Kitty Acne

I have attached a picture of my cat's chin. I am looking for opinions. Is this kitty acne? I don't want to take this cat to the vet unless I have to.

http://i109.photobucket.com/albums/n...3/000_0083.jpg

That doesn't look like feline acne to me. Feline acne looks like many small, black dots right under the bottom lip and on the point of the chin. The pic looks a bit like ringworm, flea bite allergy or Eosinophilic (rodent) ulcers/granulomas. If he/she were my cat, I'd take him/her to the vet to be checked.

I agree, Radar has a touch of acne at the moment which is starting to clear up, and it doesn't look like that. Acne looks like small black greasy flakes around the chin and lips. Your cat looks as if a vet visit is required.

I know you are trying to avoid the vet, but- I think it would be better to go ahead and take your kitty in and get whatever it is taken care of, than wait, and a bad infection of some sort develop there. That would be more expensive to treat down the road

How long has the kitty's chin been like that? Does kitty scratch at it?
Plastic food dishes are a big factor in feline acne. Even if you scrub, soak etc... bacteria gets trapped in the scratches that accumulate over time on the bowls due to washing./wear and tear. My cat had acne once- I changed her bowls to all ceramic, and she has'nt had it since

Here are a couple good article on the subject:

http://cats.about.com/cs/healthissues/a/acne.htm
http://www.cat-world.com.au/FelineAcne.htm

This is a good page for every cat owner to have!!!!! It has some details of ringworm and other conditions that can mimic feline acne

http://www.thepetcenter.com/exa/fd.html

Cindy had stuff that looked like that on her chin, and the vet said it was acne. I think it might get infected like that if you don't tend to it when it's the small black dots, and they start scratching it. (I had never heard of feline acne, so if Cindy started with the black dots, I didn't notice them).

I would take her to the vet to be certain. Whether it's acne or not, she probably needs antibiotics.

I will call the vet then. I am not so much worried about cost as I am about stressing out my kitty. He does not do well in the car, carrier or around strangers. This cat takes a year to adjust to meeting new people.

Just a side note - I used to take the cat carrier out, put a nice soft towel in the bottom, leave the door open and leave it just sitting in the family room for the kitties to get used to it and not just associate it with going to the vet. It helps to lessen the stress involved.

Cindy gets very stressed over going to the vet too, so I understand how you feel and why you want to avoid it if you can. I wish there was a way to explain to them what is going on and why, so they wouldn't get so frightened.

Soemthing you can do to reduce the stress is to spray some Feliway spray in the carrier about an hour before you plan to use it. This can help to calm the cat. Also, you can give the cat Rescue Remedy - 1 drop on the tongue. You can get Rescue Remedy from a health food store or drug store.

It's me again. I just wanted to say that I bought some more stainless steel food dishes at the dollar store for $1 each. I now have about a dozen of them so that I can give them a clean dish each and every time I feed.

Thanks for the tips everyone. I did call the vet and talk to them. They told me to clean the area & put Neosporin on it. I have an appointment for Saturday.

As several people mentioned, feline acne oftentimes looks like black flea dirt on the chin, however that is a mild case and usually just requires scratcheing it off with your fingers or a flea comb. However, it can be much more serious and lead to open sores.

One of my cats has recurring acne (associated with her herpes outbreaks) and when it is going to be a bad case, I can feel the little pustules developing under her skin. Occasionally they will break open and scab over. That is the only time I treat it with medicine.

Even if your cat has acne, it is at least advanced enough to require treatment so that it doesn't get infected. After this trip to the vet, if it is acne, you will have the meds at home and can treat it yourself in th future. But at least you will have the peace of mind in knowing. It sure doesn't look like it would be comfortable to have a chin like that!

Good luck and let us know how it goes!