? Cat has chin injury? (pics)

My mom's civie Socks has something going on with his chin. I thought I saw something earlier but wasn't sure, then thought his mouth looked a little swollen so I took a closer look. He's not flinching or bothered by me touching him and he's eating fine. Possibly allergic reaction? Vet's closed for the weekend so I can't get it checked anytime soon.

 

It looks like an abscess that has drained to me.

 

Wouldn't that have taken a few days to happen since the injury? I'd rather it be a drained abscess for sure but I guess I expected to have noticed before today.

 

Could it have been a bite of some kind that became infected.?

 

People dont notice abscesses for some reason. I'm not saying thats what it is but it sure looks like it.

also hoping thats all it is.

 

I hope you're right! I always forget about abscesses to be honest even though 9 times out of 10 when the cats get a mystery wound it ends up being an abscess LOL.

A couple years ago his foot swelled up so big I thought he got stung by a bee. It drained then you could see the puncture marks.

I don't know who he could've been fighting with though, we don't have strays or wild animals around.

 

Its probably best to get it checked out. I would but then I'm a master worry wart.

 

Well I have all weekend to see if it improves I guess! Thanks Jeanne, I feel a lot better about it now at least.

 

I just hope thats all it is.

 

Yeah, abcess is probably the most likely. If you can't get him to the vet immediately, I guess you can try to clean it as much as he'll let you.

Another possibility might be chin acne, but it looks more severe and localized than that.

 

I considered chin acne but like you said it's looks too severe for that, and we only use ceramic bowls.

What would be a good way to clean it? He'll probably be too fiesty but I can try!

 

Good question! I think I'd be very very very cautious-- just try to dab a warm wet cloth or paper towel a couple times to see how he reacts, then go from there. If you have an antiseptic solution that you know would be safe (???), you could try that, too, but safety first. With a wound around the mouth, you can't avoid being in biting range, and you really don't want to have a trip to the ER for yourself on July 4th weekend during a pandemic!

 

Hmmm I have some expired iodine on-hand, not sure if that's one of the drugs you don't want to use past the expiry date though. I'd be more worried about him wiggling and accidentally sticking it in his mouth than him biting me!

I'll pick up some new stuff though and maybe he'll let me dab it on him. Thanks Nan!

 

Well, I was also thinking about safety in terms of what you can put on a cat. If it's an abcess, it's not something he can easily access to clean, but some of it is going to get in his mouth eventually no matter what you do. I have no idea about whether iodine is OK for that, I would definitely verify before using it.

 

Yeah that's a good point. May have to just stick with water to be safe.

 

I wouldnt use expired iodine. Hydrogen Peroxide first then a antiseptic ointment. BUT maybe call the vet to make sure first

 

Peroxide can damage the skin. What about Neosporin?

 

Ive used peroxide. on a Qtip havent seen any damage on Zoe but thats why I stated to call the vet first. Just to be safe.

 

I say chin acne which could be caused by contact allergy. My Wiggles had it and it looks like your photos. It was caused by plastic bags he licked. I would now wash with a warm soapy solution.

 

Wow interesting Larry good to know! ty

 

How is kitty doing today any better is the possible abscess looking better ?

 

He is looking better this evening. His chin doesn't seem as puffy either.

I was thinking about Neosporin as well, I've heard peroxide isn't good for kitties either but not sure of the source.

 

Cant remember who but someone here told me to use peroxide for Zoes chin acne. I'v seen Vets use it, so thats what I've been doing and its working. Acne is almost all gone.
Sorry I didnt mean to put out bad info.
j

 

Another possibility- years ago my cat had a big bump on her lip. It was a infected cyst of some sort. The vet sent some of the "pus" to a lab and it was MRSA. He called me and said she definitely had to be on antibiotics for it and it was a good thing we had sent it out to find out what kind of bacteria is was, because if we had let it go without intervention it could have been serious. I also had to put a antibiotic cream on it. I asked him how in the world she got such a thing, and he it's just one of those things where the bacteria on your skin just goes haywire, no reason.

I have been neurotic about lump sand bumps every since. So it may be best to get it checked, just in case.

 

whoa thank for the warning!

 

I'm no expert, but could chin acne be a possibility? My Bandit has it but it looks more like dirt/blackheads in her case. But when I researched it, I saw some pics where they looked quite red and infected. See the pic in the below link, for example.

https://www.peta.org/living/animal-companions/preventing-treating-cat-acne/

 

OH WOW! (your search engine is better than mine. lol) Yeahhh I dont think I would put peroxide on that. Just an antibiotic cream OR? off to the Vet! Thanks for your post.

 

Pictures don't show for me.

 

Do you mean the pictures in the link I shared? If yes, here it is:

 

Yes, those pics. That's awfull. Hope it clears up.

 

Have to admit this looks more like the pic Panic posted. Although her wasnt AS large.

