Sore on chin of Cat

by David
(Boston, MA)

QUESTION

Hi, my female cat Whiskey recently developed what appears to be a sore or type of rash on her chin. It doesn't seem to be irritating her, but the last few days I've been cleaning what might be dried blood, the substance is dark colored and crumbly. Small amounts of it, but it comes back a few hours after I clean it. She uses metal and ceramic bowls, I haven't changed food or litter types recently, no new allergens in the household, etc. Do you have any thoughts on what it might be?

Thanks so much for your help, this is a truly wonderful service you provide.

Hi, David,

Thank you for your kind words!

Your kitty appears to have feline acne. Sometimes the cause is plastic allergy (not in your case) and sometimes it's an allergy to something else and that "something else" is very difficult to figure out.

In addition, the chin is one of the areas some cats do not clean as well. Use a warm wet soft cloth and scrub the chin vigorously every day, even if it bleeds a bit. Continue this for several days and see if there is improvement.

If it doesn't improve or gets worse, see your vet. It may need to be clipped and scrubbed under sedation and a cream dispensed. Also, make sure your cat's teeth are clean.

Thank you so much for the picture. A picture truly is worth a thousand words. It helps so much sometimes.

Thank you for writing,
Dr. Neely