Shamrock's kittacne

I recently asked about the "black dirt" under shamrocks chin. Well it's gotten worse. Now the area is raw, swollen, and losing hair. Any idea's on what I can do for him? I've been washing the area once a day with a warm washcloth and the "dirt" washes away for the most part but the area is swollen and raw........and the "dirt" returns......Help!

Get him to the Vet!!!

Zorro had feline acne about 2 yrs ago. It looks like black dirt specks. Well he started to lose hair there, THEN it became infected!!! Red, pus filled pimply lookin things! I could tell it was painful.

I took him to the Vet & she gave him antibiotics to kill the infection. She recommended using a warm washcloth with DILUTED hydro-peroxide. The diluted stuff won't burn as much and it'll clean your kitty off.

If feline acne is let go like this the pimples do rupture and bleed. The infection is horrible. Zorro's went from looking like lil black dots to being infected kinda quickly.

So I think a vet visit in in order for Shamrock.

Also, do you use plastic bowls? I have heard that cats who drink from plastic bowls are more apt to getting the acne. My cats have porcelain bowls so I tihnk Zorro got his zits from the stress of MOVING.

The acne forms cuz their chin is a hard area to clean, or from stress, or, plastic bowls. Anyhoo love your kittie's name and please get him to the doc.

Shamrock will likely need a course of antibiotics if his chin has become infected. However, antibiotics almost never clear the acne up completely. I've had several cats with acne that just would never go away! It was so frustrating. We did everything too...the cleaning, etc! One of our vets finally recommended a Chinese herbal supplement and I swear by it now. It is called Margarite Acne Pills and you can get them at Whole Foods or any health food store (I had to ask for them, as they're hard to find amongst all the natural supplements!). Give 1 pill every 24 hours until the bottle is gone. This will take several months, but it is worth it! It takes about 1 -1.5 months to see a real improvement, but once it starts working it's wonderful. My kitties have been acne free for years now. Also, as darkeyedgirl said...it is important to use metal or porcelain bowls. Plastic bowls can be a breeding ground for bacteria. Good luck