Cat Acne

Pooka has what I think is acne. She is a shorthaired kitty, and she has these yicky black spots on the side of her chin. I can clean them, and if when I do I "squeeze" the spots, black stuff comes out followed by pus. What is causing this??? I feed her high quality dry food, but she pretty much eats only Friskies wet food that I give the other cats as a treat(this cat is the queen of stubborness, if I dont give her wet she will literally starve herself)and eats out of a ceramic bowl. HELP!

It could be eczema. The vet should be able to give you some ointment or supplement (medicine) to alleviate the bumps.

Are they bothering the cat or just you? Reason I ask is, if they're not bothering the cat, just leave them alone. You might be doing more harm than good by popping them. You shouldn't be popping acne - if it is acne in the first place.

It does really sound like acne. Ceramic bowls have been known to be a problem as well as plastic.

I would suggest you get some stainless steel bowls (they're not expensive) and clean it each and every time you use it. I have about 8 of them so the dirty ones go in the dishwasher after each use to ensure they are clean.

You could call your vet and ask if he has any suggestion for a topical ointment for the kitty. He may want to see her to ensure for himself that it is acne.

My cat older cat Snoopy is extremely acne prone. He gets black to dark brown crust on his chin in HUGE pimples. If I pick the black stuff off (did the first few times now I don't because it hurts him so much) there is a giant zit underneath. They've never had puss though... so it's probably good to double check with your vet about that part.

The biggest culprit is plastic and ceramic bowls. I got a freebie bonus with our last bag of cat food (a small fancy feast can) and I shared it among our 3 cats, didn't have enough stainless steel bowls, so they got feed on ceramic plates. Literally overnight he had a MONSTER zit, that 4 days later is just starting to clear up. I switched to all stainless steel bowls (including water) and he no longer gets them... unless I do stupid things like feed on human plates

actually Susie (kittylover4ever) just had the same problem with her Petals.... change to the stainless bowls, clean before each meal (old stuck on food would rub against her face if left on there), also Susie's vet recommended stridex pads to use on her face. The same kind you get at the drugstore. You can probably call your vet & ask if you could use stridex, if your sure they're pimples....

She does eat from Saucers. So could the Ceramic still be the culprit? I mean the edges dont touch her face at all. Her water is in a stainless steel bowl. The other question I had is about the wet food. Is it good to have a cat eat nothing but wet food? I have heard differing opinions on this. I know some wet is good for them as it boosts hydration....but all the time?

I was feeding Gizmo from a ceramic plate. Her acne disappeared when I changed to steel bowls. I also wash the bowls daily.

The food may also be a culprit--I'd shift the cat to another brand.