Cat with Pain In Chin

[Leonivy]

Hi,

I will start by saying I am a Minor, and at this time my parents do not deem this issue urgent enough for a vet visit.

That being said, something is wrong with my cat. He has been eating, but swallowing his food whole. I have been soaking his dry kibble. He is going to the bathroom as usual, and even starting up games of "chase me please!" with the other cat. His lips and gums are normal colored. Upon rubbing in the area where he seems uncomfortable, he "screams" in pain. He has a little bit of redness, and the area is a little swollen. He doesn't seem to want to close his mouth all the way, either.

Pictures:

 

[Beholder]

Can you describe the area your talking about a little more? Is it just directly under his chin? How old is your cat? Does he ever seem to shut his mouth?

I am not vet, and there may be multiple issues going on here, but from what I can see it does look like he has a mild case of cat acne. If he's meowing in pain when you touch it though I get to wonder if there's a secondary issue as well.

Cat acne often appears at first as "dirt" on the cat's chin. These are basically blackheads. For some cats it will stop there, but for others (like my Morty for example) it can progress into bloody pimples. For Morty the vet gave him an antibiotic (it looked mildly infected) and told me to go to the store and buy a 5% benzyl peroxide cream--the same stuff humans use. This fixed his acne, but periodically I do have to reapply it more. People also recommend switching from plastic to metal/ceramic bowls too, although it didn't help us.

Again, the amount I see on his chin (and the fact that he won't close his mouth) makes me think it's something secondary if he's reacting that strongly, but it's really tough to know without him going into the vet's office. It could be anything from a tooth problem to a physical injury to cancer. Also, sometimes when cats breath through their mouths it can be consistent with an airway problem or a stuffed nose. Morty has asthma and inflammation in his airway that occasionally causes him to do this as well.

 

[Leonivy]

Can you describe the area your talking about a little more? Is it just directly under his chin? How old is your cat? Does he ever seem to shut his mouth?

He is 2 years old. He shuts his mouth now, but yesterday he wouldn't

I am not vet, and there may be multiple issues going on here, but from what I can see it does look like he has a mild case of cat acne. If he's meowing in pain when you touch it though I get to wonder if there's a secondary issue as well.

I thought so as well.

Cat acne often appears at first as "dirt" on the cat's chin. These are basically blackheads. For some cats it will stop there, but for others (like my Morty for example) it can progress into bloody pimples. For Morty the vet gave him an antibiotic (it looked mildly infected) and told me to go to the store and buy a 5% benzyl peroxide cream--the same stuff humans use. This fixed his acne, but periodically I do have to reapply it more. People also recommend switching from plastic to metal/ceramic bowls too, although it didn't help us.

He does have all metal bowls, we already did this switch, Still has acne.

Again, the amount I see on his chin (and the fact that he won't close his mouth) makes me think it's something secondary if he's reacting that strongly, but it's really tough to know without him going into the vet's office. It could be anything from a tooth problem to a physical injury to cancer. Also, sometimes when cats breath through their mouths it can be consistent with an airway problem or a stuffed nose. Morty has asthma and inflammation in his airway that occasionally causes him to do this as well.

He doesn't seem stuffed, I dont hear any raspyness in his breathing. The area is a little bit red, making me think he has some sort of issue with acne. He seems a lot better today

 

[Beholder]

I'm glad he is doing better!

For the cat acne, as long as there is no infection present, you can usually use a 5% benzoyl peroxide ointment. Normally, I would always say to go to the vet first before trying anything on your cat, but since you don't have access to a vet right now, just know that this is the most common treatment they will prescribe. I'm pretty sure you can find it on amazon for less than ten dollars. Some drug stores may carry it as well, but when I checked my own I only saw 2.5% and 10%.

This is the one I used on Morty, although there are many cheaper ones available now. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00D5N9WAI/?tag=thecatsite

Application was about twice a day. He hated it (and I don't blame him!) but he cleared up in about 3 weeks. With a milder case like your cat I would expect a week or less.

I have also heard that Stridex wipes can be helpful for some cats as well. If you don't have access to Amazon, then the best you can do is to gently clean and disinfect the area. Clean the food and water dishes every day as well. Many times cat acne can heal on its own.

