Following are selected posts to the Holisticat (TM) Mailing List on the subject of feline acne. There's a lot of information here, and the posts are arranged in ascending chronological order. If there is a particular word you're looking for, it's probably best to utilize the "Find in Page" function in your edit menu!

Happy hunting :)

<18 Sep 98 From: Emily H. Re: feline acne & yeast infection>

If Yeast is the problem, Aquaphase, a homeopathic remedy is what is most often and most effectively used..at least in my area.  I have used a similar homeopathic remedy to kill yeast with great success AND I have also used Grapefruit Seed Extract. GSE is VERY aggressive. If taking it internally, you have to be sure not to take too much. It is good at different dilutions (strengths) used externally on various skin infections etc.

Here is what Dr. Wolff, the German Homeo. Vet and author of Your Healthy Cat says to do for Acne:

The pimple disease is caused by bacteriea that enter the hair follicles and form pustules or knots.  The pustules are filled with pus or a watery fluid and can be found on the head and chest. The remedy is Hepar sulphuris 12. If many knots are present, Silicea 12 can help. It melts the knots away after a treatment lasting between 8 and 14 days.

Acne can also be the result of a hormonal imbalance related to distubances in the heat cycle. In this case it is a good idea to have the cat sterilized; sterilized cats rarely suffer from acne.

Digestive difficulties can also cause acne. If this seems to be the case, try changing the cats diet.

I use "Alvera" aloe vera gel for Emily's feline acne.  Someone on this list noted that Alvera is one of the few brands which doesn't use
preservatives that if ingested can be harmful to cats (um I think these preservatives are sodium  benzoate & potassium sorbate).  Alvera only has Vit. C as a preservative.  The label reads 99.55% Aloe vera Gel, .25 Gelcarin, and .20% Ascorbic Acid (Vit C). I just dab Em's acne spots w/ a generous amount of aloe vera on a cotton ball.  I don't think there'd be a problem with Smokey licking off the aloe vera; it's also recommended (in _the Encycl. of Natural Pet Care_ p. 143) as an internal treatment for arthritis & indigestion--up to one TBSP per 20 lbs of body weight, just added to the food. Actually I just read that aloe vera is an internal as  well as external treatment for skin rashes (same dosage) (p.430). Also in this book, Vit E is recommended as a topical treatment for burns, but I don't see it listed for rashes/hot spots though again aloe vera is suggested for these skin conditions.

I think that using the plant is fine as long as you use only the leaf's inner gel as "the bitter inner rind of aloe vera is a powerful
laxative." (p. 143).

Evonne, there's quite a bit of more stuff about treating skin problems in this book; however, aloe vera is the only one I've tried.

<<Anyone know why cats get acne?>>

Frazier (p. 320) says cats get acne when there is too much waste to excrete through the pores and they become clogged with sebaceous fluids. She suspects that commercial food & free-feeding are contributors to the problem.  Frazier also notes that feline acne indicates that " a) there are too many wastes building up in the body, and b) the organs of excretion are not functioning at top effeciency and are not handling the wastes as they should." She's observed that the problem is worse for cats during the shedding seasons.

My vet tells me that I should clean Em's chin after each meal.  I don't have to worry about it with the other cats.  Was it on this list that someone observed orange tabby's often have this problem?  Em is a calico, but she does have lots of orange tabby spots :)

This is my favorite brand too b/c of the fact that it has no preservatives besides Vit C, and it tastes really fresh and good unlike
those synthetic-y ones at the store.

I dunno why it's so hard to find this brand.  Here in SoCal, I swear every lil or big store has it.  Never had a problem.  Heck, even some of
the blasted GNCs carry it.

I order mine from Vitamin Shoppe (nci) sometimes cuz they have those good sales when everything is 30% off.  Also, get the aloe vera gel instead of the juice - same brand and very similar bottle.  I got the gel by mistake once and soon realized it's even better cuz it's easier to apply the gel on burns, boo-boos etc. and if kitty licks it off, no problem.  Plus I mix it in their food daily.  I just put some in a dropper bottle w/ some spring water, and squirt it in.  They don't even notice it.

