Did you know that feline acne exists? Well, it is like that, and its causes, effects and consequences will surprise you a lot, but the most important thing is that you learn to identify it in your little cat friends and that you know what steps you have to take to cure it. Find out much more here in this article.
feline acne
Although it seems to you that it is very strange or even that it is very funny, cats can suffer from feline acne and a more common ailment than you might think. The drawback is that in most cases it manifests itself in a very mild way, so much so that it manages to pass without us noticing, when this ailment is in its first stage, but if we let it go, it becomes something more serious, which can cause a lot of discomfort, itching and pain, becoming more complicated to treat.
What is Feline Acne?
Feline acne occurs when blackheads or pimples form on the cat's skin. The one in which it usually occurs most frequently is on the chin and its surroundings, and it is easy for you to confuse it with flea feces. It is an ailment that normally affects any breed of cat, regardless of its age or sex.
It usually appears in particular on the chin of cats that are white and in many cases it is only a case of mild acne, which hardly requires specialized treatment. What is absolutely relevant is that it be detected early, so that there is enough time to prevent the ailment from advancing and affecting your cat more seriously.
If you notice the presence of these blackheads, only a professional veterinarian or feline dermatologist will be able to establish the level of affectation that your cat has in each situation, so do not hesitate to consult a specialist immediately.
It is caused by the excessive presence of fat in the cat's skin and hair, particularly in the sebaceous glands that are located in the chin area and are known as the submental organ. Most of the sebaceous glands are linked to the hair follicles of the skin, which are the ones that manage to waterproof the cat's fur and also maintain the flexibility of the skin.
What causes feline acne?
You have to know what the main causes of feline acne are, so we are going to explain them to you below:
feline stress: to the same extent that it happens to us humans, cats can suffer from stress and this can have a negative influence on the cat's health in different ways.
Lack of grooming or poor hygiene: This is one of the most common causes that give rise to this ailment, poor cleaning conditions of the cat. Due to poor hygiene, the skin pores are easily infected, which leads to the formation of blackheads. It is certainly not recommended that you bathe your cat, but if he is in contact with a lot of society, it is better that you make it a routine.
Keratinization disorder: Keratin is the main element of hair and nails, and it can happen that excessive amounts of keratin and sebum are produced in feline hair follicles.
Sensitivity to foods or chemicals in the diet: This can also be a possible cause of feline acne. It also occurs as a reaction to certain medications, hormonal imbalances, and poor grooming habits. Acne can also be a side effect of an underlying systemic condition such as a viral or fungal infection.
To make a summary, the causes that are considered the most common of feline acne that have been verified so far are:
- Stress
- compromised immune system
- Poor hygiene or lack of grooming
- abnormal sebum production
- Contact dermatitis
- compromised immune system
- Poor hygiene or lack of grooming
- Concurrent infection or illness
- abnormal sebum production
- Contact dermatitis
- Concurrent infection or illness
How to identify it?
In order for you to be able to identify this disease early and prevent its progression, it is important that you carry out a regular check-up on your cat and be able to determine if it suffers from any of the symptoms that we tell you about below:
See if your cat has small blackheads or pimples on his chin. Keep in mind that your cat may also have traces of this acne on the lip or near the nose. For you to notice it, what you have to do is caress its chin the areas surrounding it, so you can notice if it has those pimples.
In case you have noticed that your cat has blackheads on his chin, it is vitally important that you determine if he has acne spots that are infected. One of the serious effects of feline acne is that the blackheads become infected and this will cause the affected area to be more inflamed and may have secretions with blood or something similar to pus.
If this is already happening to your cat, you should immediately seek the help of a specialist, because your little friend needs immediate treatment. One of the consequences of this ailment is that your cat rubs his chin or the affected area more frequently, which will undoubtedly cause his skin to become very irritated and greater trauma will occur, which will worsen the infection by the bacteria that have been generated.
How to treat it?
What is often said is that feline acne is not cured, but managed or controlled. If you realize that your cat has these blackheads or pimples, but they are not infected, what you can do is clean them and prevent the problem from progressing and becoming serious. Now, so that you can clean them, what you will have to do is any of the following procedures:
Proceed to moisten a cotton ball with sanitary alcohol and pass it over your cat's chin area or any other area that is affected, 2 times a day. You have to continue doing this procedure constantly until the stitches are gone.
Another option that you can use is to use chlorhexidine, which is an antiseptic substance that has a bactericidal and fungicidal action. To do this, what you have to do is moisten a cotton pad with a few drops of chlorhexidine and pass it over your cat's chin, or the affected area, twice a day. You have to keep an eye on the affected area and take your cat to the vet if the lesions become severe. You have to know that there are no problems with the use of chlorhexidine in cats, since it is not toxic to animals.
In the event that your cat has an infected area and you see that it has pus, the most common thing is that the veterinarian will prescribe antibiotics to help your little animal eliminate the bacteria that are on the surface of the skin.
You have to remember that the veterinary professional is the only one who is able to assess the seriousness of the ailment and supply or prescribe medications to your cat. You must understand that under no circumstances should you give your cat medication, without the veterinarian having made the corresponding assessment of it.
How can we avoid feline acne?
The causes of feline acne are very varied, but it is certain that you will always be able to prevent this disease from appearing in your cat, or at least, if it already has it, it will not progress. Here we are going to leave you several tips to prevent your cat from suffering from a case of feline acne:
You must keep the area where the feeders and water are very clean and hygienic, with a lot of disinfection. You need to constantly, carefully and frequently clean your cat's feeders and drinkers.
Another recommendation is that you use ceramic or glass feeders, but never plastic. Another element that is relevant is that the feeders are slightly elevated, that way the cat's chin will not come into direct contact with the food and you will also help the food to move more easily through the digestive system. , avoiding possible vomiting.
Special care must be taken to monitor and control your cat's diet, in particular so that a case of allergy does not occur. Proceed to clean your cat's chin every time he eats, to avoid the accumulation of bacteria and agents that can favor the appearance of blackheads or pimples.
Don't forget to regularly trim your cat's hair in the area that is affected, so that you don't favor the appearance of bacteria or fungi and that you can clean it more easily, as we have recommended in another section of this article. .
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