My cats skin is concerning me

[Tina45]

I have a 4 year male, Luna. Nicknamed Luna(tic) and Lou Ferringo. Get it? You won't like him when he's angry. Which is most of the time. Stereotypical tomcat. Hates the world and everything in it. Gets upset when his food bowl is too empty, because how can he be expected to eat from the bottom of the dish like a peasant.
He has a habit of disappearing and coming back injured and sick. Last time he was gone for 3 months. I did not think he was alive still. He just showed up one morning, skinny as a rail, absolutely covered with fleas and ticks, and had a respiratory infection.
What concerns me is his skin. Areas have turned purple, like bruising that doesn't hurt. With bright white spots in some areas. Also, there are black spots that either will not come off, or will if I scrub hard or scrape them, which he hates. Now, he does have dirt on him. I have him on flea protection. Comb him daily to remove fleas, dirt, and whatever else he gets into.
He has been to the vet twice and they do not seem worried about this, but I am. I have not gotten any answers or possible reasons this is happening.
Anybody have experience with this? I have attached photos.

 

[Maria Bayote]

You may want to clean it using a damp towel. Otherwise, it may just go away with your cat's regular grooming.

 

[Jcatbird]

Cats can get acne and bacterial infections as well as fungal problems. The stuff that cleans off may just be that he isn’t grooming enough. Grooming by licking stimulates the spread of oils that keep hair and skin healthy in cats. If you are feeding or giving water from a plastic dish or bowl, switch to glass or stainless and it may help. You don’t say where these spots are but especially if they are on his face or neck, plastic dishes could add to the spotting. There are genetic tendencies to black spotting that are not a health issue. The purple areas may be bruising and since cats don’t like to show pain, he may not seem to be in pain. Tom cats do get into fights. Is he neutered? If not, that would certainly be helpful towards keeping him safer. He would be far less likely to get hurt, wander off or get sick. The purple coloring could also indicate respiratory problems if it is oxygen related. Did he fully recover from the respiratory illness? Is he acting like he feels good? If you have concerns you can always get a check by another vet for a second opinion. As he gets older he will be more susceptible to injury or illness if he is not neutered and wanders. I can tell you really love this guy so you might want try and curtail the free roaming habits if possible. Please do keep us updated on Luna. I’d love to see some of his Lou Ferrigno facial expressions! Lol

 

[Maria Bayote]

I’d love to see some of his Lou Ferrigno facial expressions! Lol

Yeah, that!

 

[Tina45]

Cats can get acne and bacterial infections as well as fungal problems. The stuff that cleans off may just be that he isn’t grooming enough. Grooming by licking stimulates the spread of oils that keep hair and skin healthy in cats. If you are feeding or giving water from a plastic dish or bowl, switch to glass or stainless and it may help. You don’t say where these spots are but especially if they are on his face or neck, plastic dishes could add to the spotting. There are genetic tendencies to black spotting that are not a health issue. The purple areas may be bruising and since cats don’t like to show pain, he may not seem to be in pain. Tom cats do get into fights. Is he neutered? If not, that would certainly be helpful towards keeping him safer. He would be far less likely to get hurt, wander off or get sick. The purple coloring could also indicate respiratory problems if it is oxygen related. Did he fully recover from the respiratory illness? Is he acting like he feels good? If you have concerns you can always get a check by another vet for a second opinion. As he gets older he will be more susceptible to injury or illness if he is not neutered and wanders. I can tell you really love this guy so you might want try and curtail the free roaming habits if possible. Please do keep us updated on Luna. I’d love to see some of his Lou Ferrigno facial expressions! Lol

He is neutered now. The problem areas seem to be his chin, which definitely could be acne, his back, hind legs, front legs, and nipples. He did recover from the respiratory infection. He does not like me grooming the areas that are affected but I do my best.
I was thinking the purple skin could be bruising as well, but it just seems so widespread that it makes me wonder about internal bleeding or bruising. I am going to keep a close eye on it and go 5o another vet if it continues.

 

[Tina45]

Yeah, that!

I will get some!!! Lol

 

[Jcatbird]

If it is acne, it could be slightly sensitive. It kind of looked like a little hair loss? Not sure but I think watching that purple area is a good idea. Those might be sensitive even though he prefers not to show it. Cats try to never show any form of injury since in nature that makes them stand out as weak to predators. They will hide any irritation or pain as much as possible. It keeps them safer. Of course, cats sometimes just don’t want a lot of being fussed over too. I hope the skin issues clear up quickly.