ACK!!! Kitty Acne x FIVE!!! :(

Darn it! The kitty acne seems to be spreading! :(

I wash all their ceramic bowls each night in the HOT dishwasher and we clean their water fountain and water bowls once a week.

We have a clean house...they eat very good, natural food. They don't wear my makeup ;)....WHY do they still have it??

Now its spread from just the babies (Sami and Phe) to Basie, Micah and Jonah!

I'm on a mission now. I'm covering every surface of the older cat tree with freshly clean towels to rule that out.

Each morning and night, they're going to get facials and some Oxy-Dex their vet brought over.

Tonight I'm going to the store to buy Anti-bacterial soap, benzoyl peroxide, "Hibiclens" (<---found that in a post regarding KAK's Sunny) and lots of cotton pads.

Any other advise? I've read this can be a life long condition. The vet wants to recheck Pee Pee for demodex (a type of mite) because she thinks its odd that five of them have it all the sudden and nothing in the house has changed.

Grrrr....this is so frustrating! I know how to clear up people acne, why is this so stubborn? :mad: :confused:

I have never heard of it...sorry they are having some issues :(, hope you can get it under control. Is it hard to see through the fur?

I have heard of demodex...is that a type of mange?

Hope it is nothing serious.

Very odd. I have no experience with kitty acne, but I'm sure its got to be very frustrating for you.

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Originally posted by Christiansmommy
I have heard of demodex...is that a type of mange?

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Well, the term mange refers to a type of mite. Demodex is a different mite.

While I hope its just acne, they both seem really annoying to treat and make go away.

Wish I had some advice on the subject, but I don't! Good luck though!;)

Do you think, if it is something contagious, it might be good to seperate the five cats from the other ones, until the vet is sure that it isn't contagious...might not hurt...the demodex is contagious from cat to cat, i believe.

My cat KITTY had it, took her to the vet and he said some cats get it. And shrugged his shoulders. Gave her some pills and it went away.

My concern here is I don't think its known to spread. I did relize I had a problem with a dirty doggie door, in this case kitty door, from them going in and out to their pen, so now I make sure I keep it clean. But again, I don't think acne spreads. Are you positive that its acne?

The vet already did a skin scraping on Phoebe and didn't find demadex. The problem is, they usually have to test two or three times to find it.

In the acne corner, it looks EXACTLY like the pictures and discriptions I've seen online. Lots of black flecks, partially inflamed skin, clogged pores.

I think it may be the cat tree. The cats that lay thier chins on the tree are the one's that have it. That's my only suspect. That's why I'm going to put towels over it tonight. I'd like to get a new tree, but don't have an extra $200 to spend this month.

I've never heard of it.. :o

Hope it clears up soon!!

The only thing that seemed to help Bo when she developed acne was being put on antibiotics. They put her on them for her nasal condition, but the acne cleared up and hasn't returned! Good luck with this.

My kitties once had this problem and it was the result of my using an inexpensive plastic bowl for their water. But since you use ceramic bowls that can't be the cause.

Since plastic is a petroleum by-product, maybe you are on the right track with the kitty post if the carpet is made of man-made fibers.

I think that covering their chin rests on the cat tree should be beneficial. good luck.

Pepper had 3 outbreaks (picture below) daily facials did the trick. She's also the only kitty who has ever had ear mites. The other kittys never had acne or mites and they eat and drink out of the same bowls and play with the same toys.

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/...b/f9161af2.jpg

The vet did say that kitty's with white chins seem to have more acne. Wish I knew of something to help. Sorry. :confused:

I usually feed my cats on flat plates.

Also, a little peroxide on a cotton pad, wiped on the kitty's chin will usually clear it up.

The vet knows best, usually.

Good luck! Yuck. Five at once?