In case anyone is interested, the Vit Shoppe has a website: http://www.vitaminshoppe.com

On Saturday, January 02, 1999 10:38 AM, Naomi  wrote:

<NKorman@ix.netcom.com> writes
<<I've heard many times about feline acne occuring on the chin of kitties, but can it occur also on their nose?  Bert has some black "stuff" on the top of his nose.>>

<< Nancy,  what colour is Bert, and how old is he?  Red (ginger) cats very  often do get "freckles", i.e dark patches or spots,  on their noses and  lips as they get older.  Also white cats are prone to sunburn on noses  and ears.>>

Bert is mostly orange with a white chest, belly, paws and nose.  He's only 3.  I don't think it's sunburn though. And it's definitely not freckles. It's on top of the skin and it's black.  Yesterday a big piece of it came off when I rubbed the aloe in.  It was pink underneath.

<<I have 4 red or cream coloured Burmese cats and 2 of them (aged 9 and 4)  have the freckles and 2 (aged 10 and 3) do not!
 I also find,  and so do other breeders,  that red / cream cats are  especially prone to chin acne.>>

Maybe he's just trying to be different by having it on his nose.  :-)

Be well,
Nancy and the furkids

<<I need some suggestions from you all.  As you know I just brought  Abbey, my newly adopted kitty home yesterday. >>

Yay Candy for being such a super good person :)

<<want to stick with it for awhile.  She had been fed a very inexpensive grocery brand of dry food for the past several years and she isn't in great shape.  She is shedding profusely and has huge dandruff flakes.  >>

Oh! The poor kitty! A double YAY to you for saving her life...

<<She has been drooling profusely, has brown gunk all over her chin, her  breathe could clear a room, and her tongue hangs out of her mouth.  (I  hesitate to clean her chin at this point since she is still very  touchy)>>

Brown gunk as in nasty crumbly stuff? If so, sounds like feline acne. I'm sure ya know this, but glass or metal dishes will help this. Sometimes a dish or food change is all ya need to resolve the problem. It ain't the least bit Holistic, but I swear by Stridex sensitive skin
scrubby pads. That's the only thing that could get rid of Maxs' acne. It only took a few days of scrubbing his chin once a day.

The drooling and tongue hanging (and especially the nasty breath) could very well indicate dental problems :(

<<I want to start her on some supplements tomorrow and try to get her  immune system going. >>

The Petguard canned is a great starting point. That'll minimize the stuff her system hasta deal with from processed foods. My personal
approach would be to start slow with her. Some E, A and D will help - maybe one cod liver oil capsule (or A and D combo vitamin) and 400 IU of Vit E a week to start, along with 250 mgs of C a day. Since pilling is likely gonna be tough for a little while, you may wanna buy Calcium Ascorbate (vit C) powder, and just mix 250 mgs worth in her food. Worst case scenario w/ the A, D and E is to puncture the gelcap and squeeze the contents out on her paw so she hasta lick it off.

<<She hasn't been to a vet in recent years and I will need to take her  in at some point but I'd very much like to get her adjusted to this
new situation first.  She's so scared and upset.  I feel so bad for  her I just want to cry.>>

You're gonna make over tired, sappy old me cry, too :(

Good plan to get her a little more comfy before the trauma of the vet visit. But it *sounds* like she needs that mouth looked at ASAP, and if that's the problem, I wouldn't be surprised if they wanted to do extractions....

I just had Skippy and Max in for check-ups, and they both need dentals and likely extractions. I expressed my fears to their vet (my old boss) and she immediately reassured me about their methods. Going by what she said, the safest way to do it is to put the cat on antibiotics a week before the surgery, have the vet use on   gas, and run IV fluids throughout the procedure, and administer antibiotics after if the case warrants (pretty likely it will).

