Slight discoloration under chin.

A few days ago I noticed a patch of slightly thinning fur just under the middle of Parker's bottom lip.
Its very, very light pink with a slight brownish tint. I don't see any black specks, so I am not sure if it still may be acne. It's not swollen, no sores or anything, just kinda bald and a bit discolored. It doesn't seem to be painful, as he doesn't react too much when I touch it.

I will try to snap a picture when my camera battery is charged but any ideas? I am hoping its nothing too major...or maybe something I can treat at home because, well its almost Christmas and I'd like to avoid a vet bill if at all possible. I will borrow the money if absolutely necessary though.

LuvMyParker said:

I'd like to avoid a vet bill if at all possible. 

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Not to disparage ALL vets (just the lazy ones) but it seems like too many of them would just give steroids and/or antibiotics anyway, without exerting much effort into finding the source of the problem. Chin-related issues are frequently food related. Sometimes it's dishes that aren't as clean as they should be (plastic can be a big culprit), or maybe it's related to ingredients in the food (hyperallergenic things like grains, yeast, soy, fish, etc), or something else to consider is a hygiene issue - where the cat doesn't clean his chin well enough and food residue remains, leading to irritated skin. Could also be something else entirely. If it's not causing him any discomfort, I'd be inclined to take a wait-n-see approach. At most, maybe the occasional wipe with a warm washcloth or a dab of aloe vera gel. 

Since Parker has had chin acne, then I would suspect it to be that again. Sometimes it can become a chronic problem unless the cause is found out. I have problems with it as well. Food allergy. So far so good on a new diet, and using one wet food at a time to see if the chins clear. Seems to be working. Just clean Parkers chin with Hibiclens - from a pharmacy, daily. See if that helps the hair to start growing back.

Feralvr said:

Since Parker has had chin acne, then I would suspect it to be that again. Sometimes it can become a chronic problem unless the cause is found out. I have problems with it as well. Food allergy. So far so good on a new diet, and using one wet food at a time to see if the chins clear. Seems to be working. Just clean Parkers chin with Hibiclens - from a pharmacy, daily. See if that helps the hair to start growing back.

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Parker has never had acne before. I only know generally what it looks like because Sami had it. I did have him eating from a plastic dish for a few years now (I know, stupid me) but got him a ceramic one now. But now I am thinking maybe my roommate isn't cleaning his food dish like she claims to be either... I just never thought anything of it because it never seemed to affect him.

I hope its not an allergy because I feed him a wide variety of brands/flavors of food. Would be hard to eliminate what it might be. I have never heard of Hibiclens before...I will have to search and see if its available here.

I will keep an eye on it, clean it and be more diligent in keeping his dishes clean for the next week or so and hope there is an improvement. Thanks for the quick replies!