Scabby Chin: Food Allergy?

[Sonatine]

Amelia's chin has become somewhat red and scabby. It doesn't seem to bother her especially, and I haven't noticed her scratching it too much, but there's also a lot of time where I'm not home. I really only noticed it the other night, but it probably started before that.

Fortunately, no signs of anything weird with the other cat's skin, so that makes me think something contagious/parasitic is less likely.

This makes me think that the culprit is either food or litter. I've switched to different clay litters a couple of times, based on what's on sale and what is light enough for me to carry several blocks to my apartment. I've been feeding her more friskies lately as well, because I am a graduate student who is perpetually poor. I hadn't noticed any issues with friskies when I fed it occasionally in the past month or so, but perhaps giving her more has made her itchy. I also recently gave her the salmon flavor; I hadn't given her anything salmon since she barfed up a can of salmon fancy feast and it was so gross I nearly gave up salmon myself.

My current plan is to not give her friskies/anything salmon for a while and see if it clears up. Thoughts? Is this a reasonable course of action? I'd hate to stress her out at the vet and have them try to force their crappy hypoallergenic food on me if it's a minor problem I can solve myself.

 

[Azazel]

Can you post a picture? It sounds like feline acne.

What kind of bowls do you use? If you use plastic you should switch to stainless steel or ceramic as plastic harbors bacteria and cats can't clean their chins very well so this sometimes leads to feline acne and scabs.

Allergies are usually accompanied by immediate itching after eating.

 

[Sonatine]

I use plates, not bowls. Her chin doesn't really come into contact with the food; she's not especially messy. The plates are ceramic.

 

[Azazel]

It is still possible that it's feline acne. It's very common among cats. If it were an allergic reaction it would be immediate and you would notice her itching. If you talk to your vet they have stuff that they can prescribe to clean the area (or just search 'feline acne' on these forums for ideas). You may also want to start wiping her chin with a wet cotton swab after she eats to clean the area.

 

[Sonatine]

I just looked up some pictures and it does look a bit like mild acne.

I'll watch her more carefully after she eats to see if I notice itching (in case it's allergy after all), and to wipe off her little chin. Still might leave out the friskies for now; it's pretty unhealthy anyway.

I think I'll hold off on the vet for now since it's mild and not bothering her, but I'll clean her face and see if that helps. If it persists, then vet it is.

 

[Azazel]

Good plan - and if you just search 'feline acne' on these forums there are lots of ideas for home remedies too.