Is this an illness related symptom?

Morgan gets this blackish stuff around his nose, from the inside. Its like right at the crack of his nose.. hard to explain. Ive tried wiping his nose and it doesnt work. I thought maybe its just a permanent marking but its gotten darker lately and more apparent. Is he ill or something?

I've seen blackish stuff on their chins (feline acne) but never noticed it by their nose. Any other symptoms or change in behavior?

Other than that he seems fine. Hes had it since I adopted him almost a month ago and seems to lessen a bit but always is there. Its right in the crease of his nose, on the inside so its very hard to tell whats happening. Also it just seems to affect one side.

OK got a question . 2 of my male cat have some black stuff under the chin and I can scrape it off with my fingernail .And no , it is not fleas . Is that acne ???

Catlove: The black stuff that you can scrape off from their chin with your fingernail is acne. My vet claims they get it because they are poor/lazy chin cleaners. You should wash their chins for them with a wet rag as needed. If really bad, use mild soap and water to wash them. (Think about what you would do/did to your face when you had acne.) A few of my cats have a light case, but I had one with a really bad case where I had to wash with soap/water regularly. It will get ugly and can get infected if left for too long.

Mamakat: when is your next vet appointment? This doesn't sound threatening to me, but I would watch it closely and get him in if it starts to change appearances. I did have a cat with skin cancer once that started on her face...that was more ulcerated sores than black spots, but I am no expert on these things!

Anyone out there with experience on this one?

WOW , now I learnt something . Thank you Momofmany .I did notice a while back not cleaning Mozarts chin for a while and it was not easy to remove and I think I scraped him a pit . Be sure I will start washing now and it is better then my fingernail for their chin a rag is more gentle too

The acne can also be caused by eating out of plastic bowls. Switch to glass or ceramic if you can. You can also scrub the area gently with hydrogen peroxide once a day, or your vet can give you something specifically for feline acne.

About the black spots on the nose, could it just be pigmentation? A lot of cats as they grow up their noses change colors, I have one kitten right now whose nose gets blacker by the day. I keep thinking Wink's nose is dirty, but when I wipe it nothing happens, because it is just the color of the pigment of the skin.

Just to coment, I heard that if you use a ceramic bowl, that the food takes on a strange flavor, and a cat gets digestive problems, because the food has the fumes in it. I switched to stainless steel. I can always hear my cat eating.

If you are afraid of ceramics: I have a set of stoneware dinnerware that I serve my wet food on. Basic saucer size plates that you buy in any dinnerware store. If I can eat off them, so can they!

No, they don't get the china!

Plastic is more likley to have fumes and leave a bad taste in their mouths. It has been proven that plastic can get micro cracks and build up with food and bacteria. Very bad for kitty.

Hmmmm , how about the water bowls ? Do I need to change that too ? I just got a new feeder for my cats and it has stainless steel . I hope that work . MA hydrogen peroxide ? I will try that , it does help for a lot . Thank's to all

I use stainless steel water bowls.

I forgot about hydrogen peroxide for my acne cat. My vet did recommend using that. I used it twice and both times it caused him to lick his chin (paw to mouth and chin) and then he foamed at the mouth from it. I switched over to soap and water after that. Try the peroxide - it is the first recommendation from vets but back away if you get weird effects like I did with Max. I think Max was the exception and not the rule (nothing was normal with Max).

Thank's Momofmany , if I see a reaction I will change right away .

Both of my cats have the black-just-inside-the-nostril syndrome. It's not a constant thing; I really believe they are sniffing around and get something (dust?) colored mixed in with the natural moisture of their noses.

My Female cat has something similiar. I'd have it checked out by a vet. It could be acme, a sinus problem - like allergies or sinusitis (sp?), or (unfortunately) cancer. Hopefully it isn't the latter. But please have a vet check it out and keep us informed. And please don't use plastic bowls for the kitties.