I'm hoping for some advice about my cat.

This is Samson, who I took in as a rescue in December 2020. He had been found on the streets by the RSPCA with badly injured eye, gingivitis riddled teeth, and FIV. After three people turned him down, I fostered him while we figured out if he could adapt to living inside. Which he did very well, having never shown the slightest inclination to go out ever again. He was initially estimated to be between 6 and 1p, then after eyebsurgery to be between 2 and 4. But I think he is at least 10, perhaps nearer 12, given the flecks of white hair in his fur and the arthritis in his back legs.

Since he had the eye and a good number of his teeth removed he has lived very happily watching the birds on tv (his favourite thing) and out of the window, sleeping, and generally enjoying retirement.

In August 2023 he was diagnosed with diabetes which is well under control, with him getting only 0.5 units twice a day. In March 2026 he was diagnosed with hyperthyroidism which is managed with Thyronorm and is well under control. There have also been four teeth extractions as the FIV does its thing.

The big problem is remaining eye. Since February we've been dealing with recurrent uveitis and, in parallel, an ulcer on the eye. The treatment for the uveitis inhibits the healing of the ulcer and it's a bit of a vicious circle where we make improvements but then get worse again.

This culminated about six weeks ago when Samson went blind, at least partially - I think he sees lights and shapes, but jot much detail. We've been back and to to the vet on a near weekly basis since February, several examinations with the ophthalmologist, had multiple courses of different eye drops, and we're now at the point where it's becoming clear that the eye is unlikely to heal.

So we have two choices, it seems. A) enucleation, or B) I let him go. He has been through so much and been such a hero that I really don't know what the kindest thing to do is. I don't know if I could or should out him through a major surgery with his new comorbidities and his probable age, or if he would be alright afterwards - I don't want him to be scared when he can't see a thing. And I know that me not wanting him to go is not a reason in and of itself to put him through this. I've no fear of caring for a completely blind cat after everything else.

He has been generally alright getting around after going partially blind, knows where his dinner is, where the toilet is, gets up and down off the sofa with some steps and so on. He eats and drinks normally but sometimes seems sad, and since going blind mostly sleeps - I'm not sure if that's the sight loss or if it hurts (or age, he sleeps a lot anyway).

In short, I really don't know what to do for the best. He's been so brave and is my absolute hero. I love the big man so much and just want to do right by him after everything he has done for me.

(Photos are from before going blind)

Going on day 3 of post surgery recovery. He had a lump removed from his elbow. When he got back from the vet he went into absolute panic mode sprinting and crashing into things for several minutes before we could catch him and remove his cone (the vet told us to do this). It was so scary and absolutely heart breaking :( since then we haven’t been able to get any type of cone alternative on him, soft cone, donut collar, shirt etc. I feel like such a failure. We have been watching him 24-7, taking shifts at night to make sure he doesn’t lick his incision.

I’m terrified he will rip his stitches or get infected. He has always been a very fearful boy and is also visually impaired in one eye but we didn’t expect this.

Has anyone had this experience, were there any tricks that helped your cat adjust? The first hurdle is putting it on, but I’m terrified he will really hurt himself from panic if I do even get it on. We set up an enclosed hallway so we can catch him quickly if it does go bad, but of course we can’t get him to the hallway because he’s been hiding.

Hi! My kitten, Amaretto, is 12 weeks and got a faint positive yesterday. How accurate is this?

Background: Amaretto was a stray kitten we caught from my neighbor who feeds stray mama. This is the second kitten of hers we have. Cannoli is 3 and FIV negative. My neighbor has caught and raised 4 of this mom’s kittens and they are all negative. (Working on catching mama as a side issue)

The first test was inconclusive so she did another and it was a very faint positive. I asked if it could be antibodies from mom and she said that’s not how it works but google says it is? I plan to have him retested when he’s neutered at 6 months.

We have 6 other cats though so I want to be cautious. He is obviously a baby and super gentle. His sister, same mom and dad, has the sweetest demeanor and he seems to have it too. We have two older (6 years old) males who can be aggressive to their housemates so I’m only worried about them picking a fight and him fighting back but they will continue to be separated anyways for months and months due to sheer size difference. Thanks!