What is feline acne?
Humans, especially teenage ones, are familiar with the battle against skin acne. And, believe it or not, your cat might end up with the same glandular problem. But in cats, it’s known as feline acne. How can your cat get acne? Because like humans your cat has glands in their skin. The two main glands are called the sweat glands and the sebaceous glands. The purpose of the sweat glands is self explanatory. The purpose of the sebaceous glands is to produce sebum. Sebum is an oil that aids in keeping your cat’s skin soft and smooth. It also helps to waterproof your cat’s fur coat. Have you ever seen your cat rubbing its face, especially its chin and jaws, against you or an inanimate object? It’s doing this in order to mark its territory with its scent. It uses its chin and jaws because those parts of their body contain a great number of sebaceous glands. As a whole, the glands around the facial area are known as the submental organs. The sebum oil that is released from these organs has a
Feline acne is very similar to human acne. Feline acne occurs most often on light colored cats, for reasons we do not know. Also, feline acne is often triggered or made worse by using plastic bowls for food and water. If your cat has acne, switch to glass, ceramic, or stainless steel bowls. (Another reason to switch anyway: plastic bowls can hold bacteria in their surfaces, which can make your pet sick, even if the bowls are thoroughly washed in hot water regularly.) Cats with feline acne are often treated topically, either with ointments or with special kitty face wipes that look much like human Oxy pads. (NOTE: DO NOT use human acne treatments on cats! They can be extremely toxic to cats!) However, if a cat has a severe case of feline acne, it may be necessary for the cat to be put under anesthesia so the vet can manually pop the blemishes. Typically, the cat would then be treated topically AND put on a short course of antibiotics.
Feline acne is a form of acne which occurs in some cats; dogs can also get their own version, known as canine acne. Just like human acne, feline acne has a variety of causes and treatment options, and it may appear only once, or it may plague a cat for life. Because some more serious health conditions can be mistaken for feline acne, it is a good idea to take a cat to the vet to rule these conditions out if the feline acne seems especially bad, or it doesn’t go away after home treatment. In feline acne, blackheads form under the chin, and in Persian cats, they may also appear in the folds of the face, especially around the eyes. At first glance, a cat with acne may simply appear to have a dirty chin, with chunks of black material clinging around the chin and sometimes the lips as well. The formal term for these blackheads is “comedomes,” and they are caused by a buildup of oils in the follicles and pores. In a mild case of feline acne, the comedomes may go away on their own, but someti
