Health, Disease & Diet Find out the best tips and practices on managing your cat's diet, health care, and issues with diseases from our community of animal lovers |
08-25-2008, 07:36 PM
|
|
Tok Penghulu
|
|
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: Bamboo River
Posts: 937
Rep Power: 16
|
|
[Dagu Berkarat] Feline Acne, "Kitty Acne"...
Feline Acne
AKA "Kitty Acne" or "Chin Acne"
By Franny Syufy, About.com
Anyone who has wrestled with adolescent acne will remember how difficult it can be to eradicate. Cats are often afflicted with a similar condition, called "feline acne" or, more commonly, "chin acne" or "kitty acne". Like acne in humans, its causes can vary, including food allergies, contact allergies, and (some experts believe), stress.
Plastic food dishes have long been suspected as a culprit in chin acne. Plastic is a magnet for bacteria and dirt that work their way into scratches and nicks, reinfecting your cat and/or spreading bacteria to other cats in the household. Veterinarians and other feline experts recommend using only glass or metal food bowls, and daily washing of those, in order to help prevent this common condition.
Stress-related acne can be treated by finding the causes of the stress and eliminating or ameliorating them, if possible. Emotionally cause stress may be relieved by medication, flower essences, or pherome-based products, such as Feliway. Environmentally caused stress might be solved by doing whatever possible to change the environment (move the furniture back that you just moved, or back off and gradually re-introduce that new cat or dog.)
Feline acne starts as small, oily black plugs in the chin, much like blackheads, which may progress to red, itchy bumps, which may become infected. Treatment varies, but most veterinarians will recommend daily cleaning with an antibiotic soap, followed by a topical ointment, either antibiotic, or anti-fungal. Oral antibiotics may also be prescribed, as well as a scrub with hydrogen peroxide.
Severe cases of feline acne may be difficult to eradicate, so you'll want to take your cat to the veterinarian at the first sign of black spots on the chin. Although cats are not embarrassed by acne, as humans are, the condition is still potentially serious, and not to be ignored.
=========================
Feline Acne
Feline acne is a common problem seen in cats. It is found on the cat's chin & lips. Often symptoms are so mild they go unnoticed. Acne can affect cats of any age, sex or breed.
Sebaceous glands secrete oils (known as sebum) which lubricates the skin, preventing dryness & irritation. The sebaceous glands are mostly found in dorsal, eyelids, chin, surface of the base of the tail, lips, scrotum and prepuce. They are connected to the hair follicles.
The glands also play a role in territorial marking & any observant cat owner will have seen their cat rubbing it's face & chin along objects. Over time this rubbing will leave greasy patches.
In acne, the follicles become blocked with black sebaceous material, causing blackheads. These blackheads may become irritated, swollen & infected, leading to pustules.
What causes feline acne?
The exact cause of feline acne isn't known. There are several possible causes however including
* Stress
* Plastic food bowls is commonly discouraged, especially in cats with feline acne. This is because they are porous & trap bacteria, which is then transferred to the cat's chin. It has also been suggested that an allergic reaction to the plastic food bowl is a cause.
* Poor grooming habits
* Over active sebaceous glands
* Food allergies
What are the symptoms of feline acne?
* The chin & possibly lips have black spots (comedones) on it, which look like dirt.
* Secondary infection may lead to swollen, red, pustules, leading to bleeding due to irritation.
As there are other conditions with similar symptoms to feline acne, it is important to take your cat to the veterinarian for a proper diagnosis & appropriate treatment.
How is feline acne treated?
Treatment of feline acne depends on the severity of the condition. Removing excess sebum is the aim. Some treatments include:
* If the condition is mild, with only a few comedones, topical treatment may be all that is required. Gentle cleansing with an antibiotic soap, hydrogen peroxide, iodine (Betadine) or Epsom salts.
* Topical Vitamin A
* Topical retinoids
* In more severe cases, cleansing the skin with an ointment or gel containing benzoyl peroxide (such as OxyDex) or chlorhexidine may be of use.
* Topical glucocorticoids to reduce inflammation.
Severe acne:
* The fur around the chin may be clipped by your veterinarian to enable deep cleaning of the affected area.
* Oral antibiotics to treat infection.
* Oral glucocorticoids such as prednisone for severe inflammation.
Always consult your veterinarian if you suspect feline acne & never treat your cat at home with an anti-acne treatment designed for humans.
Is there anything I can do to prevent feline acne?
Switch from plastic to glass, ceramic or metal food bowls.
Wash food & water bowls daily.
Washing the cat's chin after eating, if it is prone to acne.
[articles are written by & are the sole property of Cat-World.]
__________________
MJ
|
08-26-2008, 09:01 AM
|
|
Puppet Master~
|
|
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: Port Dickson
Posts: 587
Rep Power: 0
|
|
Re: [Dagu Berkarat] Feline Acne, "Kitty Acne"...
thanks tok penghulu... skarang ni dah tak sental dgn berus gigi dah.. hehehe...
