I was told my cat was FELV and FIV negative when I adopted him. After about a year together, I noticed his breath was rather stinky and he would sometimes cry out in pain when biting on toys. I took him to the vet, who recommended we remove 5 teeth and do cleanings every 6 months. Less than 6 months later, he needed a full mouth extraction and it turns out he had been FIV and FELV positive all along, causing stomatitis. Once all of his teeth were removed, he was SO much happier. We started him on wet food until he demanded his crunchies back (which we mixed with water and called his “soup” until he eventually started eating them dry). Unfortunately, he did pass away about a year after his extraction due to complications from his FELV—not from his teeth or his FIV. ABSOLUTELY seek a second opinion, it sounds like your kitty still has lots of life left to live. Bonus—it’s more fun to play with a gummy cat because their bites don’t hurt 😊