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.