up healing, keep it away? Any other reasons why they can get it other than the normal things? (He has cane bowls which are cleaned after every meal and his mat his cleaned daily) Thanks!

11-14-2012, 04:56 PM	#2 (permalink)
Nan Cool Cat Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: Indianapolis IN Posts: 1,272	What is a cane bowl made from? I haven't heard that term. __________________

11-15-2012, 08:04 AM	#6 (permalink)
October Premier Cat Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Maine Posts: 8,611	Murphy has had acne on and off, mostly off, for years. It looks like a smudge of dirt along his 'lips' (if he had any). I wasn't too concerned because he didn't seem bothered by it at all. We had a vet tech do his cat-sitting once, I asked her about it and she said, "No biggie." So coming from a vet tech, I decided to just leave it alone and sure enough, it goes away by itself. __________________ Holly and Murphy

11-15-2012, 02:32 PM	#9 (permalink)
October Premier Cat Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Maine Posts: 8,611	You could be making it worse by the amount of stress being caused to both you and your kitty, I guess you could say. I think you're probably okay leaving it alone and see what happens in the next couple weeks. One day you'll notice that it's just gone. __________________ Holly and Murphy

11-14-2012, 05:09 PM	#3 (permalink)
CJinCA Tom Cat Join Date: Dec 2011 Location: SF Peninsula Posts: 565	When I adopted Squeek, I was told she sometimes got chin acne, and to dab it with q-tip (cotton swab) soaked in alcohol. She hasn't had it since we've had her though, so I've no real experience. We assume she got it from the stress of the foster environment - too many cats in too little space. I've also read it can be caused by bacteria lurking in plastic water / food dishes. Anything porous can start to harbour bacteria and be difficult to get fully clean. By 'cane' do you perhaps mean bamboo? I'm not sure how anti-macrobial that is, I would imagin similar to wood? I use porcelain / ceramic bowls and we have one stainless steel water bowl for the upstairs, and they all get washed on occasion. Have you tried switching back to the old food, albeit temporarily, to see if the problem goes away? At least then you can start to identify the cause by a process of elimination.

11-14-2012, 09:56 PM	#4 (permalink)
spirite Cool Cat Join Date: Jul 2012 Location: Roanoke, Va Posts: 1,198	One of mine has had acne for years. Sometimes it doesn't seem to be there, but it flares up every now and then, and I haven't been able to find a pattern. She wouldn't tolerate the wet washcloth, so when I see that it's looking a little dirty, I take a flea comb to her chin to get rid of the little black flakes (it's definitely acne and not flea dirt). She LOVES it, and then sometimes grooms herself to get to what I couldn't - I guess it itches? Her chin is red for a few minutes afterwards, but then the acne seems to just calm down for a while.

11-15-2012, 05:25 AM	#5 (permalink)
Pushkabounce Cat Join Date: Nov 2012 Location: Oxfordshire, UK Posts: 179	Hehe sorry I think maybe cane bowls is an silly english term for china/ceramic bowls. We sometimes call them all cane.. I have no idea why?! So yeah he doesnt have plastic or wooden bowls. We have only had Tinker for 10 months as he was a rescue so I don't know if he has ever had it before or not. I'll get a flea comb today to see if that can bring anymore out. He loves have his face rubbed with a towel so he doesnt mind the daily washing.. too much! It's such a pain and it looks so horrible on his white chin, his hair seems to be thinning a bit where it's at its worst! Just wish I could find a way of getting it gone

11-15-2012, 10:41 AM	#7 (permalink)
eva026 Kitten Join Date: Nov 2012 Posts: 15	Lucy has had some for about 2 yrs now. The vet also said not to worry, just to not let it get infected. I try exfoliate her chin regularly and if there is a big red one, to disinfect it. If it gets bad the vet gave me some cream to put on too. We tried changing her bowls to ceramic ones and it made no difference and changing her food is also not an option because she gets the runs with any thing else. It doesn't seem to bother them so if you keep it clean I think it should be ok but yes it is ugly, I agree.

11-15-2012, 02:04 PM	#8 (permalink)
Pushkabounce Cat Join Date: Nov 2012 Location: Oxfordshire, UK Posts: 179	Yes the vet I saw about Tinkers acne didn't really even give it a single glance. Could I be making it worse by washing it every day?

11-15-2012, 02:42 PM	#10 (permalink)
Pushkabounce Cat Join Date: Nov 2012 Location: Oxfordshire, UK Posts: 179	My Tinker is a very submissive cat and I actually think he enjoys having it washed.. just not rinsed. He will even go to the towel on the floor where I do the washing and wait for me to get everything ready. Saying that I know he isn't happy about having it done! I'll give the washing a rest and see how it goes

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