Cat Acne And Blackheads

[Raevyn]

Hi everybody,

I happened to notice these past few days my little man's chin has turned black. I thought he was just dirty but it wasn't coming off his fur. Then I remembered my neighbors cat had the same thing not long ago and realized his chin was COVERED in blackheads. I've had cats all my life and never once had a cat with blackheads or acne. I have wiped his little chin with a warm wet cloth yesterday and today with a small dab of baby shampoo and this seems to be getting it off but there's still some left.

Does anyone have any good strategies for getting it off easier? I don't want to rub his little chin raw.

Thanks

 

[Columbine]

If his acne is really bad, a vet visit may be in order. In milder cases, though, it can clear up on its own once you've identified and removed the trigger. Plastic food bowls can sometimes be the cause, so switching to metal, glass, or ceramic dishes can help. Sometimes it's triggered by food sensitivites or allergies too. This article explains more about it: Feline Acne

 

[Raevyn]

No actual acne yet, but the Blackheads are on his skin so I need to remove them. It doesn't seem to be bothering him otherwise except when I try the Hold him down longer than he wants to be still while I clean his face. He has a metal bowl so I don't think it's that. But it could be his food I suppose, we were giving him grain Free nutro and then my sil had a huge bag of food her cat didn't like and gave it to us. He seemed to really enjoy it so I let him have it but it's just cheap generic brand stuff. I wonder if it's that....

 

[Columbine]

The blackheads are the acne - it's how it presents in cats, especially in the earlier/milder stages. I'd be careful about trying to clean things up yourself too much - just like in human acne, fussing at it too much can do more harm than good

As for the food, compare the ingredients lists of the Nutro and this new food, to try and pin down any possible culprits. If you made an abrupt change (rather than a gradual one) from old to new food, that alone could have upset his system a bit. As a rule, any dry food changes need to take place over a few weeks, rather the a day or sets. Dry food ingredients vary much more than wet food ingredients do, making abrupt changes more likely to cause issues.

 

[Raevyn]

Hmmmmm, well it looks like dirt on his skin. Maybe it's not Blackheads at all? Maybe he's just dirty there's a house being built behind us and he likes the get into the yard. I read if the blackheads were left as they were they could cause an infection so I wiped his chin and it came off....

 

[xcourtney3]

One of my kitties had a small black area on his white chin. I kept an eye on it and wiped it, and a few days later it was gone. Don't know what it was but he's fine

 

[Furballsmom]

Hi! Maybe there's something here that will help;

18 Awesome Cat Feeding Tips By Thecatsite Staff Members

Feline Acne

 

[duckpond]

As others have suggested, a vet visit may be in order, its always a good thing to know exactly what you are dealing with.

My little girl had a bad case of chin acne after wearing a cone for 4 months. Her vet had me use this shampoo, and it did clear it up quickly.

Veterinary Formula Clinical Care Antiseptic & Antifungal Shampoo

I also use only ceramic plates and bowls for food and water, and they get tossed in the dishwasher after every meal, and every day or two for the water bowls.