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Kitty Bumps

Pye314

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I have a hairless kitten (He is a rescue kitty so I do not know what breed he is.) and he is about 6 years old and since I can remember he has had these bumps on his skin but I think they have increased over the years. I have taken him to the vet and they did a biopsy and said they are genetic. (the biopsy and lampshade neck piece was an ordeal) The bumps have never bothered him or us really (we love him no matter what) but I always worry there is something wrong. At first guess I thought acne but it really does not look like that. He has them all over his body and some look like black heads and some just look like bumps. The blackhead ones we can sometime "pop" and there is a hard substance in there. We have tried malaseb soap but it did not help.

Has anyone seen this before? I know the vet said genetic but I love him too much to not worry about him. Here are multiple pictures of him so you can see his various bumps. http://www.flickr.com/photos/pye314

Please any help would be great.

Thanks,
PyeWacket
 

Olemam

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Welcome here & a lot of fun.
With your sweetheart, I can not help, unfortunately, can understand but that you love him.
 

Brooke

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I have a hairless kitten (He is a rescue kitty so I do not know what breed he is.) and he is about 6 years old and since I can remember he has had these bumps on his skin but I think they have increased over the years. I have taken him to the vet and they did a biopsy and said they are genetic. (the biopsy and lampshade neck piece was an ordeal) The bumps have never bothered him or us really (we love him no matter what) but I always worry there is something wrong. At first guess I thought acne but it really does not look like that. He has them all over his body and some look like black heads and some just look like bumps. The blackhead ones we can sometime "pop" and there is a hard substance in there. We have tried malaseb soap but it did not help.

Has anyone seen this before? I know the vet said genetic but I love him too much to not worry about him. Here are multiple pictures of him so you can see his various bumps. http://www.flickr.com/photos/pye314

Please any help would be great.

Thanks,
PyeWacket

Hi PyeWacket,
Welcome to the forum!

Wow, this looks a lot like feline acne to me, though I've never seen it all over the body before. Feline acne does cause the blackheads you describe (and I can see them in your photos) and also, you mention that he doesn't seem to be bothered by it and that's also common with feline acne. Mild cases can be treated at home with Stridex pads and an antiseptic and antiseborrheic shampoo. It really surprises me, though, that your vet didn't have an answer... What treatments did the vet try with him? Have you ever given any corticosteroids or antibiotics? If so, was there any relief (especially with the steroids)? Did the vet prescribe the Malaseb shampoo? Honestly, I would try for a second opinion, preferably a dermatologist, but at least a different vet. If that's not an option for you, I would at least try a different shampoo. Malaseb is great, but not going to be effective if this is indeed feline acne.

Another thing to consider is his diet. Food allergies are a very common menace for skin issues. What kind of food does he eat? I'm sure he would benefit by supplementing some omega fatty acids, which are great for the skin, but this really looks like something that will require proper veterinary intervention at first to get it under control.

Good luck! I know other members will also have advice for you...stay tuned! And, please keep us posted. I would love to see you get his skin cleared up, he's a doll!!
 

Sam lewis

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I agree with Brooke, I'm quite surprised he's never had a course of antibiotics suggested or a low alleregn diet. Mo is on Hills Presciption diet Low Allergen Z/D which is great, he has food allergies that affect his bowels, but it's also good for cats that have food reactions that affect their skin. I know someone who uses it for their cats dry skin poblems and it's been very effective for her. He is so cute, hope you find a solution eventually! How long have you had him?
 

Pye314

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I have had him a little over 5 years. (we got him when he was very young and back then he had hair. Here is an article about him it is near the bottom or just search for Pye)

He was on antibiotics and after we got the biopsy the vet told us to take him off of them. He was only on them a week. The vet did not prescribe the malaseb we bought it from amazon.

We are thinking of going to a different vet/dermatologist but he has been with this vet since we have had him. I worry about going to another vet because when he went in for the biopsy they obvious cut off some of his skin and used staples to close the area. The nurse said he should not need a lampshade so naturally i said well if he does not need one i am not making him wear one. Needless to say 20 min after he got home we were rushing him to the emergency vet. He was not in pain (he was excited for another car ride) but i was very worried about infection.

He eats Whiskas Poultry and has for as long as we have had him. When he was your he had "kennel cough" and he needed wet food that had more juice. He still gets sneezy every so often but he gets better quickly. He also has Friskies dry food with carnation milk. He does not like fish (ya i know weird huh?)

