Hi!
New poster and we are absoulutly at our witts end with out nearly 2 year old cats health.
Since he was about six months old, he has suffered with various skin related issues due to the poor condition we had him in. He had fleas (They are now gone, after months of trying) He had ear mites - They are also now gone. An immence build up of ear wax which we have just managed to get under control but the biggest problem has been his chin.
It start out as looking like dirt (Black specs that would come away when wiped - but became harder to remove over time) and thats when he started itching - Now he has done so much damage to himself scratching its approaching his neck.
We have visted the vets ALOT. Each time its been something new - At first they thought he was itching because of the ear mites, then feline acne (Steriods were given at this point and helped for about a week) then on the last visit they said it could be a food allergy so we changed his food to hypoallergenic. But nothing seems to be working and its horrible seeing him so itchy.
While cleaning it for him earlier today, we also noticed he has what can only be describe as two gashes of skin missing from either side of his lip (Just to the side of his fang teeth)
We will be going back to the vets after the weekend - but I was just wondering if anyone has ANY advice. We are clutching at straws at this point.
Thank you in advance!
Help! Cats Chin!
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Ruth B
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Re: Help! Cats Chin!
Welcome to the forum, hopefully someone here can give you some pointers as to the cause,it sounds like the poor lad really has something irritating him.
The first thing i can think of is while food allergies are mentioned a lot, cats can be allergic to a lot of other things, plants, cleaning products, air fresheners are ones I can think off straight off. As it seems to be concentrated on his chin is there anything he tends to rub against that might be causing it, even the washing powder/liquid you use for your clothes could be the culprit if he rubs against you often. Unfortunately as it sounds like he has always had the problem you can't look for something recently introduced so a process of elimination may be needed. If they haven't already been tried, antihistamines might be able to help. If he is allowed out then it could also be something he comes into contact with outside.
It sounds like various skin conditions have already been considered, but it might be worth asking about a referral to a cat dermatologist, a specialist might have more ideas about the cause.
It could also be more of a behavioural habit issue, for some reason he started scratching there, possibly due to the flea problem, and for some reason he has continued to do so. It isn't uncommon for injuries to itch while healing so it could be he has got into a vicious circle of scratching because it itches, hurting himself and then its itching as it heals so he scratches it again. Some form of collar to allow it to heal might help, you can get ones that are more like large soft donuts instead of the old plastic cone of shame that might be better for him. The other option is that you can get plastic caps to go over claws, normally used on the front paws to stop a cat scratching furniture or people, but they might be able to go on back claws to stop him scratching himself. I think they have to be put on by a vet so it is another possibility to ask about.
Finally if the vet really can not find a medical cause for the scratching then a referral to a cat behaviourist might shed some light on the matter.
I'm lucky that I've never had a cat with that type of problem, but there may be others on here that have and will be on with other ideas soon.
The first thing i can think of is while food allergies are mentioned a lot, cats can be allergic to a lot of other things, plants, cleaning products, air fresheners are ones I can think off straight off. As it seems to be concentrated on his chin is there anything he tends to rub against that might be causing it, even the washing powder/liquid you use for your clothes could be the culprit if he rubs against you often. Unfortunately as it sounds like he has always had the problem you can't look for something recently introduced so a process of elimination may be needed. If they haven't already been tried, antihistamines might be able to help. If he is allowed out then it could also be something he comes into contact with outside.
It sounds like various skin conditions have already been considered, but it might be worth asking about a referral to a cat dermatologist, a specialist might have more ideas about the cause.
It could also be more of a behavioural habit issue, for some reason he started scratching there, possibly due to the flea problem, and for some reason he has continued to do so. It isn't uncommon for injuries to itch while healing so it could be he has got into a vicious circle of scratching because it itches, hurting himself and then its itching as it heals so he scratches it again. Some form of collar to allow it to heal might help, you can get ones that are more like large soft donuts instead of the old plastic cone of shame that might be better for him. The other option is that you can get plastic caps to go over claws, normally used on the front paws to stop a cat scratching furniture or people, but they might be able to go on back claws to stop him scratching himself. I think they have to be put on by a vet so it is another possibility to ask about.
Finally if the vet really can not find a medical cause for the scratching then a referral to a cat behaviourist might shed some light on the matter.
I'm lucky that I've never had a cat with that type of problem, but there may be others on here that have and will be on with other ideas soon.
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fjm
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Re: Help! Cats Chin!
Could it be feline acne? Tilly had a mild bout, and I found HyperCal ointment sorted it very quickly. The tincture has also been highly recommended on here. Check with your vet first, of course, especially if your cat is on other medications, but I have found the ointment (not the cream) very effective for soothing and healing various sores and grazes on my cats and dogs. it can help break the itch/scratch/open wound/itch cycle, and give the wound time to heal.
Re: Help! Cats Chin!
Do you use plastic food bowls? Apparently the tiny scratches made by a cat's teeth are bacteria hotspots and can be a cause of cat acne.
One of my cats had a spotty chin, and after a Google, like you do, I bathed his chin with a weak hibiscrub solution a couple of times a day and although I don't use plastic food bowls he did like to chew a plastic storage box which I got rid of. If memory serves me right it cleared up in a couple of weeks. Another tip, which I didn't do, was to brush his chin with a baby's tooth brush.
One of my cats had a spotty chin, and after a Google, like you do, I bathed his chin with a weak hibiscrub solution a couple of times a day and although I don't use plastic food bowls he did like to chew a plastic storage box which I got rid of. If memory serves me right it cleared up in a couple of weeks. Another tip, which I didn't do, was to brush his chin with a baby's tooth brush.