Black spots in cats and cats: why and what to do

What will you learn from the article?

1. Causes of acne in cats
2. Symptoms of acne in cats Diagnosis of acne in cats

Acne in cats is a skin disease in which the sebaceous glands become inflamed. In cats, acne appears as blackheads (blackheads). Despite the fact that sebaceous glands are densely located throughout the animal's body, acne in cats often appears on the chin and near the lips.

Symptoms of acne in cats on the chin

Many cats first develop a slightly dirty chin, covered in small black spots between the hair follicles. Sometimes, symptoms in cats are limited to just this manifestation. In other cases, it may begin to progress into swollen, red lumps that begin to rupture and bleed.

If the problem continues to progress, it is likely that the follicles may become infected with Staphylococcus aureus. This is a fairly common bacterial infection that can usually be found on the surface of the skin. This complication is called bacterial folliculitis. This serious skin infection requires more aggressive treatment. Folliculitis can also lead to secondary fungal infections if not treated properly.

Video “Diagnostics of skin diseases”

Let's look at the stages of acne development on skin and cats.

1. At the first stage, noticeable local redness of the skin occurs.
2. The second step is marked by the formation of a skin infiltrate and abscessive foci shaped like a ball or cone.
3. At the third stage, a change in the color of the follicle occurs, associated with its maturation. If you press on the inflamed area on your cat's skin, pus will come out.
4. At the fourth stage, the suppuration dries out, and traces of cones also disappear. The required stage for this disease is the final one, provided that the inflammation was not serious, or in the case when you began to treat it on time.

Suppuration can develop into another, more serious, disease

Next, we suggest watching an interesting video from which you will learn what skin diseases cats are exposed to, how they are diagnosed and treated.

Causes of acne on the chin of cats

There are actually no known causes for cat acne on the chin. But some possible factors include:

• Stress
• Poor care
• Dermatitis
• Bacterial overload (eating from dirty bowls)
• Impaired production of sebum (fatty substance)
• Contact hypersensitivity
• Suppressed immune system
• Concomitant infection or disease

Plastic cat food bowls were once considered a possible cause of acne in cats (allergic or contact hypersensitivity). With new research, it is believed that the real problem is the level of bacteria found in plastic utensils. Switching to glass, metal or ceramic cookware can help get rid of acne in some cases. I recommend stainless steel. But it is equally important to wash bowls frequently, at least once a day. If you are using plastic, use this tip first. If this is the reason, then improvements begin to be tracked after a week or a week and a half.

In addition to the above, think about raising food and water bowls. You should try to do this in such a way that the cat’s chin does not come into contact with the contents of the bowls.

Just like humans, cats develop acne due to allergies. You should change your cat's food and treats to make sure they don't contain the ingredient that is causing the allergic reaction. You would likely notice other allergic symptoms and signs if your cat had a food allergy or allergic contact dermatitis, but not always.

Diagnosis of acne and pimples in cats

Diagnosis of acne, as well as the diagnosis of acne in cats, should be carried out exclusively by a veterinary dermatologist. Only such a veterinarian is able to exclude other variants of dangerous diseases and problems, such as ticks, fungal and bacterial infections (primary or secondary), or fleas. Among other things, you need to accurately assess the cat’s general health and how much acne bothers her and how much discomfort it causes her. Research and diagnostic techniques include: skin scraping for microscopy, as well as culture to identify fungal spores and bacteria.

In severe cases where the skin is red and tender, a biopsy may be performed. This is necessary because acne can mimic other more serious diseases that should be ruled out first. It could be ringworm, skin mites, or even fungal yeast infections. All of this should be ruled out before any treatment is started.

Here are more photos of symptoms and signs of acne and pimples on the chin of cats

Symptoms

Often, the cat's owner does not even realize that his pet has acne until he notices black dots in the chin area or on another part of the body. The animal may feel fine for a long time until severe itching appears. Males are known to suffer more often due to the effects of testosterone on the base of the tail.

There are signs by which it is easy to determine the initial stage of acne:

• at the site of future inflammation, the coat becomes shiny;
• a yellowish color is noticeable;
• Black dots appear on the skin, which are most often confused with ordinary dirt or flea eggs.