 

[Leonivy]

I'll go ahead and try that. Is there any thing else I can do for him while that ships in?

 

[Beholder]

Here are a few other threads you may find helpful:
Cat acne
Feline chin acne
Cat acne won't go away
https://thecatsite.com/threads/remedies-for-red-spot-under-chin.426079/
https://thecatsite.com/threads/dirty-mouth-area.424213/
Cat Acne on Chin

There are a number of products that can be used, but the overall consensus seems to be to just keep the area clean with soap and water. A couple posts mention using hydrogen peroxide or Neosporin (without pain relief) but I personally do not have any experience with this. I suspect this is to prevent infection, but I doubt it would do all that much to help with the acne itself. My knowledge is basically all anecdotal and for a much more severe case than what you're seeing with your boy, although Morty's did start out that way. K kittenmittens84 seems to have some experience here so hopefully they can chime in.

 

[Beholder]

I also just wanted to mention this in case you have any other cats. Cat acne is extremely common and when there is no pain/redness or signs of infection it usually doesn't need treatment. All three of my kitties have had it; Morty was just the only one that needed care for it. Po and Goose both get the black spots from time to time but luckily never any pain or redness and it always goes away on its own. You don't need the benzoyl peroxide or Stridex wipes for cases like this that cause no pain or present infection. To my knowledge this is what will happen to most cats that get acne.

 

[Leonivy]

I have two kitties. Leo doesn't get his acne bad, and usually I leave it alone. This go around though he does have some redness and swelling. My other cat has NEVER! had acne. Weird.

 

[FeebysOwner]

I didn't see anyone address anything to do with the corner of his mouth, especially in the third picture. Is that where the pain is? Underneath the chin could be acne, but there is one particular spot that stands out from the rest - a much larger black spot. Perhaps, a small puncture wound? I will tell you I have not typically heard of acne being painful unless it gets out of control. As mentioned above, holding his mouth open would not be a normal reaction to simple acne. And, if he generally crunches up his food, rather than eating whole, that is another sign not usually related to acne. Although, it isn't uncommon for cats to eat dry food whole, so if you know for sure he wasn't doing that before, it could indicate some sort of issue.

A one time use of something like hydrogen peroxide is fine, but repeated uses are really not appropriate and if there is any kind of infection, the hydrogen peroxide will not correct it and can actually break down tissue.

Would your parents be willing to let you send some pics to the vet, along with details about what you are noticing? That would be my recommendation.

 

[Leonivy]

I included the pic of the chin, because you can see some redness. Its in the corner of his chin. My parents took my phone away , otherwise I could get better photos. I don't know if he has always swallowed his food whole, its just something I noticed when I was observing him.

 

[Leonivy]

I thought it was getting better, but it looks really bad today.

 

[Leonivy]

 

[Beholder]

That looks less like chin acne and more like gum inflammation. Cat acne doesn't go that high up. When is the last time he had a dental check, or even a regular vet visit?

 

[FeebysOwner]

I agree - that is more than acne.

 

[Leonivy]

That looks less like chin acne and more like gum inflammation. Cat acne doesn't go that high up. When is the last time he had a dental check, or even a regular vet visit?

When he got neutured and vaccinated at 3 months ish

 

[Leonivy]

When he got neutured and vaccinated at 3 months ish

hes 2 now. that was awhile ago

 

[Leonivy]

I'll try and convince my parents to bring him to the vet.

 

[Leonivy]

I told my parents in a text message bc they aren't home right now and my dad said "bummer"

 

[Beholder]

Unfortunately, sometimes it can be difficult to get an animal help if you don't have control. When I was younger I went through the same situation with my cat. He ended up getting put down because my parents didn't want to pay for his diabetes.

I know it's difficult, but all you can do is try and inform them of the problem and convince them that he is a living being that needs help. In the meantime, you can always try and contact local vets in your area and explain the situation. Many vets will let you send pictures of the problem as well (as mentioned above). If it is a dental issue, the bill tends to run a bit high. If you can get a basic diagnosis sometimes if you reach out to your local SPCA/ASPCA they can provide some help.