Pregnant Cat Infected with FIV

I tell all of my friends to keep their cats indoors but for some reason, my one friend did not heed my advice and let her pregnant cat out into the garden one day, three minutes later that pregnant cat was infected with FIV because of a minor ruckus with a neighbors cat.

Maine Coon Cat

She did not take her cat to the veterinarian because her cat was up to date with all vaccines including Feline Leukemia so she had no worries, the injury that occurred due to the cat confrontation was minor.  About ten days after the cat fights the pregnant Maine Coon cat came down with cold-like symptoms with swollen lymph nodes but this passed and she went on to deliver five adorable kittens.

After giving birth her beloved cat got sick and was not responding to the medication given. The cat kept getting sicker and the attending veterinarian asked if her cat went outdoors. She told him of the incident in the garden, and her cat tested positive for feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV)

All of the kittens tested positive also and could not be sold nor could she find anyone to take them. Her veterinarian told her that they could live a long life without complications but the life must be one of no stress and they could never go outdoors.

Know that until there is a vaccine that will prevent cats from getting infected with FIV then it is wise to keep all cats indoors.   An indoor cat is a healthier cat.

A cat with FIV is a cat that has a suppressed immune system and if infected with the virus at birth the life expectancy is 5 to 7 years.

FIV takes Another Cats Life

For three days I had to make the decision to end my cat's life.  A cat that when checked in August by the veterinarian showed no sign of illness. However, this cat got a cold and never recovered. Did not respond to medication and further examination indicated mass and the diagnosis was cancer.

Over the years my husband has taken in 6 FIV, feline immunodeficiency cats. All of them showed no signs of the illness as this virus is known to lie dormant for a long time.

We were told that some cats are carriers of the virus and may never become ill, while other cats may get sick starting at age five.  That it all depended on the lifestyle of the cat.  A cat with no stress may never get sick.

Photo of Sam diagnosed with FIV in 2008 he is a survivor

Out of the six FIV cats that we have cared for, three of them needed euthanasia due to a cancer diagnosis. They were aged 6, 13, and 14.  These three cats have abandoned adult cats that I had rescued and all had a happy and stress-free life with us for several years before becoming ill.  

Then three days ago FIV took the life of another cat and even though we knew that the cats would not live a full life we are still sad because all of the cats were taken so quickly and our hearts are broken. 

Somethings Wrong With Sam My FIV Cat

We rescued Sam in 2008 and he was diagnosed with Feline Leukemia and AIDS by one veterinarian. In fact, they wanted to euthanize this cat on the spot but I said no.  It was a good thing that I said no because sixty days later Sam was tested again by another veterinarian and he said he had FIV feline immunodeficiency virus and confirmed that Sam did not have FeLV feline Leukemia virus.

2008 Sam playing with a ball

Sam has had a pretty normal life. Besides sleeping more he is otherwise as normal as he can be. His veterinarian checkups have been unremarkable.  We had changed his diet to blue buffalo canned cat food, and we have not had to do much except love him.

Well that was 2008 and this is now and I am concerned that maybe the FIV that was dormant for so long has now progressed and is more serious.

 He has signs of poor coat, loss of appetite, losing weight, and hiding which cats will do when they are sick.

These signs could be due to stress as the house changed and this may have been enough to cause him to get sick. The only way to know for sure is to take Sam to the veterinarian and so I made his appointment for next week.

FIV Cats Develop Cancer

In 2008 I rescued a stray black and white kitten that was constantly getting into fights.  This little cat had a big heart but was no match to the feral tomcats, so I befriended him by feeding him twice a day and soon he became dependent upon me. Then I coaxed him into my mud room by leaving the door open. Once the cat came into my house he made no attempt to run out the door. He came indoors on his terms and I welcomed him to my home.

Manx cat outdoors

The kitten was approximately five months old. I took him to the veterinarian and he was tested for Feline Leukemia and Feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV), the test came back negative. I had him neutered and he got all of his vaccines and rabies shots.

Black and white kitten rescued

All was well with this little black cat. He adjusted well with the other cats in my care and was sweet and loving. He was buddies with my Manx cat as they used to play and sleep together. Then one day my Manx cat got out of the house and he was gone for 28 hours, when he came back indoors we noticed fur was missing and suspected that he got into a fight.  I examined him there were no bite wounds.

My Manx cat was a gentle giant and never showed aggression so I was surprised when his behavior changed and he turned into a troublemaker.   His behavior changed for no apparent reason and he wanted to fight with my black cat. After two ruckuses where the fur was flying and Manx cat had bitten my black cat and caused an open wound, I took both cats to the veterinarian for a wellness exam because something was wrong.

