Skin discolouration

Question
I have a long haired ginger and white male moggy.  Recently he's been moulting and had quite a few stubborn lumps around his chin and neck, which I have managed to comb out (involving much personal risk!) leaving a few bald patches.  The skin in these areas seems to be speckled with many black pinprick spots which can't be removed.  They are not raised and don't seem to be itchy or bothering him at all.  I thought at first they may be caused by his brown leather collar, but they only appear in some areas and not on the back of the neck.  Any idea what this could be and might it be contagious?  His sister is also long haired but tortoiseshell, I've checked and she doesn't seem to have the same problem.  She loves being combed but he hates it, which is why he gets matted quite easily.

Answer
Helen,

It's possible that your cat may have a condition called chin acne which can be remedied by only offering food and water in glass or stainless steel bowls. I do recommend that you have the cat assessed by a vet to ensure that there isn't something more serious going on with your cat's skin.