Question from a fairly new cat parent

[Da1calledCaleb]

Hi everyone! I hope everyone is doing great and finding some peace in these uncertain times. Caleb has been in my life for almost 4 months now. I wish I can say that it's been smooth sailings the whole time but it's not, which I very hesitantly accepted. He's had allergies, surgery and now chin acne. I have been cleaning it every other day ever since I got a special shampoo and chlorhexidine pads from the vet. I mainly do it after I get home from work around 1230 and 1p. It's a process because I have to lather his chin up, exfoliate it with a small brush and let it sit for 10 mins. He knows that around that time that I'm gonna clean it. I give him treats before and after to soften the trauma a little bit but he still runs away and hide after cleaning. It bothers me that he hides from me even tho I am helping him. He comes back out after a few hours and act like nothing happened. But he is weary during the morning and day time because of this episode. Have you all gone thru something similar? I've accepted that I need to resolve his acne first and foremost but feel like I've betrayed him when I see his fearful eyes. Here comes the questions. He hides in the litter box sometimes after I clean his acne, do I let him hide in there and leave him be? And do I have to regain his trust again after it clears up? Because he's stopped cuddling up to me in the mornings now and hides mostly during the day.
I also have a problem with smothering him with affection and I know it's not healthy, how do I change my behavior so that he's getting his space? We live in an 1bd apartment and we are always near each other. He has a hiding spot in my room and a couple perches in the living space. Thanks alot everyone for your answers!

 

[susanm9006]

Thank you for adopting. Sometimes stress can cause an acne breakout so once you get this cleared up it might never reoccur. Some cats also have skin issues with the plates or bowls they are eating out of. I would definitely go to something like a plate or bowl out of stainless steel or ceramic. Once you stop treating him he will likely forget about it and not hold a grudge. The first kitten I adopted from a shelter came with ear mites and nightly we had ear cleaning that she hated. About this time she started urinating in the floor right in front of the chair we sat in while I cleaned her ears. And when we finished the ear treatments the urinating stopped as well. Every cat has their own way of expressing their displeasure. And yes definitely let him hide in the litterbox if that makes him feel better.

 

[FeebysOwner]

Hi. He will eventually forget about it once you have the acne resolved. Although, it is OK to let him hide - even in the litter box if that is what he wants to do - just make sure his chin is dry so that he isn't getting litter all over it, as that will just continue to exacerbate the problem and lengthen the time it takes to heal. You might want to place a cardboard box nearby the litter box to see if he might try to use it instead.

Ask your vet if the 10 minutes of letting the treatment sit on his skin is necessary. If it could be bypassed, it would shorten the length of time he has to go through the process and could help lessen the stress for him. I don't know what kind of brush you are using, but you might want to try other, perhaps softer, ones - even a child's extra soft tooth brush. I have heard that even a flea comb will suffice in lieu of a brush, if that would help matters any. Also, even if you are using stainless steel or ceramic dishes for his food/water, daily washing of these items could help too - he may just be one of those cats who are prone to acne and keeping these dishes extraordinarily clean will be beneficial.

Allergies can cause chin acne, so has the actual allergy he has/had been identified and removed? If not, the acne will continue despite treatment.

Instead of smothering him with - what I assume to be physical - attention, try sitting on the floor nearby him and just softly reading a book out loud, or singing if you can. You will feel good about spending time with him and giving him attention without necessarily always having to touch him. You might also consider giving him a few treats at other times of the day/night as well, so that he isn't only getting them from you when it is before/after the acne treatment.

 

[Da1calledCaleb]

Thank you for adopting. Sometimes stress can cause an acne breakout so once you get this cleared up it might never reoccur. Some cats also have skin issues with the plates or bowls they are eating out of. I would definitely go to something like a plate or bowl out of stainless steel or ceramic. Once you stop treating him he will likely forget about it and not hold a grudge. The first kitten I adopted from a shelter came with ear mites and nightly we had ear cleaning that she hated. About this time she started urinating in the floor right in front of the chair we sat in while I cleaned her ears. And when we finished the ear treatments the urinating stopped as well. Every cat has their own way of expressing their displeasure. And yes definitely let him hide in the litterbox if that makes him feel better.

Thank you for replying! He eats out of a stainless steel bowl and drinks from a ceramic. Makes me feel better that you and your kittens went thru something similar. How did you regain your kittens trust after the issue was resolved?

