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Kitty acne and sunburn:
- Cats can get acne! The most common cause is the cat's
failure to clean its chin properly.
- Affected cats have blackheads on their chin and lower lip.
- If there is swelling, pain, and itching, the blackheads could be
infected and antibiotics needed. Consult your vet.
- There is no particular treatment for the acne itself, other than
cleaning the area with a mild benzoyl peroxide preparation
(again, consult your vet).
- The cat's forelegs should be checked. A leg injury might prevent the
cat from properly cleaning its chin in the first place.
- Cats without protective pigmentation can get sunburned. The affected
areas are usually the ear tips and the nose.
- White cats are especially susceptible. Even cats with just white ear
tips or a white nose can get sunburned.
- Initially, there is a mild reddening of the ears and/or nose area.
The eyelids and lips can also be affected.
- But the condition can worsen -- leading to balding, scaling, and the
development of pus. The ears can even curl.
- Such lesions are at their worst in summer, and can disappear in
winter. But if they return, they will become progressively worse.
- These lesions can turn into skin cancer.
- Prevention, or treatment before cancer develops, consists of limiting
exposure to the sun, and the application of protective
agents (see your vet).
Source: The Reader's Digest Illustrated Book of
Cats, The Reader's Digest Association (Canada) Ltd., Montreal, 1992, p.
172.
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