Again, thank you for taking sweet Abbey in. Purrs and settling head butts to her and hugs to you :)

My heart goes out to those who lost their friends, Charlie and Mariah - maybe they have met up with my Maxwell at the bridge and are romping like best friends.

Maxwell's mysterious and sudden death (within a week from the first sign of labored breathing) had led me to research some very interesting things about cats I would like to share. I believe that Max had heart disease, which was the root cause of his passing, but his passing was a combination of factors.
.....
I also believe that commerical cat foods were the main culprit. After intensive research and reading Frazier's book, I am appalled at the ingredients - I am positive the deadly diet caused congestive heart and the "seizures" which also played a part in his final passing.

Max started getting feline acne (brown/black spots/bumps on his chin) at about 2 yrs. According to Frazier this is an indication of organ dysfunction (possibly liver). The vet only shrugged his shoulders about the acne saying "some cats get it." That was my first clue that Max's health was failing and the dearth of knowledge of the average vet....

<<I have some questions about pet foods and which health food store brands are best. I have 3 indoor cats and as of now they are all in good health except for the acne on their chins which they all have and would like suggestions on clearing that up.>>

Hi, Robyne,

Do your cats eat from plastic dishes?  I used to use plastic, but one of mine developed chin acne.  I was told to use glass dishes, and when I switched, my babie's acne cleared up in a week or ten days.

First, what kind of bowls do they use?  They can get acne from plastic and some stoneware types -- safest to use it stainless.  My youngest, Grimalkin, developed acne when we got him and the switch to stainless helped quickly.  Also you can rub it with aloe from time to time -- I use fresh gel from leaves but any aloe without preservative should be safe to use.

<<I have tried to feed them the raw food before but I am vegetarian and it literally makes me sick to smell meat cooking in my home.>>

I'm vegan and understand completely but I'm confused.  You said you tired raw but then *cooked* it?  We used to cook for ours (notice I say "we" because *I* couldn't stand to be the one doing the cooking!) and switched to the PetGuard canned.  But yesterday I started a switch to raw, as opposed to cooked, and noticed that the raw ground turkey I got has virtually no odor and bothers me **much** less than even the canned food!  Now, I don't know about actually doing the grinding myself, but buying it pre-ground might be your answer if you want to try raw again.

In a message dated 6/6/99 2:41:59 PM Pacific Daylight Time, Spiritkat@ writes:
<< with the pet  guard yeast and garlic sprinkled on top  >>

I would get rid of the yeast to start.  I have several examples of my cats'  and friends' cats who have had chin acne from foods with yeast in them, and  that cleared up when the offending food was taken away.  Sensible choice is a  good food, I used to feed it to all my cats, but one started having a problem  because of the yeast, so I stopped.

The other thing that could cause the chin acne is putting their food in plastic bowls - always use metal or ceramic dishes.  Not all cats are sensitive to plastic bowls - but not all are sensitive to yeast - one or the other should help your cats.

Lee

There is a section on feline acne with hints to deal with it in Anitra Frazier's "The New Natural Cat." It is excellent. I would like to say that I
noticed acne on my Maxwell (who recently passed on) and didn't really pay attention to it as an indication of other problems.

I think there is a link between the acne, organ dysfunction and diet. If you can't get the book let me know and I will type in the suggestions.

Also please pay attention to the kitties health - that acne is a symptom of something deeper.

Leslie, Calley, Ziggy, Rags and Max Angel.

We use unfiltered apple cider vinegar on Fiona when she gets chin acne, diluted by using a wet cotton ball (excess water squeezed out).  The poor girl has occasional bouts w/ it, so I guess her detox is taking awhile.  All in all, tho', it's cleared up considerably!  I'd use fresh aloe if I could remember more often, but the vinegar is closer and more convenient and does an even better job.  Of course, she's not too fond of the smell.  :D  I always reward the little lass with a shrimp treat for being so good.

Judi & the "tangy" MacFolds