I have heard of feline acne...

but I don't know what it looks like, and I am interested in getting some information about it. Snowball has had a small bare spot under his chin for the past month which is only mildly itchy. It was first noticed as a blackish discoloration on Snowball's fur. Then Snowball lost a small amount of fur, and the surrounding fur felt stiff. I have kept the area clean, and it is slowly improving, is there anything else I should do? Is this feline acne?

That's feline acne. It looks like little blackheads or fleas. Suggestions since abys are prone to it. I use a little Stridex, glass or metal dishes and clean under their chins after they eat. I also use a flea comb to comb the area and get the loose stuff off. If it really gets back, I have to shave the area. Hope this helps.

Frannie

My Lily had this not too long ago. Under her chin and it was very swolen. The fur had just fallen off. I took her to the vet and they popped it for her. Put her on antibiotics and an oral cream to rub on it.

The most known cause of this is plastic eating dishes. My mother had purchased a plastic dish when I was out of town. I'd take your baby to the vet so they can treat it!

I'm still trying to treat Snowball's feline acne myself, he doesn't have a secondary infection yet. I looked up feline acne in the Cornell Book of Cats and the book says:

"In some cats with chin acne, changing where they sleep and the bedding they sleep on will facilitate recovery. These lesions are more insidious in cats that rest their chins on hard surfaces or on dirt. Softer, cleaner materials for them to sleep on may be beneficial."

Snowball rests his chin on the carpet, I have given him a softer area rug to sleep on to see if that helps. If it doesn't clear up soon, I will take him to the vet.

And I thought I was losing it when I my cat had blackheads on his chin. I just noticed it a couple days ago...it doesn't seem to be bothering Simba, but I'll change his bowl and sleeping area and if that doesn't help perhaps I'll try the Stridex approach. I feel better knowing this isn't the sign of some awful disease.

Thanks,
Leann

I didn't have this site to ask questions to when my Amaretto started losing hair on his face. His got really bad. The vet cured it with an antibiotic (it had gotten infected), but I decided for myself that it happened because of a plastic self-feeder and elimated the problem. (the vet mentioned several things, but not that) He hasn't had any acne since. Now he is more beautiful than ever.

So far, with a bedding change, and Stridex applied to his chin daily, Snowball's acne seems to be clearing up! As far as I can tell, there is only one tiny spot left to treat!!

Amaretto
I think we are both lucky that we found this site! I wasn't even sure what feline acne looked like. But I have been given valuable information here and I was able to apply the information to Snowball for his benefit!! So Anne did a really good thing for us all by starting TCS!!!

I'm just wondering if my cat Felix is suffering from acne, he dose itch alot under his chin, with him being black, its hard to see any thing .Its also a little rough under his chin,so as I'm going to the vets tommorow, I will ask if thats what it could be .Thank you for the imformation and I'll let you know how he is .

Lori,
our 13 year old cat ended up with bumps on his chin last year. We were very worried that it was something serious. When we took him to the vet they asked if we used plastic bowls. Come to find out, our cat was allergic to the plastic bowl. We treated it with sensitive OXY pads. However, your cat may just have kitty acne. That is how our vet told us to treat it. It too started as a blackish bump and then changed into lots of little bumps. Good Luck!