__________________
meoowwwwww~~
|
08-26-2008, 09:15 AM
|
|
PetFinder Guru
|
|
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: Bukit Prima Pelangi, KL
Posts: 672
Rep Power: 16
|
|
Re: [Dagu Berkarat] Feline Acne, "Kitty Acne"...
omg.. i think maybe my ninja fat boy has this condition? he has black bits of dirt on his chin.. when i pick them up they are very hard and small.. they look like dried bits and pieces of mascara.. is that what you are talking about?
__________________
The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way in which its animals are treated ~ Mahatma Gandhi
|
08-26-2008, 10:50 AM
|
|
Puppet Master~
|
|
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: Port Dickson
Posts: 587
Rep Power: 0
|
|
Re: [Dagu Berkarat] Feline Acne, "Kitty Acne"...
yes lynielime...
__________________
meoowwwwww~~
|
08-26-2008, 11:14 AM
|
|
PetFinder Guru
|
|
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: Bukit Prima Pelangi, KL
Posts: 672
Rep Power: 16
|
|
Re: [Dagu Berkarat] Feline Acne, "Kitty Acne"...
OH NOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!! i thought he was just always sticking his face in dirty places or something!!!!!!! so its actually my fault!!! i'm a bad kitty cat mother!!!!!!!!
__________________
The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way in which its animals are treated ~ Mahatma Gandhi
|
08-26-2008, 11:52 AM
|
|
Puppet Master~
|
|
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: Port Dickson
Posts: 587
Rep Power: 0
|
|
Re: [Dagu Berkarat] Feline Acne, "Kitty Acne"...
no la lynie... i also have the same prob.. before this i thought this is normal... as i compare my cats.. only one of them got this kind of issue.. that's why i ask in this forum to get a clear picture of what kind of issue that i've dealing with.. mujurlah ada sif-sifu yg berkaliber menunjuk ajar... skarang ni still pakai lagi plastic food dish tu... but pagi ptg cuci ngan sabun before put in the kibbles... hehehe.. kene tambah satu lagi rutin dlm hidup harianku~! wohohohoho
__________________
meoowwwwww~~
|
08-26-2008, 12:06 PM
|
|
PetFinder Guru
|
|
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: Bukit Prima Pelangi, KL
Posts: 672
Rep Power: 16
|
|
Re: [Dagu Berkarat] Feline Acne, "Kitty Acne"...
hmm... does the problem with plastic food dishes also apply to dogs? i have both cats and dogs, and they all using plastic food dishes.... any idea?
__________________
The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way in which its animals are treated ~ Mahatma Gandhi
|
08-26-2008, 12:10 PM
|
|
Puppet Master~
|
|
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: Port Dickson
Posts: 587
Rep Power: 0
|
|
Re: [Dagu Berkarat] Feline Acne, "Kitty Acne"...
Quote:
Originally Posted by lynielime
hmm... does the problem with plastic food dishes also apply to dogs? i have both cats and dogs, and they all using plastic food dishes.... any idea?
|
i think so la.. what you can is ... regularly kasi cuci itu bekas... hehehe...
__________________
meoowwwwww~~
|
08-26-2008, 01:49 PM
|
|
Tok Penghulu
|
|
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: Bamboo River
Posts: 937
Rep Power: 16
|
|
Re: [Dagu Berkarat] Feline Acne, "Kitty Acne"...
__________________
MJ
|
08-26-2008, 01:56 PM
|
|
PetFinder Guru
|
|
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: Bukit Prima Pelangi, KL
Posts: 672
Rep Power: 16
|
|
Re: [Dagu Berkarat] Feline Acne, "Kitty Acne"...
yay!! i love shopping for things for my pets new bowls for everyone!!
__________________
The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way in which its animals are treated ~ Mahatma Gandhi
|
08-26-2008, 02:15 PM
|
Banned
|
|
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: Taman Desa, KL
Posts: 711
Rep Power: 0
|
|
Re: [Dagu Berkarat] Feline Acne, "Kitty Acne"...
hi all
my cats also have this chin "acne" thingy. only the vet called it chin rash. i initially thought it was some sort of tick infestation. yes, i was guilty of using plastic bowls as it was Cheap and not breakable (yours truly do have butterfingers when it comes to washing dishes).
i changed to stainless steel and now most of the chin rash is gone. i didn't give them any medication as i don't want them to be on medicine all the time.
the plus side with using metal or ceramic dishes for pets is that they're easy to clean and rinse and won't contain residue smell of detergent.
my nicky always perched on the counter top, watching me wash his dish and i always let him inspect it. if it passes his inspection, he will accept a drink of water from the dish, if not he will turn up his nose and turn his back to me! while waiting me to finish washing his dish, he'd play with the running tap water!
|
11-01-2008, 07:30 PM
|
|
PetFinder Guru
|
|
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: Seri Kembangan, Selangor (Yeah, we got free water!)