 

Yeah, I have never seen chin acne that bad... yikes!!!! I would freak out if I saw that on my cat!!!

 

@Bandit's Mom , I'm afraid I couldn't even bring myself to "like" that picture!!!

 

Yeah. Which is why I am scrubbing Bandit's chin frequently so that I never have to see that. Get that acne out at blackhead stage itself!

 

Another possibility could be a rodent ulcer. My civvie nyx gets them from time to time. They can develop literally overnight. Usually when she gets them they clear within a week. I just keep my eye on it to make sure it doesn’t worsen. In some cats they can be very severe. In Nyx’s case I have been lucky not to have to take her to the vet for one

I hope socks chin clears up soon

 

Update: our discount traveling vet was in town so I popped him over for a check-up. The vet said it was definitely feline acne (!!). Socks spends almost all of his time outside so it's hard to say what he got into but I'll be taking a look around to see if there's some irritant anywhere.

The vet gave him an antibiotic shot...after I got the receipt it read Convenia. Fingers crossed he'll be fine.

 

Yeah I just automatically assume when its a shot of antibiotics, thats what they mean. Glad you got the diagnoses. I got freaked out about everyone saying not to use peroxide so, I went with a friends recommendation Witch hazel.
poor Zoe has turned into an experiment.

Fingers and paws crossed lil has no ill effects from the shot

 

Yeah I feel like a dum-dum because it didn't even cross my mind. Lesson learned. But I thought he told the girl who was filling out my receipt "cortisone". I definitely didn't hear him say Convenia.

I've heard other people say peroxide is fine so it's very confusing! Hope the witch hazel helps!

 

Growing up, we always put peroxide on all our cuts. We were told that the "fizzing" was just the bacteria getting zapped. But it turns out it's also your own cells getting zapped, and putting it on an open wound can worsen eventual scarring. Whoops!

Glad you got the ickiness sorted out, though! Feline acne is better than an abcess-- those don't always heal quickly or well.

 

Haha! We were always told if it fizzles it means it was infected. Does that mean we're not technically supposed to put it on cuts?

That's true - and admittedly the chin is a weird place for an abscess I suppose. Time to do some acne research!

 

Exactly... even as a kid, I wondered, how could it already be infected when I just cut myself???

 

Glad to know what it is . Curious though would witch hazel burn when applied or is that if the acne is open ?

 

I read the bottle and it says good for insect bites. We have mosquitoes this time of year, and the stuff WORKS. Zoe didnt even notice it when i put it on her chin.
I think its safe.

 

Here's a link I found while going through one of the stickies on FDMB.
https://icatcare.org/advice/feline-acne-and-stud-tail/

 

Arrrrg This description doesnt match what Zoe has. No greasy fur or oily anything. Her fur is completely dry. How confusing

 

ECID, maybe? Or perhaps it is less obvious/prevalent on other parts of the body? No clue!

"This is particularly noticeable on the chin of white or pale coloured cats and appears as a yellow, greasy discolouration. There may also be flecks of black, greasy material on the chin which may be mistaken for flea dirt."

I found this to be true for Bandit. She is more yellowish white than white. And it doesn't help that she never grooms herself. In her 12 years, I have never seen her groom herself except for the occasional lick here and there. What colour is Zoe?

 

Zoe is a dilute tortie . Her chin is white. she has one black spot that went to a gray'ish color once I started the peroxide and a line of the same right down the middle of her chin. We just started the witch hazel so it pretty much looks the same. But absolutely no yellowing or grease. I'm going to keep trying the "hazel" in hopes its just a mild case. thanks!

 

Socks' white chin doesn't really look greasy either. It's definitely changing colors though - yesterday it looked like a really dark patch and just now it looked yellow-y. He was bleeding all over the vet yesterday and I've gently wiped his chin a couple times since and it comes back pussy and bloody.

Jeanne, have you tried Stridex pads? I saw some members here in some old posts use them so I picked some up today.

I picked up the kind with salicylic acid and I'm just now reading that's the wrong kind.

 

No I havent (for that very reason) I know, if theres a wrong thing to buy...I will buy it.

I'm gonna give the witch hazel, the same chance I afforded the peroxide. If that doesnt work I'm def try the Stridex.

 

This whole discussion...

I am counting my lucky stars that all the cats I've had with this issue had what were apparently extremely mild cases! Yikes. Hope it all clears up soon for all of you!

 

Yep that's me too ... no good deed goes unpunished.
But I'm looking at both versions now and they both have salicylic acid so maybe there was a change in formula? Ugh maybe I should just switch to witch hazel too LOL.

Thanks Nan! I hope it clears up for Socks' sake - he does not appreciate the chin wipes!

 

@Larry and Kitties Saw another post where you talked about Stridex/salicylic acid being fine in small percentages. Sensitive pads contains 0.5%, is that acceptable?

 

I'll let you know how it goes with the W/H