Feline acne

Help......
Punky is 4 years old and has never had any problems. She's been dx'd with feline acne and nothing seems to be helping. We tried antibiotics and fungus creams from the vet. It seems like the every time we go to the vet and he scrapes and cleans, the site gets even larger. I just changed her food and water dishes to stainless and hoping this will work. Any other ideas on a cause?

Feline acne is a bear to get under control, but if you are diligent about it, it can be done.

You've done the right thing in changing over to stainless steel feeding bowls, but make absolutely certain you clean them thoroughly between uses. I soak mine in a bleach solution for a few minutes before I wash with hot water and soap, then they go into the dishwasher with the drying cycle on.

Next, look at what you are feeding kitty. If the dry food you are using contains dyes, that may be the culprit. Additionally, toys that are dyed bright colors may be causing it as well. My cats just adore those little sparkle balls that you can get at the craft store, but they are all highly dyed with red, green, blue, etc...and the dye was bleeding off as my cats carried them around in their mouths. One of my Vans got a nasty case of acne from it.

I use warm water and an anti-bacterial soap (Phiso-Derm for Sensitive Skin) on a wash cloth to gently clean the area, then using a Q-Tip, I swab on a little hydrogen peroxide. Keeping the area clean and free from food debris is important.

If the acne gets severe, then have your vet prescribe a short-term antibiotic for it.

I sincerely hope this helps,

Gaye

Tigger, our bengal has a slight case of chin acne, too. I use a fine-toothed comb to brush it off, then use a q-tip and put hydrogen peroxide on her chin. It seems to control it.

If the acne is under the chin, use flat dishes not bowls so Punky doesn't have her chin in her food.