Cat Acne?

cowardlylion

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Hi.

I would really appreciate some advice. My cat Dali is nearly two, when we got him he was covered in fleas and anemic which caused him to have a heart murmur which cleared up with proper care.

He lives with his brother dexy and we recently moved but they seem quite happy, mostly indoor cats down to their preference.

Recently we took him to the vets as his poo had blood in it, he had samples taken but all seemed ok.

The vet recommended some biscuits for dental health as he has a tiny bit of gingervitis but since eating them his mouth looks really dirty and sore.

He doesn't really seem himself, still playful and cuddly but just something a little off,he's still eating.

I have tried to take a picture but it doesn't really show the extent of the problem. I thought maybe it was cat acne but I'm not sure.

He has always been a poorly chap and both him and his brother are cat flu carriers.

Due to the continuing health problems I have worries about fiv, does this sound likely?

Here's a pic of Dali's mouth, any advice would be welcome. I am giving it a week before going to the vets as he has only recently come back from them for his upset tummy.

Thanks
 

ritz

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Welcome to The Cat Site and sorry it's under these conditions.
A couple of things/questions come to mind.
First, did the acne develop before or after Dali started eating the dental treats.
What kind of bowl does he eat out of. Maybe he has developed an allergy to the bowl.
There is a simple test for FIV, has Dali been tested. What is his background, was he abandoned, a stray?
Finally, here is an article about feline acne.
 

roguethecat

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hi there - I'm just in the process of getting rid of the Rogue's
acne using 1% Hydrogen Peroxide. It really works. I soak a cotton ball once a day, wipe his chin and remove any crust (should be twice a day but I manage only once). I tried diluted vinegar before which didn't help at all. Didn't really want to put Neosporin on him because he licks it off (tried it, once, anyway, didn't help probably because it was licked off before it could do anything). I also tried mixing some immune supporting stuff into his food, but he didn't want to eat it (so I can't say if it would make a difference but worth trying).

In his case, he's an adolescent... they get it (he doesn't own any plastic bowls)... hope your Dali doesn't have anything worse
 
 
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cowardlylion

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Hi

Thank you for taking the time to reply to me.

I'm now convinced after reading that article that it is acne. They both have china bowls and are usually cleaned daily unless I forget. Their drinking bowl is tin which they have at night, during the day they have a plastic water fountain as Dali loves playing with water but I can't leave it out overnight otherwise they think it's a game and it ends up upside down and halfway across the room. Do you think the plastic water fountain could be the issue?

They were both purchased from a careless owner. We were trying to rescue but my ex-partner was determined to get kitties, she had mental health issues and was hard to argue with, she ended up abandoning them with me, not that I mind they kinda were always my boys anyway but that's a whole other story. My ex didn't research very well and the breeder had a lot of cats in the house and when I asked about neutering she was actively trying to dissuade me. 

I am an experienced cat owner but I'm not sure you can always be in the know when it comes to cats. The FIV and other underlying health conditions concern me because they just always have something wrong with them. One of them always has the sniffles, they also have pica that the vet think stems from undernourishment as kittens.

They are the most beautiful boys, very skittish and unfriendly to strangers BUT they absolutely love the people that are around them every day and they are really affectionate with each other, they follow me everywhere, it's like having two little shaddows and vets have constantly told me they won't always get on with each other but in all honestly they act like they couldn't live without each other. If one leaves the room the other calls for him. I mention this to illustrate that they are not stressed animals, only upset when strangers come around.

Like I said before they don't go out much, I have never had cats like this, I would prefer to keep them indoors anyway but we have moved to a much smaller place and I'd like to encourage them to explore our little garden which they do but the slightest noise and they're gone back inside under the bed. This I guess could be a trigger to stress. I have tried feliway to alleviate stress when we have visitors but it didn't make a bit of difference,

This is a long post, sorry to ramble. I just wanted to outline their lives a bit more so it's easier to get an understanding of what affects them.