The main locations of acne on the body in cats:

• chin;
• lip;
• muzzle;
• back;
• base of tail;
• near the eyebrows;
• near the ears;
• in the corners of the mouth;
• on the stomach.

Four stages of the disease :

1. skin redness;
2. acne formation;
3. the pimple matures, pus forms at the top, which breaks out after a while;
4. if the process goes smoothly, the wound heals and the skin gradually recovers.

Important! The process can worsen when, with a weakened immune system, pus infects a healthy area, which is considered extremely dangerous to health.

With complications, acne develops into purulent skin lesions. Swelling appears and gradually increases.

How does a cat's behavior change?

• the animal behaves restlessly;
• frequently licks the affected area;
• feels severe discomfort, unbearable itching and itches all the time.

Preventive measures

To prevent black spots from popping up on your cat's face, you need to follow some prevention rules. It is worth surrounding your pet with care and attention so that it does not experience stress and other negative emotions that can affect the condition of its skin. It is important to feed your pet good, high-quality food that contains sufficient amounts of vitamins and beneficial microelements so that the cat’s immunity does not weaken.

In preventing ulcers in the chin area, it is important to keep your pet clean. It is necessary to clean the bowl regularly. It is better to give food from a metal bowl, since plastic absorbs pathogenic microorganisms that will be transmitted to the cat during the next meal. The chin is a difficult place to clean, so your pet cannot always clean it on its own after eating or walking outside. Owners are required to monitor this area and clean it if necessary. When bathing the animal, special shampoos are used.

How to independently help an animal in the initial stages of the disease?

Provided that you have discovered a developing abscess in your pet, but cannot take him to the veterinarian in the next few days, you can help him, provided that you have at home, for example:

• healing mineral mud;
• veterinary or human ointment "Levomekol" or other antimicrobial agents, etc.

So, at the initial stage of suppuration, they heal well if they are treated with antibiotic ointments in a timely manner. “Levomekol” is the most affordable of them all; in a veterinary store, a fairly large amount of the product can be bought for about two hundred rubles.

In addition, mineral mud of natural origin will perfectly dry and eliminate pus. When heated, apply it to the animal’s abscess, and it will heal, if, of course, it has not yet begun to progress and go deeper into the tissue. The mud needs to be heated to approximately 42-45 °C.

Under no circumstances should you open an abscess yourself; entrust this work to a veterinarian.

However, even if the abscess has progressed, and there is still no opportunity to see a doctor due to objective reasons, try to give your patient antibiotics from one of the following groups:

• penicillin;
• cephalosporin;
• clindamycin.

In addition, be sure to do the following:

• give the animal an anesthetic (provided that the drug is calculated according to the instructions, based on the pet’s weight);
• Use an Elizabethan cone collar or other homemade protection to prevent the animal from licking and biting itself.

Until the abscess matures, warm it with heating pads or warming compresses. However, keep in mind that if the animal has a fever and you feel its temperature is elevated, you should not use them, as this will only worsen its condition.

After the wound has been cleared of pus by the doctor, the responsibility for continuing treatment will fall on you. It is assumed that you will have to:

• wash the wound;
• change bandages.

Do your best and your pet will remain healthy, no matter what stage the abscess is at.

Unfortunately, in the later stages, this disease is difficult to cure on your own. In addition, if we are talking about the occurrence of this pathology in the anal glands or in the mouth, it is impossible to do it yourself.

What is acne

Acne is the scientific name for blackheads; they can also be called blackheads (pimples), since that's exactly what they are. If you notice dark rashes on your pet, make sure that it is acne. After all, parasite feces and dried droplets of blood look identical. First try to remove the spots, if you can't do it, then it's blackheads. It is also worth paying attention to the localization of blackheads. Most of all, eels like to “settle” on the chin, and insect waste products can be found on any part of the animal’s body. Although, if the case is advanced, black spots in the cat’s fur may be located in other places:

• inner thighs;
• elbow bends;
• jaw;
• nipples;
• eyelids.

Localization can be observed even in the anus area. If the rashes are multiple, the pussy should be shown to a doctor.