Feline Acne?!?!

I think my cat has feline acne, does it look like that to you? She does eat from a plastic bowl, which I removed today.

removing the plastic bowl should help. Whatever new bowl you use, be sure to clean it before every feeding (or simply have a lot of bowls)

Then, swiping the poor chin with a peroxide solution (at the most 3%) always helps the Rogue (who is prone to acne but allowed to because he's an adolescent). And: good you don't have anything worse to worry about!

I feel so bad for her! It doesn't appear to hurt her, but I don't want it to get worse. I'll start using the hydrogen peroxide. I give her 1/4 can wet food in the morning and night from a stainless steel bowl (clean every time). She does have a food maze with dry food available at all times that's made from plastic (which I have removed) but should her dry food bowl that's down all the time be washed every day? I usually wash the dry food maze on Sundays, maybe why she has the problem?

ah, the dry food controversial. Assuming you're all educated about it (if not, check out this link here), certainly having food available at all times doesn't help with acne (or anything else?)... maybe you'll want to try giving her three feeding times a day? (I feed mornings before I leave, again when I return from work and once more when that meal is eaten. The buffet closes when I go to bed.)

There are also a number of articles about acne, nutrition and alergies here on TCS and can be found in the Health section of the Articles pages:  http://www.thecatsite.com/atype/46/Cat_Health

I haven't had a cat with acne and am not sure if this is what your cat is experiencing but I do think it is worth changing the food and drink containers to non plastic materials.  Her fur does look thinned below her lower lip and it is good that you have noticed this early.  Has your vet had a look at her skin yet?  It is always worth checking with them in case of any causes they might be able to check such as tiny mites, and to check safe things to use on her skin.  For example very dilute peroxide might be OK on unbroken skin but if broken it can seriously affect healing. 

You are doing great to be aware of what you are feeding your cat, and whether it is wet, dry, commercial or other.  To find the best alternative you can afford, fits with your shared lifestyle, and your cat will eat is a great investment.

BTW, that first photo is a lovely picture of your cat's eyes.  Have you seen this thread?  http://www.thecatsite.com/t/264173/show-me-your-eyes/600_100#post_3592225

If she's prone to acne, you have to wash bowls at least daily.  It doesn't really matter if she's eating dry or canned, it's that the bacteria builds up in the scratches and grooves of plastic and in turn, that causes the acne.  Acne can also be stress induced, so if things have been chaotic or there's been a change in routine or in your home, that could be contributing as well.

The food we have down all the time is Natures Variety Instinct - grain free, raw freeze dried kibble. The reason it's down all day is because she is a sensitive cat and very routine oriented. We have tried only putting it down a few times a day, if it's not right on time, she eats quickly and throws up (we are on shift work and not here at the same times each day). If we elevate it so she has to eat slower, she pushes it over and makes a mess then eats quickly and throws up. If we feed her in a separate area from my other cat, she eats quickly and throws up to rush back to the other cat. We know she throws up from eating too fast, we believe its because she was a stray cat and this is a multicat home. We changed her food to see if that would help, it didn't. We finally found a solution, the food maze, which is plastic and now causing feline acne... We just can't win. 

I have a cat that gets acne when stressed.  We run Feliway diffusers 24/7 and I also give her some Spirit Essences drops (either Safe Spaces for Cats or Peacemaker) as needed.  If I miss changing the diffuser by a week, she will break out.  I mark my calendar now to remind me to check the diffusers.  You might want to check into calming agents as well as cleaning bowls.

how old is she, anyway? because they're awfully prone to acne when adolescent (surprise! ). The Rogue had had two episodes now, despite never owning dinnerware out of plastic (he will bite into nearly everything, though). Are there any food mazes out of ceramic or metal? (probably not... are there any one-day ceramic classes where you could make one? )

For the maze, you could wipe it with a Clorox wipe or use a diluted cleaning solution on it.

Sassafras is 4 years old.  I haven't looked for a non plastic one yet, It may be out there. Maybe I will try cleaning it daily until I find one. I just feel so bad. 

very cute name! and hey, there are MUCH worse things than acne... she most likely doesn't even know she has it. Cleaning every day should help a big deal (only make sure, very sure, that you rinse it after cleaning to get rid of any and every residue of the cleaning solution. I'm probably paranoid because the Rogue is allergic against most everything, so I either use dish washing soap or castile soap for cleaning cat things.)

How about feeling happy that you have such a great healthy cat? She'll be upset when you're sad, but notice when you're happy, for sure

roguethecat said:

 
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How about feeling happy that you have such a great healthy cat?

She'll be upset when you're sad, but notice when you're happy, for sure

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Nice reminder that how we humans feel has an impact on our cats, and like @stephanietx  has said, stress can be a really big factor in acne.  I know when I'm stressed or unhappy Mouse always shows signs of his herpes and it's a wake up call for me to get healthy.

My little baby girl cat has acne too, but I have always used ceramic bowls, so I don't know what else to do. I switched from bowls to plates, so the sides of the bowls don't rub on her chin. I have had 2 male cats (2 years) and they have never had this problem, still don't, but the new girl cat has. Also, when I feed them wet food, it is on a paper plate, which is immediately thrown away after every meal, so I can't imagine what the problem was. She has always had the problem since I've had her (2 months). I've tried brushing it away gently with a toothbrush, benzoyl peroxide, salicylic acid, witch hazel. Help!

crazycatlady709 said:

I think my cat has feline acne, does it look like that to you? She does eat from a plastic bowl, which I removed today.

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• crazycatlady709
• Jul 14, 2014

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• crazycatlady709
• Jul 14, 2014

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My cat's chins looks the same. I never used plastic for their feeding bowls, but didn't think much about it when I purchased their pet water fountains. I assumed because they weren't feeding from it that it wouldn't be an issue, but that may not be the case.

Anyway, I just swapped them out for stainless steel yesterday. Hope that helps and thanks for starting this thread.

MyaLias said:

My little baby girl cat has acne too, but I have always used ceramic bowls, so I don't know what else to do. I switched from bowls to plates, so the sides of the bowls don't rub on her chin. I have had 2 male cats (2 years) and they have never had this problem, still don't, but the new girl cat has. Also, when I feed them wet food, it is on a paper plate, which is immediately thrown away after every meal, so I can't imagine what the problem was. She has always had the problem since I've had her (2 months). I've tried brushing it away gently with a toothbrush, benzoyl peroxide, salicylic acid, witch hazel. Help!

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I thought i saw that salisylic acid was dangerous to cats. I believe it's related to aspirin.