SAS

You know how to clear up people acne? Tell me, tell me!;) What exactly is kitty acne? My RB Princess had it, but I never really knew what it was. Anyway, good luck with it!:)

OH Kelly im sorry..

hang in there... i hope it all clears up soon...:(

Perhaps you could try spraying the cat tree with this solution (of course when the cats are not around):

Lightly Lavender Antibacterial Spray

* 1 cup water
* 20 drops pure essential oil of lavender

Pour the water into a spray bottle. Add the lavender essential oil and shake to blend. Spray on the surface and let set for at least 15 minutes, or don’t rinse at all.
Makes: 1 cup spray
Shelf Life: Indefinite

VERY IMPORTANT: Make sure the cats do NOT come in contact with the undiluted essential oil.


It's a natural remedy I often spray the kitchen counters with, because they babies always jump up there. I have never had any negative reaction (as in allergies or such) from the cats while using it.

Quote:

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New research is proving that the old folk recipes using herbs and essential oils to kill germs, such as those used by 14th century doctors during the Black Plague, were based on good science. Many essential oils, such as the oils of lavender and thyme, are more antiseptic than phenol, the industry standard. Research is also showing that antibacterial plant oils may not cause drug resistance as could be the case with common chemical disinfectants.

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From www.care2.com

Sorry to hear 5 now have it.:(

I don't know if you saw my post before but I still think your cat tree can be salvaged with new carpeting. It's fairly easy to replace. I would definitely try before I bought a new one.

Chuck gets acne on his chin once in a while, the vet didn't seem real concerned with it. He said it is part of his allergies. More of a irritant than anything. He said most time it will clear up on it's own. My dog gets them once in a while too. Poor things! I was told the acne was a teenager thing. Whatever! I am 30+ and still get them once in a while.

Kelly,we are sorry,to haer about yoyr Cats,and hopefully,the White Coats,can make,that Acme,go away.

Well, while the cats didn't thoroughly enjoy "Spa Cotte", its going to be open every night until that acne is gone. ;)

I bought some Nutragena non-scented facial soap and some benzoyl peroxide pads from the store last night.

Each kitty got a warm compress, soaped up, washed off, rubbed with a benzoyl peroxide pad, dried and then given Oxy Dex. I don't see how the acne can still be there after a few weeks of this, but we'll see.

Thanks for all your advice, guys! I'm going to try that lavendar spray...it sounds lovely! :)

Recarpeting the cat tree: I understand how to do the tall areas, but what about the cups they sit in (that's where they rest their chins)? We've had the tree since 12/02...with 8/9 cats, it might be best to retire it.

GEEZ Kelly! Five at once!! I don't envy you treating that many but it sounds like you have it under control. A nightly kitty spa sounds like so much fun! NOT!!!;) :D

You know, I thought Magoo had it but it turned out his chin was messed up from over grooming. Since he has had his corizone shot his chin is clearing up. I'm sure that is not what is going with yours because you would notice all that itching and grooming. I guess the tree is a possibility because it sounds like there's nothing left. I'm just surprised it started all at once with so many. Hmmmm, this is perplexing for sure! I hope you figure out what it is and I'll be praying that everybody gets cleared up real soon.
Keep us posted!!

no advice just good wishes!!! :cool:

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Originally posted by NoahsMommy
Recarpeting the cat tree: I understand how to do the tall areas, but what about the cups they sit in (that's where they rest their chins)? We've had the tree since 12/02...with 8/9 cats, it might be best to retire it.

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Oh, my tree has curved perches that I can recover easily - of course my Dad made it so I covered it in the first place.
I guess I just have too much of my Dad in me, I can't stand to throw out things, LOL.:D

Kelly, I'm sorry to hear that now 5 of your furkids have kitty acne.:( When I first found out that Sunny had acne, I was also feeding my boys out of ceramic dishes. I then switched to stainless steel ones and Sunny's acne cleared up for a while.
Now I've learned to live with the fact that he'll always have an acne problem so I try to clean his chin every night or every other night with a hot compress and hibiclens. I also wash all of their stainless steel meal dishes twice a day and their drinking dishes once a day with hot water and antibacterial soap. I also run them in the dishwasher once a week.
I've never heard of acne spreading from one cat to the other but it does seem that white chinned cats get it the most often. It's probably because we can see the acne on them better than on non white chinned cats. Hopefully Sky won't get this because he'd be difficult for me to clean. Good luck and please keep us updated.