# Feline acne - update: it's back again :(



## Nini (May 6, 2007)

It's one thing after the other... the only bowls I had that were shallow enough for the babies are plastic bowls, and Mew and Isis occasionally eat leftovers from these bowls. 

A few weeks ago I noticed a scab on Mew's chin, but figured it might be just a scratch from the first days we had the kittens and Isis was very hissy and would swat even at her sister. I kept spotting tiny black specks on her chin, and today she's got a new red bump on her lip, and a new scabby bump on her chin  

I just threw all the plastic bowls away, and will use only my ceramic and glass plates for everyone until I find stainless steel bowls or ceramic tea saucers to use. Will this be enough to heal her poor chin, or should I take her to the vet anyway? Is there anything I can do to help her?

I just figured someone here might know of a natural, non-aggressive way of improving this, before we run the course of traditional medication/treatment. All suggestions appreciated by my poor Mew :?

Edit: just checked out DrJean's article about feline acne, has anyone tried the antiseptic soaps like Hibiclens with success before?
I also found this natural herbal acne wash, just not sure if it's worth getting it if I can get antiseptic soap from the pharmacy nearby faster...
http://www.localharvest.org/store/item.jsp?id=4548


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## Sol (Feb 20, 2003)

I know that many use olive oil or aloe vera gel with great success. Some people use mayonnaise but it should work with only oil since it's the fat that act as the active substance.


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## AddFran (Jul 10, 2004)

I use a very diluted wash of Hibiclens (which you can get at CVS, etc) and in a few days it's gone. Tried this 2 times already and it's worked great. Learned of it here on the forum and I believe it may have been Dr. Jean that recommended it. It's strong stuff though, so just a few drops in a cup of water works fine.

Edit:
I missed your edit...but I guess I was answering that specific question anyway! :lol:


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## Nini (May 6, 2007)

Great, thanks a lot! I am going to go to Rite Aid get some of that this morning. I feel so bad for Mew, it looks so painful, her little upper lip was all red last night  

But if you say it was gone in two days, then I can't wait to try it! 

I have also taken to wiping her chin with a damp tissue after meals, and of course I threw away all my plastic bowls.


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## AddFran (Jul 10, 2004)

Yep, little scabby fell off by the 2nd day and redness was pretty much gone too. Worked really well!!


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## Nini (May 6, 2007)

I got the Hibiclens this morning; diluted just a tiny squeeze of it in a large glass of warm water (it was not even pale pink), and rubbed it on Mew's chin and lip with a cotton ball. Then I rinsed well with another cotton ball dipped in warm water, then dried with another cotton ball. Mew was such a good girl all the way - too bad she had to go eat food out of the babies' plates right afterwards! 

Is that the way you did it? How many times a day should I do this? After each meal (she eats three times a day)? I read that wiping her chin every time she is done eating may help keep the bacteria down?

Thanks a lot for the help, I can't wait for her to get better - I know how painful pimples can be :?


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## AddFran (Jul 10, 2004)

I didn't wash it off, maybe you are supposed to, but I wanted to make sure it did it's job. So I just took another dry cotton ball and soaked up any real wetness and left the rest. I figured it was so diluted it probably wouldn't hurt anything. 

I don't wipe their mouths, though I can't see how that would hurt. Though maybe you want to use a dry cloth, because the dampness could perpetuate the whole bateria thing. 

I did mine 2 times a day even though my brood eats several small meals a day. I think if you do it too much you can cause more irritation - but I guess that's just like with anything. 

I hope it clears up soon!


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## Nini (May 6, 2007)

Thanks for sharing your tips! I am a little compulsive about rincing stuff in general, I hope it won't prevent that thing from disinfecting her chin. Maybe I will leave it on tonight. 

I wipe her chin and lips with a clean, dry tissue after she is done eating. I figure it can't hurt... I read that crumbs of food or humidity remaining on the chin after a meal could make the bacterial infection worse, so I want to try and keep the damage minimal.

