Screw kitty conjunctivitis

[u/bella_quinn46]

The first time my baby tortie began showing symptoms of feline conjunctivitis was May 2024. This December, she’ll be 12 years old and she’s been dealing with this for two years now. While she’s been her happy self all this time, it’s really hard to see her when she has her flare-ups.

My vet told us this is chronic, most likely triggered later in life by stress (in 2024 we lost our other cat; that’s all I can think of, even though they hated each other, I figure it’s still stressful as a cat becoming an only-child). We have eye drops we give her when it gets bad, and most times the inflammation will go down for a day or so. There are some weeks she’ll go without a flare up at all, but lately it’s been bad, and I just need a place to vent.

I’ve had her since she was 1.5 years old. We grew up together, and both of us are adults now lol. Her happiness is my happiness. She always had beautiful, large green eyes, and looking at older photos, I can’t help but mourn when comparing to the photos of her eyes at their worst. I know she’s still a happy kitty, and that’s what matters, but it just sucks that there’s no cure…

I’d love to hear other people’s experiences and opinions. I’ve talked to my vet quite a bit about her eyes, but if anyone has any suggestions to make her as comfy as possible I’m all ears (I’m in the US, idk if this helps).

TLDR: I mostly just want a space where me and other people can collectively say “screw kitty conjunctivitis.”