black stuff on kittys chin

[abstract]

hey everyone, we have a 1 year old cat and noticed a few weeks ago a kind of black, crusty stuff on his chin....i read a bunch about feline acne and it doesnt really seem like it....its almost like hard, crusty skin that when you rub flakes off....just wondering what it could be before we take it to the vet and get charged a ridiculous fee like they tend to do

thanks in advance

 

[Bloo]

Does your cat have fleas ? That's almost a sure sign. Check your cat very carefully with a flea comb before you say no

 

[abstract]

will do when the girlfriend gets home - i can never find where she puts things

 

[mm_simb]

My cat also has that and it's not fleas, at least not on mine. When I called the vet they just told me to put Neosporin on him and see if it went away. It wouldn't hurt to call a vet and ask though. Of course, if you're sure he doesn't have fleas then it's very likely that it's the same thing as my cat's were also on his chin.

 

[Bloo]

Out of interest, what was it then mm_simb ??
I do not know neosprin - i looked it up and it looks like an anti fungal / anti bacterial medication. Is that right ?

 

[mm_simb]

Yea, it is. Neosporin was suggested by my vet and he knows that my cats don't have fleas since fleas can also cause scab looking things on their body, primarily on their neck and face. So if the cat does not have fleas it could just be cat "pimples" where you can just rub a little neosporin on him and it can go away. It did on mine. If it doesn't, then it needs to go to a vet.

 

[abstract]

OK, we combed him very well yesterday and checked for more "crusties"...we found 1 live flea, no dead ones, and no eggs (my GF worked at the vets office in her earlier days )....the only spot that seems to be crusty is his chin, which leads me to believe that it still COULD be kitty acne....i have read that you shouldn't use plastic bowls as they are a great breeding ground for bacteria so we moved him over to ceramic....we will try the neosporin as long as it has been recommended by someone elses' vet....thanks for the advice everyone!

 

[Bloo]

Uhm, I would never ever use anything recommended for someone elseses cat by another vet. Especially in this case where you really are not certain what it is. That's just not safe at all.
If it really concerns you, take your cat to the vet. Rather safe than sorry

 

[abstract]

well, obviously before doing anything i have researched it more and it does seem to be feline acne...the point of me posting here was to avoid having to pay outrageous fees and buy special medication in order to treat something to simple...now that someone recomended neosporin, and i did a search, i found out much more information....

Dan Christian, DVM answers: The condition you are describing sounds very much as your veterinarian has diagnosed: feline acne. We tend to see this fairly frequently in cats, and it is a condition that basically requires hygiene management. As cats eat and drink, they often accumulate debris and dirt on the chin area, which will help set up the bacterial infection. The way to best start tackling this is to clip the hair on the chin to help minimize how much dirt and debris collects there. Also, as your veterinarian has indicated, a cleansing solution scrubbed on the area daily and application of antibiotic ointments will help clear up the condition. Once the acne is cleared up, maintenance every so often is a good idea by keeping the chin hair clipped short.

Feline Acne

 

[mm_simb]

Exactly what I said. I'm sure abstract knows what Neosporin is if he is willing to put it on the cat. I wouldn't put something on my cat if I didn't know what it was...unless my vet told me. I'm sure if it's cat acne it would not cost much to treat. It did go away on my cat with the neosporin but I had left it there for more than 2 months because I didn't even know what it was. I'm sure if you call a vet he'll tell you what else you can try putting on it rather than having to take him to the vet.

If you have a petsmart over there, Banfield (pet hospital in petsmart) is a great hospital with a lot of knowledgeable vets. Just look up an address on the yellow pages, call and ask what you can do. Other vets would work but this is just a recommendation.

Treatment for the condition varies but oftentimes use of an antibiotic soap, benzyl peroxide, or human acne pads can help clear up the infection.

Just make sure that after you try the treatments that are available and it doesn't go away, take the cat to the vet because feline acne can get worse. Good luck

 

[Auratus]

A vet will probably just give you a benzoyl peroxide gel. Most likely Oxydex. Folliculitis isn't usually a huge problem. If it's just from unclean water or plastic bowls it sounds like you've already solved that. Treating him for fleas will also help. If it gets any worse and seems to start itching him or bothering him you should take him to the vet because it could go from something that just looks ugly to an infection or it could be an allergy.

Hot packing the chin before putting on whatever medication you're going to use is a good idea. It will help clear up what is already there (kind of like when you sit in a steam room to open up your pores). Just warm water on a wash cloth works well and put that on the cat's chin for 3-5 minutes.

Treatment for the condition varies but oftentimes use of an antibiotic soap, benzyl peroxide, or human acne pads can help clear up the infection.

I also wouldn't recommend putting a human acne medication like noxima anywhere near the cat's mouth where the cat has a chance of swallowing it. Plus that stuff does smell rather strong.

Two good shampoos by DVM are (probably only available at your vet):

Sulfoxydex - Benzoyl peroxide based shampoo (will dry out the skin)
Chlorhexiderm - Chlorhexiderm based shampoo

 

[mm_simb]

I just got that from a website I forgot to put the address there. The only thing I've found good for that (that wouldn't involve taking the cat to the vet) is the Neosporin. I'm sure taking the cat to the vet would be a lot better though and it probably wouldn't be so expensive to treat.

 

[abstract]

thanks everyone for your concerns...as i've said we have already taken away the plastic bowls and our doing our best to change his water a few times everyday...we found some "pet wipes" that can be used on cats and dogs (basically like a large wet-nap) and have been scrubbing his chin twice a day with it...from what i've read, the neosporin is mostly to help with dry/itchy skin from cleaning/scrubbing, but it also inhibits growth of more bacteria...

in the past couple days it has def. seemed to get better...it hasn't seemed like it bothers him yet, so i'm not too conecerned...i will be sure to keep an eye on it and take him to the vet right away if i notice any changes for the worse...

thanks again!