Conference misery::feline_v1

    I'd say it's feline acne, not fleas.  Some folks call it rodent
    ulcers, but whatever you call it, I think you may want to take Georgie
    to the vets.  Honey had a pretty bad case of it, caused by his new
    plastic food dish (never again!  It's glass and stoneware from now
    on!).  He put him on medication and I had to keep his chin clean
    (and my hands scratched).  It cleared up, but took weeks.  The rust
    colour you mention could be dried blood.
                       
    Check with your vet...
    
    Mary
    

    I would agree with Mary, especially if the area affected is the
    chin.  You can comb the area with a very fine flea comb to get the
    dried junk off, then wash with a warm washcloth and ivory soap.
    Then use a cotton ball and apply hydrogen peroxide, like you would
    if you were using toner on your face.  This has always worked well
    for me.  Usually switching to glass or ceramic bowls will help or
    eliminate the problem.  
    
    The best way to check for flea dirt is to take a wet cotton ball
    and rub it on the area.  If the cotton ball gets redish and bloody,
    then it's flea dirt, Feline Acne is just black.  Usually fleas
    concentrate near the base of the tail first, so this is usually
    a good place to check.
    
    purrs
    cin
    	
    

    Karen,
    
            I'd say it's flea dirt that your kitty has. A good flea
    and tick shampoo/dip should shake it all loose and wash it away.
    (that is to say if your kitty likes baths!) Also, flea bomb your
    home to get rid of the critters that are waiting in the rug.
    
            Fleas do not generally lay eggs on the animal. They will
    jump off to a carpet and lay their eggs. The eggs will not mature
    to adult fleas until the conditions are right. Therefore, the eggs
    can lie dormant in a carpet for 3 months or more!
    
    F.Y.I. Tina
             

    Karen, I agree - Not Fleas.  Sounds like feline acne - Sasha had
    quite a case of it a couple of months ago - so many spots, and
    her chin looked like there was a large marble in it - she needed
    surgery!  Took quite a few weeks to clear.  I had to use Strydex
    pads and peroxide to keep it clean and dirt free.  The hard
    pieces are probably scabbies - a trip to the vet should also
    help - good luck.
    
    Elaine

    I also think it is feline acne. Argus had a real bad case. While
    a ceramic bowl helped, it didn't get rid of the whole problem. I
    wound up switching Argus to a flat stoneware dish, and that seemed
    to cure the problem. Of course during this time, I was also washing
    his chin after every meal with warm soapy water. I suspect that
    Argus's problem might have been a bit more difficult then most to deal
    with because he tends to sit down while eating, and rests his chin
    on the edge of the bowl.
    
    Deb 

You are describing the same symptoms I see when we have fleas - our animals
have flea dermatitis reactions to ANY flea bite.  It is an allergy.  The
only treatment from the vet's point of view is to give a cortisone shot
which stops the reaction....but this is not a good solution if you have to
give the shot very often as the long-term results are very hazardous to
the pet's health.  The solution from your point of view is to keep the cat
in an area in which you can control the flea population.  According to
my vet, if you have an animal with flea dermatitis, KEEP THE ANIMAL FREE
OF FLEAS AT ALL TIMES...if it is a dog, use flea shampoo once a week and
spray the dog's yard as often as needed to keep it free of infestation.
If you have a cat with this problem, keep it in the house and keep the
house free of infestation.

As you have a cat with a sore, I would go to the vet and take whatever
precautions he/she recommends to avoid infection and discuss the situation
at that time.

    I noticed the same problem with Amelia last January.  Turned out
    to be feline acne.  Both my kitties are getting meals and water
    out of stoneware and glass dishes now instead of the plastic I
    was using.
    
    I have an antibiotic ointment called Panalog that I use in one of 
    Amelia's ears (for damage caused by a severe case of earmites she had 
    when I first adopted her as a kitten) and a friend with lots of cat 
    experience recommended I rub some on Amelia's chin.  It help clear 
    the acne up pretty quickly.
                    
    Jan

    Since it's not clear what the problem is, I vote for taking the
    puss to the vet.  It could be that if you guess wrong about the
    situation that whatever remedy you apply might either aggravate
    it or cause pain.  I can easily imagine something stinging
    unnecessarily on that raw skin.
                        

    Thanks for all your kind help.  I had another look at his chin last
    night and it was maybe slightly better as some of the redness had
    gone.  But the remaining black bits were still there.
    
