Hanging Out With My Cat Sam

Only a cat owner will know what I mean by "hanging out with a cat". Unlike dogs, cats are intuitive and sense when they need to be calm or caring of their owners. Today I am sick and staying in bed and my cat Sam has been hanging out with me.  Normally he is very busy but instead of playing with the dog or watching the birds he is lying next to me.

Cats can be playful and make their owners laugh and then when you do not feel good they sense your emotions the cat is really affectionate and are good company. For instance, when I do not feel good my cat knows it and he will bring all of his toys to me and set them close to me. He will not insist that I throw the cat ball far, instead, he will be happy playing with me while I lie in bed or on the sofa.

Hanging out with my cat Sam is fun because he lies next to me as if he is keeping me warm and when I nap he naps.   When I awake I usually find Sam under the fleece blanket or on top of my head purring.

Today I do not feel good so I have been lying on the sofa in the living room because my husband has a nice warm fire going in the fireplace and the heat sure feels good, Sam is hanging out with me on the sofa and so is the dog. When I do not feel good my cat is good company.

Note: Sam has feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) and so he does sleep more, which means when you are sick and have to stay in bed, an FIV cat is good company.

Quality Time Spent with FIV Cat

They say that your FIV cat has 5 to 7 years to live a quality life before the feline virus that suppresses its immune system makes the cat sick and I say make those years the best years of your cat's life by spending quality time with them.

My cat Sam the Siamese playing with a ball on the bed

My cat Sam is celebrating his 7^th year since becoming diagnosed with feline immunodeficiency virus and oh boy has he had a good life. In his cat life, he went from living down the street with his sister to a nice family and had a happy kittenhood until the family moved away and abandoned him. They took the female Siamese cat but left Sam to fend for himself in the neighborhood.

Sam did not do so well being outdoors because he was not neutered and the neighborhood and feral tomcats beat him up regularly. When I caught him Sam was not a pretty cat, his hair was missing, bite wounds and he was skin and bones. But I took care of him and nursed him back to health and even though he had been diagnosed with FIV (feline immunodeficiency virus) he went on to live a wonderful cat life where his people and dog loved him.

Sam has a cat room with toys and a self-warming K&H cat bed. cat tree and a window seat where he can watch the birds eat from an outdoor feeder. Sam gets plenty of belly rubs plus kisses and he is told every day that he is loved. In fact, I sing a silly little song and Sam sings the chorus.  My husband thinks it is hysterical but I do not care it is my special song that I sing with my cat Sam.

My rescue cat may have had an iffy time when he was abandoned but the last seven years have been perfect and we are hoping and praying that he has seven more years.

FIV Cats Sleep More Than Normal Cats

When you own an FIV (feline immunodeficiency virus) infected cat you tend to read books and search online for information regarding this feline disease.  Then you do everything that you can to keep your cat healthy and happy so that he does not get sick.

My cat Sam sleeping on the sofa.  He sleeps 90% of the day

All the information that I have read indicated that cats that are infected generally do not show signs of the disease for five to seven years. I rescued Sam in 2008 and he was diagnosed with Feline AIDS which was reduced to FIV since he had no symptoms. Sam has been healthy and happy for seven years and now he is sick; renal failure and possible cancer.

The veterinarian said that the renal failure is due to the FIV and he suspects that he may have cancer also. My cat is slipping away from me and there is nothing I can do to stop his illness from progressing. We had hoped that we could spend one more year with him but I do not know if that is possible.

Sam is still happy, talks to me daily plays with the dog but overall he sleeps more than before.For now, we are keeping all veterinarian appointments.  He has had a B12 shot and that has helped some.  His weakened immune system cannot fight off the diseases and for now, I have my Sam even though he sleeps 90% of the day, the 10% is still quality time spent with my cat Sam.

My FIV Cat Has Kidney Failure

My cat Sam was rescued after he was abandoned in the woods by my home. It took us less than a year to catch him because he was so scared. By the time we got him, he was skin and bones and from the looks of his coat, he had been in one too many fights.

We took him to the veterinarian and he tested positive for feline leukemia and aides. The veterinarian at the time wanted to put Sam down but I said no and that was in 2008. To make a long story short I nursed Sam back to health and have enjoyed this talkative, playful, and very loving Siamese cat for the last seven years.

Everything was great in fact in August of 2014 his medical exam and blood work should not have changes, but come to the end of November it was clear that something was wrong. Sam who loves to eat, decided he was not going to eat anymore. We thought maybe he suddenly did not like his only natural food by Merrick.  We fed him the best-canned cat food; de-boned chicken canned cat food that was grain free and had no corn wheat, soy, or gluten so we spiced up his food and gave him Merrick Purrfect Bistro Surf and Turf canned cat food and my cat turned away from his food bowl.

The next day he went to the veterinarian because if Sam is not eating there is something wrong. Well sure enough he had fervor, and an infection from an unknown source, his blood work came back fine but his urine showed that his kidneys were not working properly. Sam was in the veterinarian hospital for 10 days and when he was discharged we were told that his teeth due to feline stomatitis had to be removed but the surgery day was unclear due to his renal failure.

Sam has been home now for two weeks and he is doing better, but the veterinarian told me that he needs a follow-up exam and then he will decide if they will go ahead to remove his teeth. I will know more on Tuesday as it is Sams's next appointment.