When informing us of our cat's diabetes ('84) he mentioned most diabetic
cats die within 18 months just because their owners cannot handle doing the
regimen (injections of insulin, urine testing, regular feedings) for very
long! I managed to keep that cat going for the rest of his life (5 years) by
doing the regimen for him w/o fail; he died from an attack of pancereatitis
(his 3rd) @ age 10. We loved him very much; it was trouble to do the
regimen, but not difficult. I'd give him his insulin shot by grabbing his
neck scruff while he ate (he never even noticed, much less stopped eating)
his morning and evening meals, when he used litterbox I'd grab a dipstick
(paper: diabetics use 'em) and get it wet w/his fresh urine and check out
the readings on it. Diabetic cats also need regular vet visits. He was well
worth it to us.

my 15 yr old cat has it.  she had it since she was 9.  It is pretty easy to
maintain if you are vigilant.  To me it slipped right into her other care,
because to me, my cats are part of the family.    They do require a bit more
attention, scheduled feedings, insulin injections, regular trips to the vet,
and more if you want to ensure they are as in good of health as they can be.
With mine I do herbs to help regulate her sugars, and do ear prick blood
testing.

There are newsgroups for diabetic cats

I presently have four diabetic kitties that get insulin shots twice a day.
They were all given up by their previous owners.   Recommend that you go to
the feline diabetes message board to get ant help you need.

http://www.felinediabetes.com/phorum5/list.php?8

Mine has diabetes too, he's had it for about 2 years now (he's 15) - I give
him insulin twice a day.  He started having hiccuping fits (which turned out
to be hypos) - so the vet reduced the amount he gets and now he thinks he's
a kitten again!  You must take him for regular check ups to check his dosage
is correct.

Our cat, Arlo, was diagnosed in late 99.  Then we started with glipazoid
tablets.  That went for about 2 years.  Then we started on insulin shots
around 2003.  Once a day.  Things went well until about 4 months ago.  Then
he had a hypoglycemic event (blood sugar real low).  The vet had us lower
his doses by 2/3rds.  A couple of months later he gets diagnosed with
lymphoma cancer.  We noticed a weight loss (4lbs in 5 months).  All his
lymph nodes got quite large.  He is 12 now.  We couldn't afford the chemo
($175 per, needed around 12).  We did do the chemical part (prednisone,
cytoxin).  Now the lymph nodes have shrunk, but his kidneys have enlarged.
Plus there are some small tumors on them.  Blood test says his kidneys are
functioning ok, but for how long.

Currently he is doing well.  He gets his shot in the morning just after
eating.  Rarely does he flinch.  We are also trying to do some homeopathic
remedies to.  How much longer he can stay healthy is anyone's guess.  While
he healthy though he gets lots of good TLC.

I'd lay odds that the cat won't be appearing with BB King in TV
commercials.