FIV Cat Gets a Chance to Have a Feline Buddy

This week I adopted an FIV kitten and I intend on socializing my adult FIV adult cat Sam with the kitten.   When it comes to kittens the success rate for socializing with an adult is greater. The reason is because adult’s cats realize it is a baby cat and are watchful and caring.  My veterinarian approved that I could try to socialize Sam with the kitten and if it works then Sam will have a feline buddy to play, sleep and grooming with.

FIV Cat playing in zazzle box 

Whenever you introduce an FIV cats there is stress and this stress may weaken their immune systems so I have started the socializing by putting the kitten in the adjacent bathroom to my office. (Sam lives in my office) There is an open space bellow the door where the cats can sniff each other and play paws.

see Buddy in the back, they are keeping their distance 

The kitten is a female and she loves Sam and I so far Sam as been very sweet to her. Today Sam passed her one of his catnip toys under the door and this act of kitty kindness melted my heart.  The kitten will stay in the bathroom an entire week before I attempt to introduce Sam to the kitten. 

I am hoping that the socializing process will go well.

Cat Survived Feline Leukemia - 4th Anniversary

On August 9th we celebrated my cats fourth year anniversary for surviving feline leukemia and it was a happy occasion.

When we rescued Sam in 2009 his lap tests showed that he tested positive for feline leukemia and AIDS.  The attending veterinarian recommended that we put Sam down because he felt our cat would suffer and that his life expectancy was short.  Four years later I am playing with Sam on the floor and he does not have feline leukemia or AIDS, he did test positive for feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV).

My husband and I are so happy that we did not follow the recommendation from the veterinarian who tested Sam for the cat viruses. We waited seven months and had Sam retested and the new veterinarian said that our cats first test was a false positive or that Sam did not have feline Leukemia.

It is very important to get your cats retested if they show a positive for Feline Leukemia.  Never accept the positive results from one test only.

On Sam's anniversary we let him have full run of the house and he was allowed to play with the dogs.  He had a fantastic time.  Here are some  photographs.

Sam playing with dogs on the bed

Sam playing with New toy

Sam breaking in New Cat Tree

Living With Sam my FIV Cat

 Sam my FIV cat was rescued in 2008 and his living arrangement has been hectic until we moved him permanently to the main house.   Moving Sam into the main house was the best thing that we could do.  My cats entire disposition changed and he is now one happy cat.   

Prior to this move I was keeping Sam at my office and would spend 8 hours a day with him and then he would come home with me on weekends and spend time in my home office.   

We needed to keep our FIV cat away from our other cats because they were not socialized and even if they were the older cats were grumpy and it would not be a good mix of cats.   

Sam always looked sad when I would leave him at the end of the day, but my home office was a remodeled hall closet and too small for him for a permanent basis.  Nonetheless I wanted Sam to spend more time with the family so my husband and I decided to bring him home.

Now Sam lives with us full time, he has permanent residence in our master bedroom and his litter box is in the bathroom.  Cat toy box in the corner behind the door, cat scratching post by the  window and he no longer needs his cat bed because he sleeps on my husband’s head.   

 Sam gets plenty of human and dog companionship.  His life is balanced as he has time to rest, be loved and play time with the family dogs. 

Home alone cat plays with dogs on bed

When we are at work during the day Sam gets to share the bedroom with our dogs; Lilly and Benny.  When we are away the three of them have a real good time redecorating the room and playing on the bed.  

Sam has the good sense to go into his crate when he needs to nap.  When the cat sleeps the dogs will nap too. I think it is important that a FIV cat enjoy his life.  .   

An hour in the life of Sam

6:00 am - Bite the dogs tail as if to symbolize that it is time to get up and play.  Chase Benny around the room and under the bed until the master tells us it's not time to get up.

6:03 am - Lie on masters head and groom myself until he gets the message that it is time to wake up.

6:10 am - Jump for joy the master is up.  Run in between his or her feet to my food bowl.  

6:14 am - mm mm good....eating spa blue buffalo canned food, licking the plate, loving the succulent food.  Push the plate with my head across the counter top maybe she will feed me more?  Diet? No way I am not on a diet!

6:30 am - Protest for more food. Knock the bowl on the floor and push it around on the hardwood floors.  Get wet from a spray of water....wonder what that means.