His skin is not dry at all. (I think someone asked that)

Ok well I hope I got all the questions, thank you all so much for all the replies and how quickly you all were.
 

PitRottMommy

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This looks alot like feline acne to me, as well, however this is commonly noted on the face and chin. Not the neck. Pye may also be experiencing some sebaceous crusting, inflammation and filling. Using a striping and follicle flushing shampoo (like Sebazole) would be recommended along with Brooke's suggestion of Stridex pads (which I would use three times a day to get ahead of the problem and once a day when it has improved). You can also go on the cheap and use an off-brand astringent applied liberally with a cotton ball.

I also second the notation that this may be diet related. Friskies is a poor quality food. Soft food, itself, can lead to feline acne because it often clogs the pores around the face. Being on the neck where the food shouldn't come in contact with the skin makes me very suspicious of a food allergy or intolerance. Skin flares in cats often are secondary. After going over the ingredients of the food you're feeding, I suspect first suspect wheat.

Here's a short analysis of the Chicken variety, from your post above. Items that are questionable or not at all decent for consumption are highlighted and explained below:

Sufficient Water For Processing, Chicken, Meat By-Products, Wheat Flour, Wheat Gluten, Starch, Salt, Natural Flavors, Sodium Tripolyphosphate, Caramel Coloring, Guar Gum, Potassium Chloride, Choline Chloride, Taurine, Dl-Methionine, Vitamin E; D3 Supplements, Iron Oxide, Thiamine Mononitrate (Vitamin B1), Zinc Sulfate, Ferrous Sulfate, Manganese Sulfate, Folic Acid, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride (Vitamin B6), Menadione Sodium Bisulfite Complex (Source Of Vitamin K Activity).

It's good that this food starts out with chicken, but "by-products" not so much. These are the discarded parts of animals (not even describing which protein...this can be any type of "meat" which including other cats, dogs, rats, mice, etc). Wheat is also an unsuitable product to add to food, cats do not need grains. Grains can cause allergies, in themselves without any needed help from proteins. Salt is an unnecessary, and often poor, additive to food that increases palatability for cats that can cause kidney failure/compromise if too much is given. Friskies isn't known for their quality control of products and they were on the list (and at fault) for hundreds of thousands of pet deaths in 2006 during the recalls.

I would highly recommend switching away from this food for obvious reasons. Merrick has a no-grain chicken that would work wonderfully as a replacement since Pye obviously enjoys poultry. Plus, they make awesome "stew-like" meals in a cat that look and smell great! If you continue to notice problems after using a chicken (with no wheat) food, I'd recommend changing to pheasant or quail, another poultry, that Pye likely hasn't been exposed to. In such a case, it's more likely a protein intolerance than a wheat allergy.
 

Pye314

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How expensive are these foods? I know ours is fairly cheap but honestly I do not know if I could afford a very expensive food (and you would understand if you see how much he eats)
 

PitRottMommy

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I think you'll find that when there's not filler and crud going into the food, there'll be less coming out. It'd also be beneficial to add something like pumpkin to the diet to help him feel full more consistently.

I have three sphynx, so I'm pretty sure I can sympathize with how much is consumed.



The food you're feeding now runs about $6 per 36oz. And there are questionable additives.

Feeding the food I've recommended will run $8 per 36 oz. And there are no questionable additives.

I think it's safe to say, it'd be pretty darn close to your budget. If you were to add a tsp of pumpkin twice a day (at a cost of $2/large can which would last you about a week), you'd see firmer poop and a healthier cat.

There are other food recommendations I can make. Merrick is one of my favorite because of the variety of diets they offer for cats. Look at these meals: http://www.merrickpetcare.com/store/canned_cat_food_55.php. I've said before: It I wasn't a vegetarian, I might just stick a finger into the cans to see what they're enjoying, lol.

ETA: The retail price per can is $1.70. I haven't found a local store that sells Merrick at this price. The charge per can when I buy is around $1.25.
 

Pye314

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Maybe I will try that then. 2$ is nothing. I just know there are some foods out there that are 3-4 times more expensive.

He has firm poop but maybe I will try the pumpkin too.
 

Brooke

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I have had him a little over 5 years. (we got him when he was very young and back then he had hair. Here is an article about him it is near the bottom or just search for Pye)

He was on antibiotics and after we got the biopsy the vet told us to take him off of them. He was only on them a week. The vet did not prescribe the malaseb we bought it from amazon.

