Our kitty has chin acne. She has been to the vet twice for antibiotics and steroids to help clear it up and it is still not getting better. We have changed her dishes to glass and metal. Changed food. Are using the wipes the vet gave us and an ointment every other day.
She is getting grumpier about being picked up to treat her. Any ideas on what we can do to help clear this up?
Does she have any plastic toys? My mom’s cat had a swollen paw and mouth and our vet said that plastic in general could cause it including cat toys! Mom got rid of the plastic food bowls and toys, but he was still having some reaction and all that was left was the water fountain which was all plastic. I told her to switch to a stainless steel one and he seems much better.
No plastic toys. She’s rather a lazy cat. She will play with a string (laying down), but otherwise she eats, sleeps, and gives great condescending looks to her servants (me!).
Unless it’s bothering her or causing issues, maybe benign neglect is the best approach?
You have to look for anything that she might be scratching her chin on. Our white cat has problem skin, and sees a vet dermatologist: we actually switched to Moderna plastic bowls because they are so easy to clean (plastic doesn’t cause feline acne, but plastic or metal that has rough edges can trap bacteria or scratch the skin). Wash the food dishes after every meal! Dry bits of wet food can be a problem!
We didn’t do much to treat him because he HATED it, but it cleared up a few weeks after switching bowls and being better about not leaving the uneaten wet food out for more than 30 minutes or so
I had a cat that got that - what a mess. I started by wiping her chin daily with something called SeaBreeze which is an astringent. Witch Hazel might work as well. When it seemed like I had it on the run, then I switched to a daily wash with Cetaphil with a warm wash cloth that was just for her. She loved her face wash because after I gently washed her chin then I would rinse the cloth thoroughly and wipe her face with the warm cloth. Cleared it up and only had to wash her chin every now and then. I also made sure her dishes were clean.
Sorry - maybe it’s just me but steroids and antibiotics seem like overkill to me. IMHO.
Oral abx and steroids or just topical? My cat had chin acne so severely once it caused an open sore on her chin, and an IM abx injection at the vet cleared it up. I used a chlorhexadine wipe on her chin for a couple days after, and then any time it looked like it was flaring up again.
For mine, it seemed to flare in particular in times of stress, like if we were moving. Maybe look into eliminating any new stressors as well. Hope this helps!
Probiotics? Omega? Towards a healthy gut and skin.
The Neighbors Cat Who Lives With Us looked like she had mange, her skin was so dry and irritated from fleas, flea baths and bad food.
She has the most luxurious, plush coat with just a few tweaks.
This would be why I’d be aggressive with it, any irritation can get them scratching and risking infection.
fizzlepop, she has had 2 IM injections of antibiotics and 1 injection of steroids. We are cleaning every other day with chlorhexidine wipes from the vet and we switched her food to one with probiotics.
I think it is looking a little bit better, but roommate thinks it looks the same. So we are in a holding pattern right now.
Ah, I’m sorry. Sounds like you’re doing everything, and your kitty just has a very persistent version. I believe I was also given topical gentamycin to put on her acne when it was a sore, but that was in conjunction with the IM abx.
Thanks for all of the suggestions!
Try Benzoyl Peroxide wipes. The human kind (old school Stridex wipes!) are OK.
We have figured out that when she gets Catnip (nip nip) she has a flare up. This does not make Leyna happy as she loves her NipNip! But, no more nip for awhile!
By submitting your email, you agree to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. You may also receive promotional emails from The Chronicle of the Horse. You can opt out at any time.
For Customers
Company
Terms of Use
