Kitty Acne?

My cat Reno, who is a 10 year old healthy male Siamese, has recently developed dark bumps and clusters on his chin. He's never had this problem before and is a meticulous self-groomer. He eats from ceramic bowls that are cleaned daily. The clusters don't seem to bother him any but it does look pretty unsightly on this otherwise handsome cat.

Does Reno have kitty acne? If so, what should I do to eradicate it? Do I need to take him to the vet or can he be treated at home? Do I need to start washing his chin? He's a clean boy who rarely needs a bath, although he does like to occasionally roll in the dirt when he's outside.

Any suggestions you all can give will be most appreciated. I'll try to get a picture of Reno's chin later and post it here.

 

Feline acne should be diagnosed through a trip to your vet as there are other things that can show the same signs as FA: Ringworm, mange, allergies, yeast infections, bacterial infections, etc. Usually a fungal culture and skin scrape, if negative, will give your vet a pretty good idea. A skin biopsy is recommended, but not always necessary. Most cats with FA are actually poor groomers. It may be that Reno is missing this particular spot, he is geriatric.

If it is FA, you can try using a follicle flushing shampoo (one with benzoyl peroxide) and some owners find good success through using stridex pads on the area. Uncommonly cats are allergic to their bowls (even ceramic ones). Using a glass plate (that doesn't touch the chin) may help (skip plastics and metals).

There are lots of other treatments that may help, finding the right routine for Reno (if this truly is FA) will be the key. The first thing, however, is to make sure its truly FA.

Good luck!

 

Admin and PittRottMommy,

Thanks for the info....I've already left a message for my vet to see if he wants me to bring Reno into the clinic (from what you're saying, he will!) I'm thinking it's most likely acne/blackheads, but it doesn't hurt to get the other stuff ruled out first.

As promised, here are some photos of Reno's chin....sorry for the poor photo quality (the lighting wasn't that great) but I hope it'll give you an idea of what he has. I've also enclosed a picture of Reno full-body, so you can see what he looks like....

 

Ugh, you're a braver woman than me, ilovemysphynx. I can barely look at Reno's chin, let alone touch it....ewwwww! Poor Reno....he should have had the acne as a teenager, not during his senior years....LOL!

 

They're blurry but certainly look like they could be a form of FA. If he has them anywhere else, I would suspect an allergy.

 

Reno is so handsome. Makes me think if Meecho would look like him if she had fur

 

She would! Meecho definitely has the Siamese bone structure and body type, even though she's hairless. She's gorgeous...with or without fur!

 

My vet called me back this morning....he wants me to get some Stridex pads to wipe Reno's chin for now. If his chin doesn't look any better by next week, he wants me to bring him in.

Hopefully the Stridex will work! Geez, I remember the days when I was buying OTC acne products for myself...now I'm getting them for my cat??? LOL!

 

Let me know how it works for you and I'll do the same!

 

UPDATE: The Stridex pads appear to be helping Reno....his chin doesn't look as raw and inflamed as it did a few days ago. There are also a lot less black clusters on his chin than before. Hopefully, this keeps up and he will have a clear face again.

 

Yay!! Glad to hear it!

 

Excellent. Another case where Stridex cured the kitteh. I doubt this company is going to use it as a marketing strategy though, lol.

 

LMAO!!! Yeah, but it would be hilarious!