    We rang the vet as we didn't have the time to get there last night
    and he suggested we call and buy a can of flea powder, which apparently
    is much more powerful than that you can buy in the pet shops.  We'll
    probably do that and check out the chin at the same time.
    
    I take it that plastic bowls aggravate?  Georgie, too, sits down
    to eat...maybe there could be something in that.
    
    Karen
    
    

    I agree with the response on .9, I would still take him to the vet.
    Just in case it might be something else, Not being vets, we somethimes
    can misjudge the condition the problem with the cat, cause two illness
    might have the same reactions.  They will know for sure.
    
    regards
    

    Just to let you know we took him to the vet's and she said it was
    flea dirt.  She cleaned down his chin and then went on to spray
    him with flea exerminator!!!  Poor Georgie, he was dumbfounded!
    He seemed to freeze as she sprayed first down his tummy and then
    his back.  Was he glad to go back into his carrying basket!!!!
    
    Anyway, he should be okay now.
    
    Karen

    Poor baby!  I'm glad it wasn't kitty zits, but it doesn't sound
    like Georgie wasn't as pleased!
    
    I've been fortunate thus far not to have seen any fleas, especially
    with the little girl I've taken in....it's an expensive process
    to get rid of the buggers.
    
    Mary

    Remember, you will have to treat the fleas periodically.  The one
    douce with spray at the vets WILL NOT do the trick.  Did your vet
    give you a flea regiment to follow until the problem is gone??
    
    purrs
    cin
    

    Re: .13
    
    Yes, the vet said we should spray him about every two weeks.
    
    But, over the last two days his chin has become very sore again
    and he's scratching it like mad, often making it bleed.  I don't
    feel happy spraying the broken skin though.
    
    Regards,
    
    Karen

    It sure doesn't sound like fleas - it sounds more & more like
    feline acne - maybe another vet opinion???  Spraying the
    broken bleeding skin could cause pain & more irritation. 
    
    

    Your right, Elaine, it sounds more and more like feline acne.  
    
    Anyway, even if it isn't, I would never spray the flea spray on
    the chin or that close to the mouth and nose.  I agree, I would
    see another vet, but in the mean time, it doesn't hurt to keep the
    area clean with soap and water.  Use a soapy wash cloth, it will
    make kitty feel real good.  (Ivory Soap, 99 44/100% pure can't hurt!)
    
    
    cin
    

    Sounds right to me.  I would also put a very small amount
    fo antibiotic or cortisone ointment on to keep infection
    down.  I think that if it were fleas, they would be all
    over the head & neck area and there would be visable
    flea dirt that would come off when you comb the baby.
    
    When Sasha had feline acne, she scratched so hard, she
    really made her chin a mess.  The vet had to put her under
    and mess with what ever sores were there, then I had her
    on Clavamox (sp??) for 10 days. It took quite a while for
    the swelling in the area (it looked like she had a large
    marble at the point of her chin) to go down.  The poor
    thing was so unhappy - she is never sick, & this really
    got her down.  The other thing the vet suggested was
    strydex astringent pads - to help remove the dirt from
    the area and keep the pores clean.  Just like when we
    were kids, remember??  It works!
    
    Good Luck 
    
    E.T.

    I was going to suggest either the stridex, or OXY-10.  But if the
    area is already really raw and irritated, it may be best to use
    something like peroxide so that the sting will be less.
    
    I cannot imagine a concentration of fleas on a cats chin!!!
    
    Have you tried giving her a bath??  You would definitely be able
    to see the fleas then!!!
    
    cin
    

    Thanks Cin - that IS the step before the ointment - the stidex and
    or OXY is more preventative.  It's been quite a while since I went
    through this with Sasha.  Boy, she reall was an unhappy camper with
    that acne.  It looked just like she had a marble hanging off the
    the end of (under) her chin.  Really weird.  I have been using
    stainless steel food/water pans for at least 5 or 6 years. hmmm?

    The skin was still no better so we took Georgie back to the vet
    yesterday.  It appears the problem was caused by harvest mites
    which he has tried to get rid of by scratching himself, and conseqently
    made worse.
    
    This time of year is when these harvest mites are at their peak,
    so BEWARE.
    
    He now has a scrub and some ointment, which has to be used daily
    for a week.  Poor Georgie!!
    
    Karen