We are thinking of going to a different vet/dermatologist but he has been with this vet since we have had him. I worry about going to another vet because when he went in for the biopsy they obvious cut off some of his skin and used staples to close the area. The nurse said he should not need a lampshade so naturally i said well if he does not need one i am not making him wear one. Needless to say 20 min after he got home we were rushing him to the emergency vet. He was not in pain (he was excited for another car ride) but i was very worried about infection.

He eats Whiskas Poultry and has for as long as we have had him. When he was your he had "kennel cough" and he needed wet food that had more juice. He still gets sneezy every so often but he gets better quickly. He also has Friskies dry food with carnation milk. He does not like fish (ya i know weird huh?)

His skin is not dry at all. (I think someone asked that)

Ok well I hope I got all the questions, thank you all so much for all the replies and how quickly you all were.


Interesting article! So it seems that Pye is one of the rare naturally occurring hairless mutations, and wasn't actually bred for it? Thanks for sharing!

Realize that if you do switch to a different vet for another opinion, you can have Pye's records from the first vet transferred so they will not have to do another biopsy. It does surprise me that he's been treating for 5 years and it seems no real effort (besides a biopsy) was made to clear up his condition.

If a different vet is out of the question, I would look for a different shampoo (one specifically prescribed for feline acne) and definitely try a food switch. Start by switching to a no-grain diet (grains are one of the most common allergens) and if that doesn't do it, then I'd switch the protein from chicken (chicken is also a common allergen). Yes, these foods are more expensive, but you'll likely save a lot money later in his life with vet bills if he eats a better diet. Like Pitrottmommy said, these cheaper foods have been known to cause health problems.

Also, higher quality foods require less feeding. Pye won't require as much, so that will help offset your cost a little bit.
 

Brooke

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is the merrick food mushy? He prefers more solid chunks with fluid.

Merrick's regular cat foods are chunks in gravy - I'm not sure about their grain free but I would assume it is, too. (and their food literally looks so good I could eat it)

Weruva is another great brand that has no-grain foods and it comes in a few different varieties, all are meat in gravy like you describe.
 

Pye314

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Lets hope he likes it. He has some of his normal food left but as soon as that is gone I will get the new stuff. (cant waste it hehe) I will keep you posted. I will grab some stridex pads and look for the shampoo.
 

Pye314

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Oh he does not feel bad. He is still very happy with his bumps. you know still climbing things, jumping on me when I bend down and "helping" me cook.
 

Brooke

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Lets hope he likes it. He has some of his normal food left but as soon as that is gone I will get the new stuff. (cant waste it hehe) I will keep you posted. I will grab some stridex pads and look for the shampoo.

Good luck!! I'm sure he'll love the new food, but if not, we can recommend some other high quality brands you can try. You might also consider giving him some omega 3/6 supplements, too. Though high quality foods generally have enough of them, the lesser quality foods often lack in that area - and they are great for the skin.

Yes, please do keep us posted!!

PS- I love his costumes.
 

Pye314

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That photo stream is just his recent ones. He has TONS more. When i get a few i will put more up for everyone. I love seeing all of your cat pics. They are all sooooo cute.
 

Pye314

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At the moment yes. We have been debating on getting him a friend but he is the king of our house. We have been trying to have a baby which i know he will "love" but if this last round of IVF does not work we will give that up (after 3 years) and look to get him a friend.
 

Mews2much

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I wanted kids but it did not happen so I gave up.
We even thought of adoption.
My cats are my kids.
 

Pye314

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So with the stridex pads, my kitty licks himself often. I cannot think that they are "edible" how does that work?
 

Brooke

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So with the stridex pads, my kitty licks himself often. I cannot think that they are "edible" how does that work?

They are pre-moistened medicated pads that you'll just wipe his skin with, and then throw the pad away. It will dry very quickly, but he probably won't try to lick it when you first wipe him - he may not like the smell of them.
 

PitRottMommy

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So with the stridex pads, my kitty licks himself often. I cannot think that they are "edible" how does that work?

Couldn't have said it any better than Brooke. Use a few pads across the body and blow on him as you go so it dries asap. Don't be surprised if he froths at the mouth if he grooms himself, that's normal when something is distasteful to cats.
 
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