 

[Da1calledCaleb]

Hi. He will eventually forget about it once you have the acne resolved. Although, it is OK to let him hide - even in the litter box if that is what he wants to do - just make sure his chin is dry so that he isn't getting litter all over it, as that will just continue to exacerbate the problem and lengthen the time it takes to heal. You might want to place a cardboard box nearby the litter box to see if he might try to use it instead.

Ask your vet if the 10 minutes of letting the treatment sit on his skin is necessary. If it could be bypassed, it would shorten the length of time he has to go through the process and could help lessen the stress for him. I don't know what kind of brush you are using, but you might want to try other, perhaps softer, ones - even a child's extra soft tooth brush. I have heard that even a flea comb will suffice in lieu of a brush, if that would help matters any. Also, even if you are using stainless steel or ceramic dishes for his food/water, daily washing of these items could help too - he may just be one of those cats who are prone to acne and keeping these dishes extraordinarily clean will be beneficial.

Allergies can cause chin acne, so has the actual allergy he has/had been identified and removed? If not, the acne will continue despite treatment.

Instead of smothering him with - what I assume to be physical - attention, try sitting on the floor nearby him and just softly reading a book out loud, or singing if you can. You will feel good about spending time with him and giving him attention without necessarily always having to touch him. You might also consider giving him a few treats at other times of the day/night as well, so that he isn't only getting them from you when it is before/after the acne treatment.

Ok, I'll try the box near his litter box. I've been nudging him out the box so I'll just let him hide there for now. For the brush, I went out and bought a kids soft brush specifically for brushing his acne. I don't do it with much force, just a gentle circular motion. I clean and change his water and food bowls daily since the acne. He used to play with the plastic rings that you rip off gallon jugs but I threw that out assuming there would be bacterium on there.

The allergic episode he had has been passed. It was a good allergens to beef. Now I think it's just environmental allergens since warm weather is starting up.
I will do the things you suggested and sing to him. It's so hard not to acknowledge his cuteness but I will succeed. Thank you for you insight!

 

[susanm9006]

Thank you for replying! He eats out of a stainless steel bowl and drinks from a ceramic. Makes me feel better that you and your kittens went thru something similar. How did you regain your kittens trust after the issue was resolved?

The little girl with the ear mites turned into a very mellow easy going kitten once I was done messing with her ears so there was really not much to be done. Yours may be suspicious or you for a while. I would let him come to you for attention and not pick him up until he seems interested in being that close. Move slowly, give him space and spend some time every day sitting or lying on the floor with him. You are much less scary at that height. I would try to engage him in some interactive play by rolling a ball to him or teaching him to fetch with a mouse or cat spring. He is so young he will get into the play and forget about being angry at you in no time.

 

[kittenmittens84]

Let him hide after and he’ll come out when he’s ready. Let them come to you is a pretty good motto for cats in general! Once the acne clears up and you don’t have to clean his chin every day anymore he will forget about it quickly, most cats don’t hold grudges (and they have tiny brains so they forget haha). I had to give my cat a painful shot every day for a month and he was so wary of me around shot time in the evening but after a week or two he’d forgotten it all.

 

[Da1calledCaleb]

The little girl with the ear mites turned into a very mellow easy going kitten once I was done messing with her ears so there was really not much to be done. Yours may be suspicious or you for a while. I would let him come to you for attention and not pick him up until he seems interested in being that close. Move slowly, give him space and spend some time every day sitting or lying on the floor with him. You are much less scary at that height. I would try to engage him in some interactive play by rolling a ball to him or teaching him to fetch with a mouse or cat spring. He is so young he will get into the play and forget about being angry at you in no time.

Yea he's almost 10 years old so it makes sense that it would take him longer to forgive. So let him come to me, move slow, give space, get down to his level. Got it! Thank you!

 

[Da1calledCaleb]

Allergies can cause chin acne, so has the actual allergy he has/had been identified and removed? If not, the acne will continue despite treatment.

We haven't done any actual tests for it. When he had it, I pretty much singled it out to the beef in his food. The reaction he had produced lesions on his ear and face, he hasn't had it ever since since I've eliminated beef from his diet other than general scratches all over as the weather gets nicer.

 

[She's a witch]

Do you reward him after the cleaning? I’d give him very tasty snack after you do anything unpleasant around him. You can give him a treat at the beginning and at the end of the procedure

 

[Da1calledCaleb]

Do you reward him after the cleaning? I’d give him very tasty snack after you do anything unpleasant around him. You can give him a treat at the beginning and at the end of the procedure

I give him temptations and freeze dried chicken breasts pieces. Should I buy some of that good good just for these occasions?