How to clean black dandruff on chin

[bolobao]

I have a one year old Calico Bobtail cat (I live in Tokyo, and I adopted her from a rescue. She looks like an American Bobtail to me, but the rescuer said she's a Japanese Bobtail). I've had her for about 3-4 months now, and she's been completely indoors. I noticed she had a black patch on her chin, and thought it was just black furs. But after looking closely today, I saw that it was a black dandruff substance that is attached to the base of her white hairs (They're in a kind of tubular fashion. So in reality, it looks like stubble. In the picture it looks like dots). After doing some research online, it appears to be the early stages of cat acne. Ashamedly, I do have plastic bowls for her, which I will be swapping out tomorrow-- a possible cause.

My question is: what's the best way to clean the black flakes? I think I should remove the flakes > wash with organic soap > apply witch hazel... But the flakes are a bit stubborn. I don't want to irritate the skin further. Some website say to apply a warm, damp towel to the area and rub it off. But (A) she won't stay still for that long and (B) the flakes are so stubborn that I'll have to rub the area a lot and anger the skin. Would it be okay to use a flea comb to comb it out? That hasn't been suggested on a website I've read, and I've read about a dozen of them. If you've had a similar experience, what has your vet told you to do. Thank you in advance!

 

[FeebysOwner]

Hi. Yes the plastic bowls might be the culprit - switch to ceramic or stainless steel, but even those should be cleaned daily.

As far as the removal of the flakes - can you buy chamomile tea bags? Here in the US, they are available in any grocery store, and when sold in tea bags (not loose leaf) they are generally German (you don't want English, nor any additives/flavorings). Brew a bag in water, cool the liquid, and use cotton balls or a soft cloth to gently rub the area. You can do this multiple times a day, so if you can only remove a bit of it the first time, they might come off after a few attempts. The tea has both anti-bacterial and anti-fungal properties and is considered a soothing and healing agent. It is also safe should your cat manage to ingest some of it.

 

[LTS3]

The black specks (blackheads) can be removed with a fine toothed comb like a flea comb. Comb the fur backwards to remove the specks. I find it helpful to comb the cat first and get a small wad of hair on the comb and then comb the acne area. The black specks will get caught in the wad of fur on the comb and you can just remove the whole wad with the specks off the comb. After combing, you can wipe the chin with a damp cloth. A swipe of witch hazel or a Stridex acne pad can be helpful.

 

[kittenmittens84]

I use a soft dry toothbrush on my cat’s chin once or twice a week, it gets the little black things out and also seems to prevent them from building up too much.