I will try to do it in the morning and at night, see if it helps. Blessed be the cat forum and its people, or we would have been in for a costly trip to the vet! Now of course that does not mean I will not take her if things do not improve - I actually will, because from what I read, mild cases usually heal fast, and if it does not it could be a few other things beside feline acne, and you don't want to wait around to find out :?


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## AddFran (Jul 10, 2004)

Chances are that's all it is, but you are right, you gotta be cautious. 
Do you think you can get a picture of it?


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## Nini (May 6, 2007)

AddFran said:


> Do you think you can get a picture of it?


I tried, but Mew would not stop moving, and to get a clear view of her lip and chin I had to use a mode that does NOT allow movement of the subject... so all my shots are blurry and impossible to use. :? 

Her lip is a lot less red this morning, and surely less painful, since she marked my finger by rubbing it with both lips a minute ago. I can still feel the scab under her chin, and she has a bunch of black streaks in her hair. 

The water fountain I have is made of plastic, so I added a stainless steel water bowl - I can't wash the fountain everyday, do you think it harbors bacteria even though it contains only filtered spring water? Should I wipe it down every day with some sort of disinfectant (that sounds like it could be toxic to the kitties to me)?


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## Nini (May 6, 2007)

So... after withdrawing all the plastic bowls, and using the Hibiclens solution twice a day on Mew's chin, things looked a lot better... until now.

Isis came up with a couple of scabs on her chin too, and although Mew's chin has less of the black streaks, she now has what looks like an inflamed pimple on one of her upper lips. It looks painful, but can't be that bad since it does not keep her from chewing at the Da Bird feathers or gulping down her food full speed.

However, now I am left with suspicions about the Petmate water fountain that I started using a couple of weeks ago. It is made of plastic, and is the only thing that has changed in the cats' environment. No new bowls, no new food, nothing new except that fountain. Does that logically indicate it as the source of those acne problems? I clean it out completely at least once a week or more, but when I used the stainless steel water bowl I cleaned it and changed the water every day - should I just stop using the fountain and go back to my good old bowl? 

They love to drink from that fountain, but if it's going to give them acne, then I'd rather go back to the old ways... :?


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## AddFran (Jul 10, 2004)

It could be. I've been told to eliminate pet fountains if acne becomes a problem, but I think it's more of a process of elimination type thing. I have a fountain and rarely deal with acne. Phoebe had a mild case and I caught it right away. None of the others have had any trouble. 

You could always take it away for a month or so and see if that eliminates the problem.


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## CataholicsAnonymous (Dec 4, 2006)

Plastic can be a culprit, even if kept meticulously clean. I had a cat whom we deemed "allergic" to plastic. He didn't get feline acne; he got eosinophilic granuloma from plastic. Your case sounds more like acne though, as the Hibiclens worked. If it had been a granuloma, that wouldn't have helped. If Mew's looks a lot different than Phoebe's, and if the Hibiclens doesn't work on her, you could ask your vet to take a scraping to see if it's a granuloma. A course of steroids always took care of my cat's granulomas. I've just learned to steer clear of plastic so I don't have to worry about either affliction.


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## Nini (May 6, 2007)

AddFran said:


> You could always take it away for a month or so and see if that eliminates the problem.


Yes I think I will try that... it's strange because Mew does not even drink from the bottom of the fountain where bacteria would be more likely to develop, she drinks from the very top, where the water flows out. This is very odd.

I was hoping to find a stainless steel fountain, and Petmate got my hopes up until I saw that they used the stainless steel for decoration instead of using it to minimize bacteria issues  

http://www.terrificpets.com/pet_supplie ... 101899.asp


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## Nini (May 6, 2007)

CataholicsAnonymous said:


> Plastic can be a culprit, even if kept meticulously clean.


