Causes And Treatment Of Feline AcnePosted by Moses Wright on October 14th, 2009
A common, mild skin condition that affects cats is feline acne. Acne in cats is similar to the acne that affects humans. The faces of cats tend to have acne.
Acne in cats often looks like blackheads on the cat’s lips and chin. The blackheads may not be clearly visible in which cases the acne may make the chin look dirty. The acne may cause abscesses which open and crust over.
Though most cases of feline acne are minor, more severe cases can lead to skin irritation, hair loss, swelling, open sores, and infection. If the cat is scratching the area of the acne, the risk of hair loss, sores, and infection increases.
Some causes of feline acne include poor grooming, allergic reactions, stress, or food or dirt being caught in folds of the skin. Some cases of feline acne may be due to overactive oil glands of the cat’s skin.
Light-colored cats often experience changes in skin coloring which can cause black dots on the chin. These dots can resemble feline acne. Other skin conditions like bacterial infections, ringworm, yeast infections, and mange are sometimes mistaken for cat acne.
The acne should be examined by a veterinarian for an accurate diagnosis since these and other skin conditions can resemble feline acne. When diagnosing feline acne, the veterinarian may do a skin scraping or other diagnostic tests.
Compresses of an Epsom salt solution or mild soap may be recommended by the veterinarian. Antibiotics, topical ointment, or special shampoo may be prescribed. A corticosteroid injection may be given to clear up this condition.
The cat owner may be able to help prevent feline acne. The cat owner may need to pay more attention to keeping the cat’s face clean. If the cat is getting feline acne on its chin, the cat owner might help this condition by cleaning the cat’s chin after the cat eats.
In some cases, the feline acne is caused by an allergic reaction to food bowls. Switching from plastic food and water dishes to stainless steel, glass, or ceramic can help prevent allergic reactions to plastics.
The blackheads should not be squeezed. If this skin condition does not clear up with the recommended treatment, the cat should be examined by the veterinarian again. The veterinarian may prescribe a different treatment.
