Feline Chin Acne

A while back, I took Bits to the vet on account of some scabbiness on his tiny chin. The doc took one look and diagnosed him with acne. Apparently, feline chin acne is fairly common in FIV+ kitties because of their crap immune system.

The doc gave me some antibiotic to wash his chin with every day and also some stuff to squirt in his mouth. This was to last until the acne cleared up - possibly up to 10 days. Bits was not a fan. The administration of the medicine actually resulted in me earning some serious scratches on my forearm which led to some awesome purpley scarring. I have to explain to someone at least once a week that it's a cat related injury and that I'm not a cutter. (My mom continues to tell me that Neosporin will help. How is this possible if the scars are already healed?)

The doc advised that in addition to washing his chin and squirting the medicine in to his (pried open) mouth, that I would need to make some changes to his feeding apparatus. Specifically the food dishes.

Due to their porosity, plastic and ceramic food bowls hold bacteria very well (even when washed often). When a kitty's chin rubs against this bacteria on a regular basis, it causes an irritation and a clogging of the pours. Hence the appearance of acne on the chin and/or lips. To prevent the acne from returning we were instructed to replace our ceramic dishes with glass or metal ones. These are to be washed every day.

When it was just Bits and The Bot, we were using some rather hefty glass cereal bowls that we already owned, as their feeding dishes. When Bilton came along, there just weren't enough appropriate bowls/enough room for six large bowls. (We like them each to have their own seperate dining experience. I think they appreciate it.)

That's when I hopped online and bought three perfectly sized "Double Diners".



Now our cats have room enough for all 3 to enjoy their 2 daily meals at the same time. It's magical and when all three are crunching at once - adorable.

Hoorah!