Conference misery::feline_v1

I have heard that plastic feeding dishes may cause acne on cat chins.

My 6 yr old cat, Jose', had a mild case of chin acne and was eating
out of a plastic bowl.  I know it sounds like an old wives tale, but
when I switched his bowl to a ceramic one, his acne cleared up.

Both of my cats now eat and drink out of ceramic bowls and neither
has been bothered by chin acne.

Good Luck,

Fern

Hmmm.  That may really be true.  I know that I can never get all of
the greasy feeling off of the plastic dishes; sort of like how you
can never get the tomato-sauce stains off of Tupperware.  Perhaps
the problem is that the dishes never get really clean, and the aging
grease gets on the cats' chins and, like any grease on human faces,
causes the acne.

--Louise

Of the four cats I had at the time, only the recently departed Morlock had
cat acne.  And he did have it.  None ate out of plastic bowls at the time
on a regular basis, and when they did, _all_ did.  Of Morgan, Nianinne,
Angelica, Merlin, Morlock, Vivianne, Sammy, and Karamaneh, only one had
cat acne.

Steve Kallis, Jr.

Hmm, I never thought of that either.  Yes, both cats use plastic bowls.
I'll clean them good tonight.  I can get them non-plastic food bowls, but the
plastic automatic water dispensers are really useful (there is nothing quite
so adamantly unhappy as a thirsty cat....) and I've never seen one of those that
was not plastic - but they don't get nearly as grungy.  The water machines are
several feet from the food bowls, so food doesn't usually get dunked inside,
though 'treats' (like fish tails) sometimes do, if they are large enough to
get carried around before being eaten (I try to discourage that - the treats
tend to get eaten in places I would rather not have them, like on the bed!).

The Fickle tolerated her morning chin-bath with reasonable dignity this
morning; I guess she has figured out that I am not actually going to hurt
her even though I am bending her head way back (neither of my cats will
tolerate being held belly-up).  The acne has turned back into a small whitehead
and a small blackhead, and she hasn't scratched at it since she was at the
vet.  Nebula doesn't show any signs of acne.  Of course, she has a long
triangular head (her mother is a Siamese), while JFCL, who is a very big
cat (11-12 lbs.) anyhow, has a short wide head and has to really come into
contact with the food bowl to get the food out.  In fact, she will often
scoop a bunch of the food out onto the floor with her foot, and eat it there
where it is easier for her to get at it - maybe I ought to get a wider bowl.

/Charlotte

    Ah, yes.  The old Cerbinol solution on the chin 2 times a day.
    
    Both Merry and Sam have had acne.  The other 4 have had no problems.
    Our cats eat out of plastic bowls.  The acne cleared up after a
    few days of cleaning.  We haven't had to change bowl.
    
    The ceramic bowls versus plastic is not just a wives' tale.  I've
    seen the vet in the ask the vet column in one of the cat magazines
    suggest that to readers.
    
    tlh
    

    Well, I'm a couple of years or so late with this input, but what
    the heck!
    
    Three years' ago when I moved from California to Mass., poor little
    Sunshine had to endure that awful plane ride in her "sky kennel".
     All in all, from beginning to end, the ordeal was approx. 14 hours.
    
    I had to temporarily stay at my parents' home until I got settled
    again, but Sunshine then had to live in the same home as my 17 year
    old dog, Happy.  I tried to keep them in different parts of the
    house, but soon after, I noticed Sunshine had what looked like dirt
    under her white chin.  I thought, perhaps, she got into something
    she shouldn't have.  A couple of weeks later, and the hair on her
    chin began to fall off, until finally, there was a huge area of
    raw skin.
    
    I quickly took her to the vet, and what she explained to me was
    that like people, cats have a hard time dealing with stress, and
    given the information of her previous events during the month, she
    explained little Sunshine had Feline Acne.
    
    Well, it took over 2-3 months for her to fully recover.  She wouldn't
    tolerate any type of pills in her food or when I gave them to her
    directly.  There was also a liquid which was to be inserted in the
    form of a syringe, but she did nothing but spit that up and foam
    at the mouth.  The topical medication that I fought to put on her
    chin was probably the only thing that helped her (she did NOT enjoy
    that, to say the least!)
    
    She did eat out of a plastic bowl, but in this particular case,
    I do believe she was genuinely STRESSED OUT.
    
    ds
    

    RE: .1
    
    I didn't think of the dishes... I had just switched from glass to 
    plastic because everytime my husband or I walked into the kitchen
    (it's small - a Condo) we would sometimes kick a bowl by mistake.
    Well one day one broke and there was glass everywhere so I got
    plastic dishes.  
    
    Sure enough about a month later when we took our cats to the vet,
    one of them had feline acne...  (grossss)
    
    The vet gave us a pill to give to the cat and it cleared up after a
    week, but lately I've noticed it came back.  While reading these notes
    the other day, I switched the dish back to glass... I guess we'll just
    have to be more careful where we walk....
    
