Cat acne at whiskers?

[zoes]

I have a cat who occasionally (once or twice a year) gets acne sores on her chin. They aren't severe or constant, and usually resolve on their own.

Today, I noticed a small bare spot on her cheek where her whiskers grow from. The skin underneath looks a little thick and lumpy, like her chin does when she has acne. It's not too concerning at the moment and I'm keeping an eye on it, assuming it is, indeed, acne.

My question is: can feline acne manifest there? I've only ever seen it on the chin/lower lip.

If it's definitely not acne then I'll take her to the vet, but if it is likely to be, then I'll just keep an eye on it for the time being until/unless I have reason to be more concerned.

She's indoor-only, FIV/FelV-negative, vaccinated, about six years old and in good health and was at the vet two months ago for a checkup / bloodwork / dental cleaning.

 

[FeebysOwner]

Hi. Sorry no one has responded to your post yet. Can you show us a pic of it, just to see if that might help? Do you know why she gets acne, and does she have it now in addition to the cheek spot? Is she scratching at it?

 

[zoes]

Sorry for the terrible photos, it's the best I could do with my phone camera and her fidgeting, but honestly that's about all there is to see. It's really just a bare patch with slightly thickened, bumpy skin (honestly, maybe that's what whisker-skin looks like normally.) There's no lesions, blood, or pus lumps (or whatever comes out of acne lesions) that I can see.

I'm not sure why she gets acne. I asked my vet and she she didn't really think much about it, she just said as long as it's not happening badly or often, to not worry too much. It's probably from her food bowls - I use those microchip-activated bowls and she's wiley about trying to get into the other cats' bowls, which often involves mashing her face against the frame of the bowl. We did test her for FIV/Felv to make sure it wasn't an immune system issue.

She is not scratching at it and does not have any chin acne currently. The last time she had an acne spot on her chin was sometime during the winter.

 

[FeebysOwner]

The second pic kind of shows some redness, or at least it looks like that to me. Is it possible that she has found something to rub her cheek against that is rough? I would 'stalk' her to see if you find her doing something like that. Does she scratch at the acne when she has it? She is indoor only, yes? If not, it might be something outside as well.

I am always suggesting a DIY treatment that might help, courtesy of one of our other members. It involves chamomile tea bags - any of the standard grocery store varieties, as they are almost always German (you don't want English, nor any additives/flavorings), brew a bag in water, cool the liquid, and dab it on the spot with cotton balls or a soft cloth multiple times a day. The tea has both healing and soothing properties, and it is also an anti-bacterial, anti-fungal agent. It is also safe for her to ingest should she manage to lick some of it.

Hopefully other members will come along with some ideas too!

 

[zoes]

The second pic kind of shows some redness, or at least it looks like that to me. Is it possible that she has found something to rub her cheek against that is rough? I would 'stalk' her to see if you find her doing something like that. Does she scratch at the acne when she has it? She is indoor only, yes? If not, it might be something outside as well.

I am always suggesting a DIY treatment that might help, courtesy of one of our other members. It involves chamomile tea bags - any of the standard grocery store varieties, as they are almost always German (you don't want English, nor any additives/flavorings), brew a bag in water, cool the liquid, and dab it on the spot with cotton balls or a soft cloth multiple times a day. The tea has both healing and soothing properties, and it is also an anti-bacterial, anti-fungal agent. It is also safe for her to ingest should she manage to lick some of it.

Hopefully other members will come along with some ideas too!

It's maybe a smidge reddish but I think it's more shadowy than actually red. If I zoom in on my phone it looks more pink to me; if it is red, it's only slight, not super angry.

She doesn't scratch at her chin acne, and is indoor only. I haven't noticed her rubbing her face against anything (except the food bowls but they're pretty smooth-edged) but I'll definitely keep a close an eye on her!

Thank you so much for the chamomile tea suggestion! I've always been frustrated by the total lack of any real treatment for feline acne. I have used vaseline which I feel does kind of help if only by preventing it from getting all crusty and scabby so it can actually heal, but that might be me imagining things.