6:40 am - Lie on window seat and sun myself, lick my paws for food leftovers. Ah...the warm sun on my back feels so good

6:42 am - Take a cat nap ..Zzzzz

An FIV cat is the same as any other cat, the only difference that I see is that Sam may sleep more and he has a problem with putting on weight but other than that he is normal in every way. 

Sam is a  wonderful companion as well as a comedian.   

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. 

 

Getting Home Ready for FIV Cat

Cats generally do not like change and so moving my FIV cat to a new home needed to be done carefully.  FIV, Feline Immunodeficiency Virus cats will remain in good health provided they live in a controlled environment that is stress free and nurturing.

Normally I would not move My cat Sam from my office to home because I do not like to upset his daily routine but there was no alternative as mold was found in my office and chemicals were needed to remove the mold making the office an unsafe area for my cat.

My husband and I decided to bring Sam back into our home.  Sam would have separate living quarters that were away from our other cats.  

The room that we set up for Sam is an enclosed sun room that has heat and air conditioning.  It also has a kitty door that will allow Sam access to an attached outdoor screened enclosure.  The new room for Sam is a 10 x 19 and the screened attached closure is the measurement of 8 x10.  This room has 8 windows and two cat seats attached to the side of the window.  

I feel the cheerful room will provide Sam with positive stimulation.  In addition we will be able to spend more quality time with Sam.

Getting FIV Cat’s Home Ready

We worked all week on getting Sam’s room ready.  

Monday – Pest Control

My husband dusted the room with Diatomaceous earth food grade to kill any parasites; fleas, ticks, mites and to kill all bugs that may reside in the room. 

Saturday- Sanitize Room

My husband and I cleaned the room; vacuumed the floors and the sofa and polished the furniture with natural paste that is not harmful to pets and then we scrubbing the floors, walls, windows and ceiling.

*Buy housecleaning products that are safe for children and pets

Sunday –Set up Room for Cat

We covered the cement floor with tight weave Berber area carpet and we covered the sofa to protect it from stains. 

We added cat furniture and accessories to the room; cat tree, window seat, cuddle bed, covered litter box, scratching post, toys and a feeding station. 

To filter the light we covered the windows with wood-like blinds and to keep the air clean a HEBA air purifier was set on the coffee table for a circular cleaning of airborne particles.

After the room was cleaned and set up I plugged a Feliway comfort diffuser into the electrical outlet. The feliway formula is a slow release synthetic cat pheoinom which aids in keeping cats calm.  It is helpful when bringing a cat into a new home or socializing new cats with other cats.

Moving Day

I arrived at the office at the usual time and fed Sam.  While Sam ate I got his carrier ready for transporting him by spraying it with Feliway mood modifier.  

Sam was indifferent as he was eating his food; however his uninterested state changed when I set the carrier on the floor and opened the door.   Sam reacted by meowing loudly and running around the room.  He knew something was up and he was anxious.  I suspect that he assumed he was going to the veterinarians. 

 

Sam would not go into the carrier on his own so I put him in it.  I covered the carrier with Sam’s baby blanket and I hoped that it would comfort him.  He stopped meowing as soon as we got into the car.  I talked to Sam during the drive home. I did this to comfort him and I had hoped he would feel less anxiety.  

When I got home my husband took Sam’s carrier and together we brought him into his room.  His carrier was set in the middle of the room on the floor and then we opened the door.  Sam ran out of the carrier as fast as he could and examined every nook and cranny in the room.  He ran around until he could run no more and then he laid on the sofa in-between my husband and me.  

Sam took a nap, my husband and I took a nap and when we awoke we found that Sam had eaten some food, used his litter box, played with his toys and he was resting on the window seat. 

The stress of the move home was lessened because I took the necessary steps to comfort Sam and to lessen his anxiety.  

Sam likes his room and enjoys being able to view us while we sit in the living room.  Since the move I set up my office in Sam’s room which allows me to spend time with Sam.  

My husband watches TV with Sam while I keep the other cats company. When Sam lived in my office I would spend many hours during the day with him and I would visit him on my days off too.  

At night Sam would be alone in the office, he was a happy cat but I feel his present living arrangement where we all live under one roof is easier and healthier for him and me.