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

Diet Plan For Overweight FIV Cat

Planning a diet for an overweight FIV (Feline Immunodeficiency virus) cat  involves restricting the cats diet so that the cat does not nibble on food all day and changing the food from dry kibble to canned turkey food which is a low fat protein.

 Sam my FIV cat needs to shed some extra pounds.  He is ten years old  and weighs 12 pounds.  Sam is set in his routine.  He sleeps most of the day and plays with our dogs a total of fifteen minutes daily. The rest of the time he is cuddling with us on the sofa or sleeping.  

In February 2012 I was told that Sam needed to go on a diet.  He weighed 15 lbs and the veterinarian wanted him to weigh 10 lbs. In February I fed Sam Blue Buffalo spa selects a high protein chicken diet and gave him a combination of canned and dry kibble cat food.   

Sam would quickly eat the canned food and then leave the rest; this is the food that he snacks on throughout the day.  In the last eight months Sam's energy has decreased due to the FIV virus and he sleeps more which is why he is slow to shed those extra pounds. Older cats that are less active have a hard time loosing weight.

My veterinarian explained that overweight or obese cats are at risk of feline health conditions; heart disease and diabetes are the two main health concerns. Sam has a weakened immune system so I must be strong and not give into him when he begs for food.   

Diet Plan for Overweight Cat

Starting today my cats daily diet routine is going to change.  The plan is to restrict my overweight cats freedom from eating whenever he wants.  Sam loves to eat and in past when I took away his food in the afternoon he was getting into the kitchen cabinets and trying to scavenger food from the dogs bowl. 

My cats new diet consists of a low calorie turkey canned food,  that is high in protein.  His food is Hills prescription diet; c/d.  This is a maintenance food and it is good for a mature cat’s bladder.  He will be eating canned cat food only. 

Dietary portions will be adhered to. Sam will eat 1/2 of his daily required food portion in the morning and 1/2 in the evening. There will be no snacking on the all-day food bowl and no more cat treats. 

Along with his diet food plan he will begin an exercise routine.  I will be playing with him with his Da-bird, a feather bird on the end of stick.  Sam likes this toy and is always eager to play.  To encourage Sam to stretch more I am going to spray his scratching post with catnip.  

Tips:

 
Before starting a diet examine your cat to determine if they are overweight. Do this by trying to feel for their ribs.  If you can feel the indentation of the ribs then your cat is of normal weight. If you can feel a thickness around the ribs then this is a sign that your cat is overweight.

 
Make an appointment with your veterinarian to determine if your cat has an eating disorder or if your cat has an illness.  The veterinarian will do a wellness blood screen that will check for thyroid, blood sugar levels and they will check for heart disease and diabetes.  

Your veterinarian will advise you of their findings.  If your cat’s laboratory results are fine and do not indicate a health condition then your veterinarian will recommend that your cat lose weight and provide you with a diet plan.

Refrain from overfeeding your cat.  Feed a six pound cat  3/4 to 1/2 cup of food daily.  A 10 lb cat should be fed 1/2 to 3/4 cup of food daily.  A 14 lb cat should be fed 3/4 to 1 cup of food daily.