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The Vine

The Tomato Nation advice column addresses your questions on etiquette, grammar, romance, and pet misbehavior. Ask The Readers about books or fashion today!

Home » The Vine

The Vine: June 6, 2008

Submitted by on June 6, 2008 – 9:51 AM16 Comments

Hey Sars,

I’ve got a Vine question for you and perhaps the readers. It’s kind of gross, so maybe not so much with the lunchtime reading on this one.

Do you know anything about kitty acne? My cat is about 9 and sometimes she lets me “groom” her, where I spend some time picking about in her fur, just checking for fleas or any sort of skin issues. A couple of times, I’ve found these blackhead-type things on her chest and upper stomach. They pretty much resemble blackheads except for the fact that they are much, much bigger and wider than your normal blackhead would be, and they are brownish on the surface and white inside instead of black on the surface.

They come right out of her skin when I find them, and they’re usually little balls about, maybe, one or two millimeters in diameter. She doesn’t even flinch if I find one and have to manipulate her skin to get it out, so I assume they’re not painful. There does not appear to be any inflammation at the site of the, uh…carbuncle? What do I even call this?

Anyway, I’ve tried to read up on this sort of thing, but the only thing that I can find on the Interwebs is about chin acne in cats, which I know about because another of my cats had it and this isn’t it. I’m not super worried about it, but I don’t know if this is something I should be concerned about, and I’m wondering if a vet visit is in order. All of her other behavior is normal, she’s eating, drinking and generally being the cranky old lady that she’s always been. She has no other skin irritations or fleas.

So I figured maybe this would strike a chord with a reader out there somewhere. I’d love to find out what this is all about and find out if it’s an indication of a deeper problem that I’m not seeing. Thanks!!

Concerned Kitty Dermatologist

Dear Derm,

It doesn’t sound all that serious, but you never know — it’s worth a trip to the vet to find out, though, although to me it sounds like a fungal problem, or some sensitivity she may have to her food (this manifests in strange ways sometimes).

If she’s fine otherwise, I wouldn’t worry too much about it, but the vet may have a cream or a food recommendation that clears it right up, so call or visit the vet, and we’ll see what the readers have to say. Readers?

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16 Comments »

  • Susan says:

    Yep, sounds like a kitty zit to me. Mine get them on the chin (usually) or the…cheek? Muzzle? The nose/whisker zone. But Derm’s description is right on.

    Is the cat a longhair? My experience has been that LHs get feline acne more than shorthairs. (Again, just my personal experience.) A quick trip to the vet might be a good idea just because of the odd location, but if the spots aren’t oozing or red, the kitty’s probably just fine.

  • boo says:

    I read in one of those cat books that cats can frequently get blackhead type acne (usually on their chin) from some sort of odd contact with plastic food and water dishes. This book suggested swapping out a ceramic or glass feeding/watering bowl to clear up the problem. *shrug* Dunno if that helps and I would have no idea why your cat would get zits on her chest as well but that my two bits of esoteric cat knowledge.

  • Kelly says:

    Yep, sounds like a kitty zit. My greyhound is absolutely infested with blackheads, but it’s way grosser than the cat kind because they’re on his hairless stomach, for all the world to see. Blech.

    I use a warm compress followed by gentle scrubbing to loosen the blackheads and prevent new ones, but that won’t work as well on a hairy area. I would recommend cleansing the area with witch hazel to prevent possible infection. That would be an odd thing to explain to the vet.

  • Margaret in CO says:

    I wonder if your kitty is lyiing on something that’s causing this, maybe something that doesn’t ‘breathe’ (this would not include YOU! heh.)
    Ask the vet – they’re not grossed out by much! Glad to know they don’t bother her!