Thanks 
 

catwoman707

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Hi there,

A few things, one is, blood in the poop means his bowels/lower intestines are being irritated by something. Usually is parasites or worms, and the parasites often do not show up in a fecal float test. Only when they are shedding cysts.

So I would try to get to the bottom of this issue first, as it can cause problems for him.

What is his food type/brand? 

It does look like acne, however I doubt the plastic fountain is what's doing it.

Peroxide does work very well, as does antibiotic ointments bought over the counter, just be sure to explore what is safe and what is not for him, since of course he will lick it off.

Ointment type tends to stay on longer at least.

Are they neutered? They need to be asap if not. 

The virus they carry is likely herpevirus, due to exposure during kittenhood before any vaccines were given.

Not a very good breeder I must say!
 

leslieg

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RE ACNE, my cats had that bad. They were eating dry food back then. I switched to a lower fat, organic type (paul newman's) and it cleared up almost overnight. I think the same thing would happen if you fed canned food instead of dry. They coat the dry stuff with greasy fat to get cats to like it.

Of course, you need to feed from glass instead of plastic as they get it from the grease on their chins from touching the bowl while eating. Good luck!
 

leslieg

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RE ACNE, my cats had that bad. Huge chunks of waxy sebum I could squeeze out!

They were eating dry food back then. I switched to a lower fat, organic type (paul newman's) and it cleared up almost overnight. I think the same thing would happen if you fed canned food instead of dry. They coat the dry stuff with greasy fat to get cats to like it.

Of course, you need to feed from glass instead of plastic as they get it from the grease on their chins from touching the bowl while eating. Good luck!
 
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cowardlylion

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Hi

They are part of a vet health club so they get wormed with the recommended stuff that I can't remember the name of every 6 months, that said the problem with the blood in the stools has only just occurred a week before they were due de-worming and has since gone away once they were de-wormed.

They both eat Royal Canin (Young Neutered Male) and recently started the Royal Canin Special Dental biscuits which I thought perhaps may have caused the problem as it started getting really bad after he ate those but was a bit patchy before hand. I have looked to see if Dexter's face is having a similar reaction but he's a very dark black cat and I can't see anything there.

They are well looked after I don't feed them any rubbish, they get a treat of wet food once a week on the weekends, a daily brush, lots of stimulation, specially grown cat grass which they love and catnip a few times a week, a lot of affection from both me and my partner. They are both neutered and have been since they were old enough. Flea's treated by advocate once a month. 

They have had all vaccinations and get yearly boosters. I am concerned it is something they were exposed to as kittens, perhaps the herpes virus. I have raised my concerns with vets before and they are all very understanding but all seem to take the same stance of well maybe they are just poorly chaps and lets keep an eye on them. They are only a year and 3 quarters, they shouldn't have had so many problems in their young lives right?

Dali tends to get these little marks on his nose as well which my last vet said was just where he eats his food too fast and he's pale so it stains but they look to me like blisters or perhaps more acne? Any suggestions as to whether this is the same issue?


Thanks again for all of your advice 
 

andrya

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Hi there, and welcome to the site 


ls it the veterinary Royal Canin dental kibble that you're feeding? lf so, l checked the ingredients: Chicken by-product meal, brewers rice, corn, brown rice, corn gluten meal, chicken fat, wheat gluten, powdered cellulose, rice hulls, dried beet pulp,

Those are the first 10 in the list so l can see why they'd feel a little off. Personally l would re-weigh the dental health versus whole cat health if my cats had history of malnourishment and pica. l'm so glad for these 2 kitties that you're researching for their good health 


Here's a wonderful article written by one of our own TCS members and is a great launch into healthy nutrition:

http://www.thecatsite.com/a/choosing-the-right-food-for-your-cat
 
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cowardlylion

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Great Article. 

I am unsure I will buy the dental biscuits again but Royal Canin is the recommended food from both veterinary surgeries they have been cared for by.

