Feline Acne: Symptoms and Treatment
The specific causes of feline acne are not known. Cats with weakened immune systems are more susceptible, but otherwise healthy male and female cats of all ages may be affected.
Contributing factors in the development of the disease include stress, poor grooming habits, and abnormal sebum production.
Lesions vary in severity, but are typically mild. Itching and pain are uncommon unless there is a secondary bacterial infection present. Lesions usually initially present at about one year of age, and remain cyclic for the life of the cat. Pain and/or itching are not common unless there is a secondary bacterial skin infection.
Treatment may or may not be required. Your veterinarian will have to make this determination depending upon the severity of the symptoms, and whether or not any secondary conditions exist.
Feline acne signs and symptoms — The clinical signs of acne in cats may include lesions on the lower lip and chin. Your cat may have dark brown comedones or crusted reddish papules. In addition, there may be swelling of the chin and around the lips.
In more serious cases, there may be a secondary bacterial infection present. Signs of this may include edema (swelling) of the chin area, or drainage of the lesions. In these cases, antibiotics, both systemic (taken internally) and topical, may be prescribed.
Sometimes ringworm or yeast infections can be mistaken for acne, as can bacterial skin infections as well.
Feline acne treatment — Treatment is often not necessary, except in more serious cases. In fact, it’s believed that overtreatment may increase the severity of the skin lesions.
Topical therapy of some kind may be prescribed to help treat the comedones (blackheads). Depending upon the severity, more aggressive treatment may be recommended.
Your vet may remove excess skin from the lesion area. This facilitates cleaning of the area, as well as the application of topical medications. You should never do this yourself as you can hurt your cat or cause an infection.
Antiseborrheic shampoos may be prescribed, and antiseptics, such as Listerine or alcohol may be used.
As with acne in people, topical benzoyl peroxide solutions are often prescribed. These are available in small animal strength formulas, which is one-half that of the human preparation, in shampoo or gel form.
You should know that even the milder animal formula benzoyl peroxide treatments may be irritating to your cat’s skin when used over time. In any case, never use a preparation made for humans on your cat unless instructed to do so by your veterinarian.
In cases where patients are immune compromised, such as feline AIDS patients, treatment may include steroid therapy. Additional supplements may be used as well, including off-label drugs.