That sounds like it could be the case, since Mew and Isis never had problems since we got them in February, and they were always fed out of ceramic bowls/plates; we also used a ceramic bowl for water before switching to a stainless steel one, both washed every day. Never any problem at all. 

The moment problems started was when we got the kittens and the big girls started eating leftovers from the plastic bowls... so sounds like plastic is a very likely culprit here.

Boooh they like their fountain so much


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## coaster (Dec 1, 2004)

*Re: Feline acne - updated: water fountain question*

Never mind. Already been answered.


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## Nini (May 6, 2007)

Thought I would post an update on the cats' progress... I stopped using the plastic water fountain on Monday, with a heavy heart because the whole cat family simply loves it - and it was well worth the sacrifice!

In only a few days, Mew's sore lip has gotten a lot better and is healing, she has no new scabs or black specks under her chin, and Isis' scabs are all gone  

I had to have cats allergic to plastic... I guess now all I have to do is donate that fountain. I know a guy who's been feeding his cat out of plastic dishes for years, I guess the cat is immune, so I will give it to him!


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## coaster (Dec 1, 2004)

Thanks for the update. Will file that for future reference. Glad it worked.  Too bad they don't make ceramic fountains.


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## Nini (May 6, 2007)

coaster said:


> Too bad they don't make ceramic fountains.


Hey, maybe we should look in the gardening aisle at Home Depot and find our cats a marble angelhead fountain :lol:


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## coaster (Dec 1, 2004)

I had naturally just finished shutting my computer down for the night when I had a brainstorm :roll: and had to boot up again.

They don't make ceramic fountains? Maybe they DO!! Not for pets....but you know those fountains that are to make background water noise: falling/running water.....with a little pile of rocks or something that water is pumped over? I'm pretty sure some of those are made from ceramic. Now, if the insides (with maybe the exception of the pump) aren't plastic, then you could just remove the rocks and have yourself a pet fountain. Kind of odd-looking, maybe, but for cats who are used to drinking running water from a fountain it might be a solution.


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## coaster (Dec 1, 2004)

Hey, have we got ESP, or what????? You posted while I was typing and it looks like you're thinking the exact same thing!! :lol: :lol: :lol:


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## Nini (May 6, 2007)

coaster said:


> Hey, have we got ESP, or what????? You posted while I was typing and it looks like you're thinking the exact same thing!! :lol: :lol: :lol:


You know I think it's the combination ceramic+foutain! For some reason I had always thought in terms of stainless steel fountains, but never of ceramic, and the thought of those decorative fountains popped in my head as soon as I read your post! :lol: 

Now we'll have to keep each other posted about possible discoveries :wink:


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## CataholicsAnonymous (Dec 4, 2006)

I'll bet it wouldn't be overly complicated to make your own. And I'll bet that just about all the fountains you can buy use plastic tubing for the water flow.


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## drjean (Jan 6, 2004)

I know I've seen directions on the internet for making your own fountain with an aquarium filter and other materials of your choosing. I'd go look 'em up but I sprained my back (that'll teach me to clean the house!) and it's hard to sit at the computer, so you're on your own there. 

Most of the "feng shui" types are still plastic and a pain to clean, but you can probably set something up with a nice Pyrex casserole dish, don'cha think? :lol:


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## nanook (Jun 12, 2005)

I made one a few years ago out of my cat fountain. It was the first one they came out with and it was really ugly. It came in two parts: the motor compartment and the grey, ugly plastic bowl part and they clicked together. I don't know what possessed me, other than being out of work and having WAY too much time on my hands, but I just took the motor part and secured it with a half brick and used a regular bowl (which was big enough to hide the brick) with some river stones placed to keep it quite. Worked fine and looked way better. But it's probably even easier to get a submersable pump, as Dr Jean said. I was just using what I had in the house.


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## Nini (May 6, 2007)

Okay so about a month ago Mew's lips were completely clear, and she had only a few black streaks of sebum left on her chin, so I thought we were out of the woods, and - very stupid of me - I stopped cleaning her daily with Hibiclens.

