r/FIVcats • u/Pop-up_Camper • 5d ago
Gilbert the Bottomless Pit
My husband and I recently took in a stray male. He is FIV+, got him treated for cellulitis, a bladder infection, and giardia. About halfway through the giardia treatment we got him neutered. When he came home that night, he was pretty hungry after having to fast. He wanted to eat. And eat. And eat. And eat. At some point overnight, he got into the bread box, which isn't easy for the humans to open, ate a hotdog bun and tore open a loaf of wheat bread, which he did not fancy. Ever since that day, this cat seems to be in possession of a bottomless pit for a stomach. I am giving a can of food per day (1/2 morning , 1/2 night) plus 3/4 cup of dry food spread throughout the day plus a few treats in the evening and he is STILL ravenous. He looks thin but he isn't light at all. He weighs nearly 15 lbs and seems to be all muscle. Given his hard life and food insecurity up to the day that we brought him inside our house, I am certain that some of it is likely survival eating, and yet some of it is probably recovering from giardia. Should we give Gilbert all the food he wants right now?
(Just as I was typing this I heard something hit the floor in the kitchen. When I went to investigate, he was helping himself to a stick of butter.)
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u/beneficialmirror13 5d ago
My fiv boy was very similar, including getting into the bread box. We feed him about 250-300cal per day of wet food and that keeps his weight steady (my vet said 7kg is a normal weight for him, he's just a solid boy).
We did have to put him on prozac (cat type) because he was getting aggressive to our other male cat around dinnertime. But now he's reasonably chill 2 years since adoption. We do have to be careful not to leave out food though. :)
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u/psychedelicparsley 5d ago
Oh he’s gorgeous!
Yes I live with one of those, except he’s a brown tabby. He’s enormous in two directions. His nicknames are Tony Soprano and Jabba the Hutt.
I did get him to lose a few pounds and then he somehow gained them - and some - back again.
He’s also very hard to say no to.
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u/Opposite-Champion882 5d ago
My fiv girl is similar. She's petite but loves eating at my other girl's food. I wouldn't say she was food insecure when she was outside as I was there when she was born. But then she only had dry food as that was all I could give, but now my indoor and outdoor babies are fortunate enough to get some wet food and treats too.
My other girl is a slow food grazer, so I always have to put her food elsewhere if she doesn't finish and she'll let me know when she wants to finish her food. Even after she's done with her food my fiv girl will go in and lick up any crumbs from her dry food and lick the bowl clean of wet food.
I believe my fiv girl was the runt of the litter but she loves any food she can get her paws on. I've caught her a few times eating through the dinner roll bag and a little of the roll itself, burger bun, whatever scraps were in the sink drain, you name it. It's why no one in my family can leave her unsupervised but I still spoil her.
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u/Specific-Shock-7766 4d ago
My cat was like that. He was starving on the streets at 2.1 kilograms. We got him at 3.2. He was skin and bones. You'd say it's almost alright but he's now 5.2 and a bit skinny (used to be 5.9)
At first, he was crazy over food. We had to feed him every 2 hours (and hold on until the next feeding time). At one point, we cooked in water some zucchini as this is a safe veggie for cats, as long as you don't give too much, it makes the cat thinks its stomach is fuller and it's low calories. We even gave him scrambled egg a few times. Keep up the wet food and leave out kibbles at all times. Buy kibbles for weight loss if you are afraid he'll swell like a balloon 😉
But yeah, food insecurity is going to stay awhile.
I used to deplore that, until the same cat stopped eating last June, I longed for the day he was crazy over food. He's back to eating almost well now but I preferred when he was eating more 😞 (he lost 750g in less than 8 weeks and is now stabilized but on the skinny side)
Long life to ravenous cats ❤️
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u/saltporksuit 4d ago
My guy ate a lot when I first brought him in. Once the abscesses healed, he was neutered, and most of his pulled teeth stitches healed, he became a food maniac. Ate all of it. If I had friends or family with some food their cat rejected, this guy would Hoover it up. That first holiday season he became my husband’s new best friend as hubby had the smoker going all month. He sampled prime rib, roast salmon, cherry ribs, you name it. Now it’s been about a year and a half and his ravenous eating has dropped off. He even rejects the rejected cat food. So I say just give your dude some time. And maybe get a bread safe in the meantime.
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u/guesswho502 5d ago
This is normal for former strays. As long as you know he’s getting enough calories, he’s fine. Sometimes it calms down after a few months or years of being indoors. I always free feed new rescues for ~2 months before switching to meal times, so they can feel more safe in the period where they’re adjusting to my home. Both of my current cats started out eating constantly and begging constantly and after 2 years they both have calmed down and beg a normal amount. Also you can switch him to all wet (if you can afford it) because the water makes them feel fuller and more satisfied. You can also supplement with low calorie treats such as the purina broths or friskies shakes. Congrats on your new bff!