    Doreen

Stainless steel also works well for indoor cat dishes.  They come in several
sizes from tiny to "oh, WOW! Mom got me a swimming pool!".  They can be
found in pet supply stores.

    There was an article in my copy of 'Cat World' today, specifically
    about acne in cats. It said that the reason cats get acne is because
    they have difficulty in cleaning their chins - the dirt and bacteria
    builds up (just as in humans) and causes acne in some cats.
    It also said that this has nothing to do with adolescence and that
    the way to treat it was by washing the infected area as stated in
    the previous replies. Apparently most cats are re-affected for the
    rest of their lives

    Well, I've been using stainless steel for over 5 years, and have
    lots of feline acne !  I"m disgusted - I guess the cleaning
    chin idea is really the best bet - lordy, chins for 18 !
    what next, mom!

    E.T. is right. Scrub those chins. E.T. speaks of chins for 18, we
    had 3 saint bernards all at one time, and you talk about cleaning
    chins and wrinkled jowels!!!!!!! We used dial soap once a week and
    scrubbed with a nail brush and used proxide each day after they
    ate. We too always used stainless steel bowls both for food and
    water.
    
    Once acne gets a head start it takes a lot of hard work and diligence
    to win the battle.
    
    Miss those wrinkle faces with the sad eyes.
    
    Barbara (now cat owner)

    I cleared Amelia's acne up by putting Panalog on it on a regular
    basis.  She hasn't had a reoccurence since.  'Course she hasn't
    eaten out of plastic since I discovered it either.
    
    Jan

    Bumpy has had some mild cat acne for a bit and I never worried about
    it much.  Well, over the weekend I decided to give her a cuddle and
    looked at her chin while I was at it.  She's been spending most of
    her time sleeping on the radiator in the kitchen.
      I WAS HORRIFIED!!!!!
    
    Her chin is so swollen and broken out it looks like she has a tumor
    on it.  I've been able to get rid of some of the puss and have washed
    it with hydrogen peroxide and have applied "triple anti-biotic
    ointment" several times a day.  Of course, she immediately cleans it
    off. 
      I think she needs some good systemic anti-biotics and I"ll be calling
    the vet today.
    
      I've switched her to glass bowls only now.  No more plastic!  I'll
    never treat acne so lightly again.  I'm really raking myself over the
    coals for failing to notice how bad this was getting.  some kitty
    mommy I am!  :-(
      Nancy DC

    Nfancy, don't beat yourself up - sometimes you just don't notice it.
    It creeps up on ya.  I've been using stainless for years, and one
    of my kids still gets it - scrubbing with betadine helps also.
    It's a real pain to get rid of.
    
    E.

    Well my cats all think I'm nuts now 'cause spent the weekend scrutinizing
    their chins.  My roomate thinks I'm nuts 'cause she never heard
    of cat acne.  And my mom (who likes dogs) can't understand why I'd
    keep a creature that was disgusting enough to even consider getting
    acne.
    
    Is this something that's more common in long haired cats?
    
    -maureen
    
    

    No Maureen, I don't think so - it's my shorthairs that have had it
    - my one longhair has never had it.  It sure is disgusting!! and
    very hard to get rid of.  
    
    

    Re: .13
    
    Nancy, from your description, it sounds more like Bumpy
    has an abscess that broke rather than acne.  That happened to
    my Pussycat once in the same place.  The vet guessed he might
    have found a pin on the floor and it had punctured the chin area,
    leaving it infected.     
    

    Bumpy is a shorthair.
    
    I took her to the vet Monday and she's on antibiotics.  Its not
    one I recognize the name of so I don't remember it.  Its definitely
    not just one abscess - its bad feline acne and some irritated
    sebaceous glands now too.  The vet says this can take months to 
    heal totally.  There is an improvement - in her chin, but not in
    her mood.  She HATES having me flip her over to clean her chin. 
    Poor Bumpy - and then Bob will come trotting over and lean on her
    and purr and tweet and she bats him and hisses.  
    
    Curiously, the vet had never heard of plastic dishes contributing
    to this unless, he said, that the plastic is rough and irritated
    the chin.  so much for that theory.  ;-)
    
    I'm not feeling so bad about it now - doing something to help it
    helps alot.
    

    Nancy,
    
    Did they give you anything to put on the area???  
    
    DWeeBer has a small case of acne...some of the hair is missing, and the
    area looks a little red.  I know it's from the way he eats.  He always
    has food on his chin.  
    
    I've been cleaning the area after he eats, and applying boric acid
    powder to try to keep the area dry.  
    