The cat's teeth were the first system that my veterinarian noticed; they both had inflammation of the gums and dental disease, other than that my Manx cat had changes in his behavior. Even though our cats had the ELISA blood test which identifies the FIV proteins in cats' blood previously my veterinarian suspected that the cat had symptoms of this incurable disease. 

To my surprise, both cats were diagnosed with FIV.

We found out that our cats tested positive for FIV in December of 2013 and from that date forward their health seemed to fail due to a weakened immune system.   Both cats developed cancer and it spread very quickly.  My cats were put down in September 2014 they were both six years old.

 I suspect that my Manx cat was infected with FIV during the time he had gotten out of the house for a day and a half.  He must have had a puncture wound that I did not see when I examined him. 

This is why a recommend that everyone keep their cats indoors because there is no vaccine to prevent the feline immunodeficiency virus.  Know that FIV  is transferable by bite would. Even a mating love bite is enough to infect a queen cat and her kittens. 

I think it is better to keep cats indoors and be safe rather than sorry. 

Note: my Siamese cat named Sam has had no contact with these cats as he resides in another area of our home and only has contact with humans and with dogs.  Sam has no stress and is as healthy as an FIV cat can be. 

 

Sam my FIV cat hanging out with me in my office

Had I known that my Manx and Black cat were infected with FIV I would have taken steps to provide them with special care. I have learned that no cat is safe from catching FIV especially if they are permitted to go outdoors. 

Learn more about FIV at Web MD Pet Health

Photo credit by Pixabay public domain

My Fat FIV Cat TOLERATES Diet

My fat cat needed to trim down before he develops heart disease or diabetes so his veterinarian put him on a diet and taught me how to portion out his meals.  I needed to learn how to feed my FIV cat twice a day and not give in on his begging for a mid-day snack.

Toys are good food distraction

Let me tell you when FIV cats on a diet are not happy, they are just like little kids; pout when they do not get their way or will develop behavior problems.  When it came to my cat Sam well he needed to learn to eat twice a day without snacking because he has a food addiction that stems from being abandoned and living in the woods for a year.

The first day was the hardest, Sam wanted his mid-day snack but did learn that he needed to tolerate the diet because I was not going to give in to his little kitty face with the serious pout. 

I found that when I distracted him with cat toys he soon gave his search for food.  By the end of the day when he had his second meal, Sam was fine, but by the end of the first week Sam had learned to tolerate the diet and exercise plan.

Sam playing with a tennis ball

To prevent my cat from getting sick I gradually added the blue buffalo weight management chicken and rice to his pet bowl by mixing it in with the old cat food.  Doing this lessened the chance of my cat developing stomach upset and also he was able to get used to the taste and texture of the new cat food. 

I also put a stop to my cat's emotional eating by taking away the food bowl after he walked away.  This put a stop to his grazing all day long bad food habit.

Related post about my fat cat

Can’t Feel My Cats Ribs Must Be Overweight

Can’t feel my Cats Ribs: Must be Overweight

I picked up my two FIV cats the other day and found that I could not feel their ribs, this of course is a sign that they are overweight.   I know that this excess weight is a red flag for heart and diabetes and that I needed to change my cats eating habits.  

Before I began my cat’s diet I did check with my veterinarian.  He did a blood screen to check blood sugar and thyroid.  I was so thankful that feline disease was not found and that my veterinarian suspected that my cats were overweight due to an eating disorder.

“Most cats that have been strays for a long period of time are big eaters once they are rescued."  

I rescued both cats several years ago and they tested positive for FIV.  I suspect they both have a food disorder because the stray / rescue cats eat like they are not going to get another meal.  

I am presently following the diet plan provided by my veterinarian and my cats are eating a high-protein diet that has low fat and carbohydrates.  Instead of leaving the food bowl out so they can graze, I am removing it after a half hour and they are eating 2 meals a day.

Know that most cat foods have fillers; soy, grains, and corn.  I have never seen a wild feral cat eating these foods so I am feeding the cats blue buffalo weight control chicken and brown rice recipe because it is real food without fillers.  

I am sure if I stick with the diet plan and continue playing with the cats throughout the day that they will start to shed those extra pounds.

Two Out of Five Rescued Kittens Have FIV

In May when my husband and I rescued the newborn kittens from the trash bag lying on the highway medium I thought that the kittens could have been from two litters because some were significantly larger and two seemed to be newborns that needed to be bottled fed and also help to go to the bathroom.  

Small  kitten with FIV

Over the next several weeks I noticed that all five cats seemed to grow except the two smaller kittens, they were not growing and they seemed to sleep more than the other kittens.