Now she still has some black stuff on her chin, and there is a new sore on her lip...  

It does not seem to cause her any pain, and I never see her scratch her chin, but I want to get rid of this... so it's back to Hibiclens twice a day. There is not a single plastic dish left in the house, their water bowl is stainless steel and washed every day, their plates are glass or ceramic and washed after every meal... I am at a loss :? 

Any suggestions for homeopathic treatments? 
As soon as I can afford it I will be taking her to the vet so he can take a scraping and check for eosinophilic granuloma... I hope it's not and that she will heal fast with the Hibiclens.

What a lousy meowmie I am... if I had kept up with the Hibiclens maybe she would be completely healed now


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## Nini (May 6, 2007)

Just realized... her favorite toy these past two weeks is a plastic milk ring. Could that be enough to start it all over again??


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## coaster (Dec 1, 2004)

Might be. I guess she'll have to do without it.  

Feline acne does tend to recur. I was my cats' chins periodically to try to prevent it.


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## marie73 (Jul 12, 2006)

Yeah, Nini, don't feel bad just because you stopped treating it when it disappeared. How could you know it would come back? You're a great meowmie.


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## Nini (May 6, 2007)

Thanks guys... I feel so bad about this, my poor Mew loves her milk rings so much  

She is very cooperative as far as letting me rub her chin and dab her lips with the Hibiclens solution is concerned, but she won't let me take a decent picture of it... not even _dreaming_ of macro-mode... :roll: 

So here's my best try at showing you the sore on her upper lip:


















I hope it's only acne and not oesophilic granuloma...


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## coaster (Dec 1, 2004)

Mellie had some acne on her lower lip once, but that was black. It was darned hard to get rid of, too. But if I'm looking at the right spot in the second picture, that looks red, not black. I don't think it's acne......


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## Nini (May 6, 2007)

coaster said:


> Mellie had some acne on her lower lip once, but that was black. It was darned hard to get rid of, too. But if I'm looking at the right spot in the second picture, that looks red, not black. I don't think it's acne......


Yeah it's a red sore, not a blackhead. She had one like this already when we were using the fountain, and it went away with the Hibiclens and taking away the foutain... so hopefully confiscating her milkrings and treating with Hibiclens again will help. Why can't I have healthy cats??


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## doodlebug (May 13, 2006)

Hmmm....maybe this is an allergy to plastic itself as opposed to an infection from the bacteria embedded in scratches.


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## Nini (May 6, 2007)

That's a possibility. Although I suppose that after a few days of being chewed on and batted all over the kitchen (and fished from under the stove, kingdom of the litter crumbs and dust bunnies), the milk rings probably harbor an interesting host of bacteria :? 

I tossed out all the milk rings we had, and will only let her play with the new one when I open a carton of milk, for a couple of hours. Then I will pick it up and throw it away. We'll see how that works out.

Silly of me, I know, but I hate to take away her favorite toy


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## CataholicsAnonymous (Dec 4, 2006)

Andrew's eosinophilic granuloma was brought on by plastic and I'm sure it had nothing to do with bacteria. Once, he spent a few days hospitalized and I forgot to mention the plastic thing. Within a day or two, the "monster" was back. After that, they just put, in red marker, ALLERGIC TO PLASTIC on his cage chart when he was there.


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## Nini (May 6, 2007)

And did it go away completely when you took away everything plastic, or did you have to go with a shot of steroids? The mere idea of steroids makes me shudder :?


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## CataholicsAnonymous (Dec 4, 2006)

It never recurred after the ban on plastic!


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## Nini (May 6, 2007)

CataholicsAnonymous said:


> It never recurred after the ban on plastic!


Oh wow, now this IS comforting news!  

I have to be really careful, the thought of plastic _toys_ never even crossed my mind til yesterday... I have to toss all the scalped mousies that are down to a naked plastic frame, too.


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