  • Meagen says:

    Oh man, I knew the name of this but I can’t remember it for the life of me! Anyway, one of my cats got those frequently too. My vet told me that pretty much they’re clogged glands. Cats have glands that produce a waxy substance which helps maintain their soft fur coats, similar to the oils found in our hair. When these glands get clogged you get small bumps that can be easily removed. Basically all you can do is keep removing them or start giving kitty a bath every week, but I DO NOT recommend that method. Just be sure to wash your hands before removing them to reduce chances of infection. And take her to the vet if you notice any signs of infection, irritation, or removing them causes her pain. Good luck!

  • Cindy says:

    Would the vet be amenable to answering these questions over the phone? (“Is this what I think it is, and do you need to see her, and if so, do we need to come in right away or can it wait till our next well-kitty visit?”)

    One of our cats gets the chin zits, but they are smaller, and one gets a reaction on her lip, granular something-or-other, from plastic dishes (we’ve gone to all stainless steel), but that is not at all blackhead like, but I haven’t seen anything like you describe.

  • Moonloon says:

    With Kelly on that – I can either pay yuckschi amounts of money to get my vet to look at them and say “clean them out regularly” – and maybe get a leaflet, or something… or, I can just treat my hound like I’d treat myself if this happened to me – tissue over fingertips, squeeze, gross moment and you’re done.

    If there’s a deeper problem (and I’m not a vet!) I’d guess it would show up in weewee, poop or smell first – all mammals have sebaceous glands though, so we can ALL get zitty.

    Try googling all the related terms you can think of too – nothing is original in this world, doubly so when it comes to moggies and mutts.

  • chayley1124 says:

    Scrub the area with an antiseptic (anything with chlorihexiderm), then keep it as clean as possible. It’s okay to use people astringents like Seabreeze on the area, too. Swap all bowls for ceramic or glass ones, and wash them regularly. If you have multiple cats, keep an eye on their skin, too–it can spread through contact (either direct or due to shared bowls). If it persists after a week or two, take her in to the vet–they may want to prescribe antibiotics. Good luck!

  • Dakotawitch says:

    Yep, that’s feline acne. Check out http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?cls=1&cat=2023&articleid=2517 for a good overview. It’s fairly common and easily treatable. If you google “feline acne” you’ll get some images, too, that you can compare to what’s going on with your kitty.

  • kitty derm says:

    This is all great advice, and thanks! I was just thinking about this again the other day, as my cat lay sunbathing in a sheath of light from a window–this is usually the best time to inspect her tummy, as she is relaxed and feeling rather luxurious. The issue seems to have become less severe, but I’m thinking that that’s because I have been checking it on a somewhat regular basis. She used to get the chin acne, and come to think of it, since I switched to ceramic and stainless steel, that hasn’t been a problem. I had no idea about the plastic reaction, thanks for that! I guess clogged glands are clogged glands whether you’re a human middle schooler or a 10 year old kitty. I like the idea of witch hazel and vigilance. I just fear that I’d spend a lot of money that I don’t have in taking her to the vet to hear “she’s ok.” Again, I certainly appreciate all the responses and the link!!

  • Amanda says:

    Most veterinarians are amenable to phone calls and answering questions about whether or not a patient needs to be seen (and no, they don’t always tell you to come in). Witch Hazel is safe in cats, but if they aren’t bothering your kitty at all you may just want to watch them for signs of infection and just leave them alone. Also I would mention them at her next vet visit no matter what you do.

  • lauren says:

    I’m with Meagen: Those sound like sebaceous cysts (that’s the term you were looking for, right?), which are not quite the same thing as kitty acne. Derm, try Googling “sebaceous cyst cat” – and yeah, give your vet a call either way. They’re usually pretty harmless, but can get (extra-) gross if they get inflamed.

  • slythwolf says:

    Probably don’t Google “sebaceous cyst cat” in the image search, though. ;)

  • SarahL says:

    So there’s acne and backne (back acne). Would this be catne?

  • Dave says:

    We’ve always called it “cacne” at our house…

  • Meagen says:

    Yes sebaceous cyst, that’s what I was looking for!

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