What to Do When FIV Cat is Sick

 I noticed that my FIV cat named Sam had fluid buildup in his left eye and this was a sign of sickness, cat cold, or upper respiratory. My cat has a weakened immune system and this cold or whatever it is could progress quickly into a major illness so I immediately called the veterinarian and scheduled an appointment.

Last Monday I took Sam to the veterinarians and they ran tests on him, and his blood, and checked his urine. They told me he had an upper respiratory infection and gave him an antibiotic shot and a prescription for Viralys L-Lysine supplement.

I was told to clean the entire house with bleach and to keep Sam away from other cats.  It was also recommended that after I handle other cats or come in contact with feral or stray cats I remove those clothes and shoes, shower  or spray myself with Lysol disinfectant before I come in contact with Sam.

Know that Sam has lost weight due to this infection,  He cannot smell his food so he is not eating. Normally Sam eats C/D prescription diet food but he has stopped eating.  So I mixed his wet food with water and put it in a syringe, this is how I am feeding him and keeping him hydrated.

Even though I responded immediately when I noticed my cat was sick, his infection has progressed quickly from playing with his toys one day to signs of a cold and now he is not eating.  An FIV cat has a hard time getting over a simple cold, It is best to call the veterinarian as soon as your cat show signs of sickness.

Veterinarian Checkup for Sam my FIV Cat

It has been 45 days since my FIV cat was diagnosed with kidney failure and put on a special prescription k/d food diet.  We were told that Sam could no longer eat animal protein because it was hard on his kidneys.  We had to feed him food that was formulated for renal health only.

We bought the Hills Prescription Diet k/d canned food and the dry kibble then mixed the two together and put them in his food bowl.  Sam played with the food but would not eat it.  

So I removed that food from the bowl and replaced it with k/d canned food only.  Mr busy cat went into the kitchen got a towel and put the towel on top of his food bowl.  I guess he hated it so much that he did not want to look at it. (lol)

Sam eats dry k/d food from the bowl

My cat has got to eat, I removed the canned food, washed his bowl, and poured Sam a bowl of the dry k/d special kidney diet food.  Sam grazed his food bowl and ate a few pieces of food.  Then he took every piece of food out of the bowl and put the kibble on the carpet.     

Our veterinarian suggested that we try Prescription renal LP by Royal Canin and again Sam did not eat the food. He grazed his bowl when absolutely necessary but other than that would not eat the special diet food.

The one thing that the veterinarian told us is that Sam could not lose weight. When he was checked it was noted that he lost 1 pound. The attending veterinarian said that his weight loss may be due to the FIV condition and I disagreed, I know it is because our cat does not like food that is made with no animal protein. Cats are carnivores, not vegetarians.

The veterinarian said that Sam cannot lose any more weight, so now they have ordered a new prescription for feline renal health food for Sam. We hope that this new food tastes better because I am sure that this is why our cat is not eating.

Sam is a junk food kitty eating Purina Friskies Salmon Pate for Senior cats mixed with Blue Buffalo spa selects and loved this food combination before he became sick and now he hates his kidney diet food.  

Hoping that this next prescription food will be one that Sam likes.