I feared for the worst thinking they had Feline Leukemia (FELV) or Feline Immunodeficiency Virus (FIV).  Any kitten with a feline disease is difficult to adopt because most people want healthy kittens only.  So I was worried about what the test would show.  Three of the kittens were negative and two of the kittens the smaller ones tested positive for FIV.

To my surprise, the veterinarian asked us if we wanted to put them down, and both my husband and I responded no.  The veterinarian told us of the restrictions of owning an FIV cat. Basically, they are contagious and cannot associate with other normal cats in the household and they can never go outdoors.  

The FIV cats must reside in a positive energy home that is at a comfortable temperature and must eat no soy, corn, or wheat gluten cat food.  Quality cat food like Wellness or Blue Buffalo spa selects.   Basically, a nurturing lifestyle that is harmonious at all times.

Finding an adopter that will agree to these terms may be a little hard but since I have four FIV cats living in my home now I know that life with these cats is normal. The only thing that I note as different would be that they sleep more.

Note 

All five kittens lived together and the two FIV kittens did not make the other kittens sick. This is because there was no bite wound.  They all ate out of the same food bowl and again the virus was not past to the other, plus they also slept and groomed each other.  

I am certain that if the cats do not fight and bite then an FIV cat can live with other normal cats as long as they get along and love each other. 

Small Size Kitten May Indicate Cat Disease

All of the rescued kittens are putting on weight and are healthy except the calico kitten.  From the time that we rescued she has shown signs of poor health.  The eyes are draining, it is sneezing and I had to bottle feed it longer than the other cats.   

Calico kitten on the day we rescued her

At first, we thought all of the kittens were suffering from trauma, but when 4 of the kittens started to put on weight and showed signs of improved health we thought that the little calico may have a cat disease.

From the get-go, we saw that the cats push the calico kitten away from the food or the replacement milk bowl so I picked her up and fed her separately. The other thing that we noticed is that this little kitten sleeps a lot.

When I spoke to my veterinarian's office they thought that I may have found two litters of kittens and that maybe the little calico had feline herpes virus caused by the stress from being taken away from the mother cat before they were weaned or Feline Leukemia.   

Know that the kittens were dirty when I got them and too small to be away from their mom. They all suffered from trauma.

FIV Cat is Indifferent to New Rescue Cat

When it was extremely cold last week my husband picked up a Russian blue mix house cat that was freezing. He brought the cat indoors and put in a cage in our heated mud room. 

 
Even though our veterinarian told us that if we love our cat Sam, who has FIV, that we cannot bring new cats into the home because it would be too much stress for him. However we could not watch this cat that was clearly a abandoned housecat get severe frost bite. This cat was sitting in a snowstorm when the temperature was 9 degrees. 

So against our veterinarian’s orders we rescued the lost cat and are keeping him in a room that is separated from the main house with a door. The room has heat and the rescued cat can see Sam through the glass but other than that has no contact or interaction with our FIV cat.






Sam could careless about NEW cat

I know that Sam can pick up the new cats scent on my clothes but he is indifferent. Sam could care less; about the cat scent, Sam’s behavior and his daily routine has not changed. Although Sam used to enjoy going to the mudroom to sun himself he now enjoy the sun porch on the woods side.

Note:
The rescue cat was taken to the veterinarian and he got a clean bill of health.






Rescue cat likes the self heated cat bed


We are actively seeking the pet owner and have no intention of adopting this cat. Both my husband and I agreed that if Sam’s behavior should happen to change that we will relocate the cat to our garage shelter even though the window heater is not as warm as the heater in the mudroom.

Get Rid of Cat Dandruff with Natural Supplement

Many cats develop a flaky dry skin condition that causes dandruff and this flaky white skin condition can be remedied quickly and easily with a natural supplement.

My FIV cat named Sam is 8 years old, developed cat dandruff.  I took them in for a wellness checkup and my veterinarian suggested that I supplement his diet with fish protein. He recommended that I buy fish oil capsules and then break open the capsule and add the liquid to his food.

Sam my FIV cat eating his food

It was easy to poke a hole in the soft capsule and then squeeze the oil onto the top of my cat’s canned food, but I did have to mix it well, as my cat turned away from the strong fish smell.  Once the fish oil was mixed my cat ate the food happily.

Tips:

This inexpensive supplement helped my cat to grow a thick, shinny and flake free coat. 

Along with the fish oil supplement I also brushed my cat daily.   

I bought nature made fish oil for humans because it was purified to remove mercury.  I found this product to be best for my FIV cat.