# Dirty chin, skin ailment, flea dirt?



## shicagah (Jun 1, 2008)

I've noticed a patch of black specs on Sir's chin. I'm not sure what it is. 

At first I thought it might be flea dirt, but I've combed over her several times over a period of a week or so and have found no sign of any other patch like this or any fleas. There is nothing in any of the hot spots that are usual with fleas.

I cleaned it once already by scrubbing gently with a warm towel and it cleaned it up a bit, but it seems to have become what it was before I cleaned it. Perhaps I should do a more through cleaning?

Another thought is skin ailment or fungal infection, but I'm not particularly versed in this area, seeing as I've never had a skin issue with pets before. Should I suggest a scrape to my sister when she goes in to get spayed should it not clear up?

Has anyone had this problems or have any suggestions? I'm adding some photos for a visual of what I'm talking about.


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## Heidi n Q (Nov 22, 2006)

Photos were awesome! 
The Good News: It looks like feline acne and is easy to clear up.

Cats have a difficult time cleaning their chins with their paws and feeding them out of bowls where their fur rubs the bowls allows oils from the (dry) food to get on their fur/skin and cause the little black specks you see. _If allowed to progress, it could turn into raised, inflamed or open sores like many teenagers get on their chins._ 

You did good by washing his face, but even better will be to wash his bowls. Plastic bowls seem to be the worst offenders, the plastic gets tiny scratches in it, has an uneven surface and can hold more oil and bacteria to transfer to the cat's fur. Stainless steel, glass or ceramic are best for thorough cleaning. The reason why the cats get the oils on their fur is as they nose around the food in the bowl, it pushes that food around and the oils transfer to the edges of the bowl where the fur brushes over it. 

If you can clean his face and wash/exchange bowls daily that should solve the problem after a few days to allow him to heal/recover from the breakout. After it has cleared up you can maintain bowl/cat cleanliness by giving the bowls a good scrub on a regular schedule.
Let us know how it goes!
h =^..^=


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## MowMow (Nov 6, 2010)

Yarp. Mow had that when I got him and the vet told me to wash it gently with a *very* mild soap.

I went to my local animal shelter's thrift store and they had stainless steels bowls the diameter of a 5.5 oz cat food can for super cheap. I bought 4 of them and just put them right into the dishwasher when he's done eating.


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## teasha (Aug 15, 2010)

From what I understand some cats can be allergic to the plastics and switching to stainless cures this.


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## shicagah (Jun 1, 2008)

Thanks for the information! I'm relieved to hear it isn't something more ominous. 

She's got a stainless steel water bowl and a glass water and food bowl, so plastic definitely isn't the issue. I'll be taking on your advice and washing her bowls more frequently, however.

She's got glass bowls, but they're shaped like flowers with the food falling down to the center, so perhaps all the grooves are the culprit for build up as you mentioned. I think I'll give her Elvis' old food bowl which is the same as the stainless steel water bowl I've given her.

Thanks so much for the information! I'm off to give her chin another scrub and switch the bowls out.


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