Posts: 1,019
Rep Power: 17
|
|
Re: [Dagu Berkarat] Feline Acne, "Kitty Acne"...
ONION has acne and it looked quite bad!!
|
11-01-2008, 10:23 PM
|
|
Petfinder Moderator
|
|
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: KL
Posts: 3,418
Rep Power: 19
|
|
Re: [Dagu Berkarat] Feline Acne, "Kitty Acne"...
Blackie doesn't have acne, but I'm not going to take any chances. I'm going to change his plastic food bowls to stainless steel. Thanks for sharing this, tok abang.
Bina, poor Onion....I hope her acne heals soon. Muacks & hugs to Onion.
|
11-02-2008, 12:06 AM
|
|
PetFinder Guru
|
|
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: Seri Kembangan, Selangor (Yeah, we got free water!)
Posts: 1,019
Rep Power: 17
|
|
Re: [Dagu Berkarat] Feline Acne, "Kitty Acne"...
Blackie the master is getting new bowls!! Hehehehe
Anyway, I googled on kitty acne, and saw a post about a vitamin oil for coat suspected as the culprit.
Guess what? I started them on this Omega coat shine vitamin oil 3 weeks ago!!! It is quite possible that Onion is developing adverse effect (aka acne) because of it. I'll stop this vitamin oil and see if she improves.
|
11-02-2008, 12:17 AM
|
|
Petfinder Moderator
|
|
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: KL
Posts: 3,418
Rep Power: 19
|
|
Re: [Dagu Berkarat] Feline Acne, "Kitty Acne"...
Wah, so they're like we humans...consume too much oil and some of us break out in acne.
|
11-02-2008, 01:08 AM
|
Banned
|
|
Join Date: Aug 2008
Posts: 1,931
Rep Power: 0
|
|
Re: [Dagu Berkarat] Feline Acne, "Kitty Acne"...
Quote:
Originally Posted by lynielime
yay!! i love shopping for things for my pets new bowls for everyone!!
|
Yay.. me too. The old plastic one will do for my maggi mee..hahaha
|
11-02-2008, 03:52 AM
|
|
.:: Baby, I dig you! ::.
|
|
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: Subang Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia, World of Animal Lurve...
Posts: 1,868
Rep Power: 17
|
|
Re: [Dagu Berkarat] Feline Acne, "Kitty Acne"...
i have acne too, means i have to use stainless stell bowl too???
ofcourse i'm kidding..maybe not, i'm a half cat!
good that my babies haven't had this kind of problem, maybe cause i wash their bowls daily but still it could happen right..
so maybe to avoid that i'll change too...
__________________
" Bad things happen. Trust that good things happen, too.
Sometimes you’ve just got to close your eyes, hold on tight and believe. "
|
11-02-2008, 12:50 PM
|
|
PetFinder Guru
|
|
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: Seri Kembangan, Selangor (Yeah, we got free water!)
Posts: 1,019
Rep Power: 17
|
|
Re: [Dagu Berkarat] Feline Acne, "Kitty Acne"...
Zee, I'll get you a stainless steel bowl for you birthday! hehehehe
|
11-03-2008, 11:11 AM
|
|
PetFinder Guru
|
|
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: Bukit Prima Pelangi, KL
Posts: 672
Rep Power: 16
|
|
Re: [Dagu Berkarat] Feline Acne, "Kitty Acne"...
hmm... i've switched to metal bowls but ninja fatty's chin zits aren't going away. what should i do now?
__________________
The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way in which its animals are treated ~ Mahatma Gandhi
|
11-03-2008, 11:24 AM
|
|
Pets Are NOT Disposable
|
|
Join Date: Sep 2008
Posts: 2,041
Rep Power: 18
|
|
Re: [Dagu Berkarat] Feline Acne, "Kitty Acne"...
All my FurKids use plastic bowls too, but I wipe each one clean and dry with tissue after every feed before stacking them up for use in the next meal.
I wash the bowls with soap and water and air dry every week. None of my pretty FurKids have any acne and same goes for the strays because they get the same level of cleanliness for their bowls.
I think it is not so much the type of bowls but how well you clean them. I have seen people who simply fill the bowls without any cleaning for days and weeks ... and the gunk lining the bowls, ewwwwww!!!
__________________
"We organized in the past to make Trap-Neuter-Return possible. Today, we organize to make Trap-Neuter-Return the norm and to end the unnecessary killing of cats in animal shelters across the country and provide humane care." - Alley Cat Allies
|
Posting Rules
|
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts
HTML code is Off
|
|
|
All times are GMT +8. The time now is 07:59 PM.
|
|
|