The last time they went to the vets they said they both had moderate cases of gingivitis but didn't advise on further action so I gave them M&C Breath and Dental treats but this visit the vet said it was only a little gingivitis but recommended the Royal Canin dental biscuits. 

I am curious to try and brush their teeth but I am also well aware that this might be a disaster waiting to happen. I don't mean to be so erratic with pleas of advice but do any of you have any recommendations of good oral care?

Thanks
 

andrya

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l feed my cats canned food and raw food, no kibble or hard treats. For dental care, many people here give their cats (raw, not cooked) chicken wingettes. The tearing action is very good for their teeth.

l don't give my cats wingettes, but l do clean their teeth. l bought a kit containing cat toothpaste and a skinny brush, and l followed a video l saw on youtube about getting a cat interested in teeth cleaning in 4 steps. l took it REALLY slowly but my cats allow it now (they would say they "endure" it 
) but it gets done. lt took me about 3 months to get them to fully cooperate.
 
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cowardlylion

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This is the first time I have come to a forum for cat related advice, so it's interesting to hear you say that you would recommend wet food as every vet I have visited recommends dry food...I have been advised that it is 70% water based and doesn't contain the nutrients that they need??

Dali loves wet food so this is defo an option. I guess there's no harm trying them out with some pet toothpaste, is there any particular brand you would recommend?
 

andrya

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This is the first time I have come to a forum for cat related advice, so it's interesting to hear you say that you would recommend wet food as every vet I have visited recommends dry food...I have been advised that it is 70% water based and doesn't contain the nutrients that they need??

Dali loves wet food so this is defo an option. I guess there's no harm trying them out with some pet toothpaste, is there any particular brand you would recommend?
Oh, l'm so glad you came here 


l encourage you to browse through the threads in our Nutrition forum. Cats have very little thirst drive and need to obtain their moisture from their food. And they need lots of moisture, especially males.

Also, on the nutrients note: cats need high meat protein, moderate fat, and low carbohydrates. The kibble you've been recommended has the opposite profile! Canned food is much better for cats than dry both with the necessary moisture content and with higher protein content. To give an example:

Crude Protein (min) 27%
Crude Fat (min) 13%
Crude Fiber (max) 7.8%
Moisture (max) 8%


This cat food (the RC dental kibble mentioned) has only 29.35% min. protein  (27% / 92% [100 - 8%moisture]).

This inexpensive canned cat food - Friskies Poultry Platter Pate:
Crude Protein (Min)10.0 %
Crude Fat (Min)5.0 %
Crude Fiber (Max)1.00 %
Moisture (Max)78.0 %
Ash (Max)3.5 %
Taurine (Min)0.05 %
has 45.45% protein (10 / 22 [100-78]), which is mostly meat protein as listed below:

Turkey, poultry by-products, water sufficient for processing, meat by-products, liver, fish, rice
 

ritz

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Most vets get at the most one semester of nutrition in their vet school, and sometimes it's taught by the cat food manufacturer, e.g., Hills, Royal Canin.
The more up-to-date vets are now recommending wet food over dry food. Dry food is, well, drying. And contain a multitude of ingredients, any one of which can cause an allergic reaction in a cat, anything from skin irritation to throwing up. There are decent, relatively inexpensive, wet food out in the market. Take a look at TCS Cat Nutrition forum.
Cats need water, they have a low thrist drive, comes from originating from Egypt.
Wet food absolutely contains all the ingredients a cat needs to thrive (as does, to be fair, dry food). The exception is if it marked as a treat or supplemental.
And for herpes virus, you might try adding L-lysine to some wet food (it's a powder you can buy either on line or in your grocery store sometimes). This is a thread (among others) that discusses l-lysine and herpes virus.
 
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cowardlylion

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Well I think we might give a wet/dry mix for a while, as much as Dali loves wet food, Dexy prefers the biscuits so we'll see if that helps.

They do tend to drink a lot...

I will take a trip to pets@home tomorrow.

Thanks again for all your help

Kirsty
 
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