    Wondering if I can do better than boric acid.
    
    cin
    

    D.P. has had cat acne on his chin from time to time (mine all eat out
    of ceramic dishes) and when it first occurred, vet told me same thing
    that he never heard of plastic dishes causing this.  He advised my
    cleaning the chin with rubbing alcohol using a cotten ball, making sure
    it doesn't get on his lips or in his mouth.  He hates it when I have to
    clean the area (even if I use water which I do sometimes after he eats
    and has any food on his chin).  I've been very careful not to get any
    of the rubbing alcohol in his mouth too.  This has cleared the episodes
    of acne up for him.
    
    

    Other things to clean chins with are:  betadine, any facial astringent
    that you would use for your own acne, like strydex (sp?) medicated
    pad (they dry the area up) just scrubbing with a face cloth helps
    a bunch.  The betadine seems to work the best for me.

    No, the vet didn't give me anything to put on it, but said to
    continue cleaning it with hydrogen peroxide.
      N
    

    Nancy, try betadine - it's really pretty good - I've had decent
    luck with it.
    
    E.

   How in the world do you get a cat to sit still while you apply
   stuff that foams up to their chin?
    

    That's a very GOOD question!  But, I'm not exactly sure what you
    mean by foaming up to their chin? hmmmm
    
    I take Charlie into the bathroom- it's a small room - close the
    door.  squirt some of the brown stuff into a plastic cup, take
    5 or 6 Q-tips and stick them into the cup, put the cup on the
    floor, sit on Charlie, and take a Q-tip one at a time, and
    rub them on his chin - it takes him a few minutes to figure
    out that he isn't going to die from kitty abuse!  I supose
    he really doesn't like the smell of the stuff - but, it
    really helps dry out the acne.  
    

    Always remember, you are bigger than the cat!
    
    :^)
    
    Jo

    Yeah, but who's gonna tell the cat?
    
    Hydrogen peroxide foams (or is it fizzles).
    

    I'd stop using the plastic dishes for awhile, just in case.
    You can get away without buying non-plastic ones by cannibalizing
    some unused portion of your dinner set, like flat bread and butter
    dishes.
    

    Betadine doesn't foam!

    gee, I got rid of Argus's and Alex's Acne by simply wiping their
    chin after each meal with a warm cloth and soapy water. It probably
    took a little longer to get rid of but the two of them seem to actually
    enjoy it.
    
    Deb

    Ya, but I bet Argus's & Alex's chins didn't look like a battlefield.
    
    How do I get her to hold still - brute strength!!!  Actually, she's
    looking much better - not good, but better.  I had some panalog left
    over from Jesse's ear infections so I"m putting that on her chin
    too.  And I did switch her to glass bowls. Just in case.
      Thanks for all the advice.
    

    Well, I've been consistent with cleaning DWeeBer's chin with warm water
    and cotton balls, and then "packing" the area with boric acid powder. 
    It's working even better than I thought it would.  The area is no
    longer blistery and red, and I think I can already see the hairs
    starting to grow back in.
    
    cin
    

    Watch them carefully if you use the Betadine.  It worked wonders on
    Dream the first couple of days I used it - then her fur started falling
    out!  Seems Dream is allergic to the stuff.  Silly kitty - I should
    have known!!!   I will second though that it works very well.  Try a 
    small area first and make sure the cat has no reaction to it.  Dream
    gets Mycodex cream when her chin flairs up, it works pretty well but
    not as well as the Betadine did.  
    
    Mary-Michael (who finds that white Orientals look even sillier with
    missing fur! ;-)  
    

    I think that it should be used moderately - don't soak and leave it.
    Sort of rub it in and dry it off.  I only use it once a day or mabe
    twice.  The fur will fall out when the acne get bad and then when
    it dries up - the fur comes off with the scabs.  Messy business.
    One of my friends had a problem with the Betadine - she put too
    much on also - if you find it too strong, dilute it with water.

    re: betadine
    
    Are we discussing the solution or the surgical scrub stuff.  I've
    used the scrub on my other critters, but it seems strong for the
    kitties.  It tends to dry the skin rather badly.
    
    

    I guess (?) that acne is worse than those little dark blackheads
    (ie, dirty spots) that my kitten got.  The vet told me simply to
    take a cotton ball and rub the h*ll out of his chin (within reason
    of course) with either warm water, or hydrogen peroxide.  He didn't
    like either, but it got the specks off (which is exactly what they
    seemed to be like).....
    
    Is acne the next step up/down from the "dirty spots"?
    
    ---kim

    Kim,
    
    What you had was the beginning of Acne.  Sometimes it starts as black
    specks, sometimes the first thing you see is the redness, like on my
    white kitten...there was no black specks, of course, my kittens Acne
    could have also been caused from nursing.  He's been weaned now.
    
    cin
    

    Yes, its far worse than the little black spots.  Bumpy had full
    blown "absesses".  Her chin was so swollen it looked like she
    had a "growth" on it.  It was full of pus and other disgusting matter.
    The fur is all missing at the moment.  
      Fortunately the Lincocin is doing the trick.  Her chin is far less
    swollen.  I just have to keep it clean and her body is doing the
    rest.
      Nancy