No such thing as a free kitten

My little guy Roy was found on a street about 6 years ago as a stray. A tiny kitten, wandering about with his 6 brothers and sisters. Malnourished and dirty with no momma cat in sight, I watched them for awhile and when it became clear that they were strays, I picked up each and every one and put them into the big front pocket of my sweatshirt. I found good homes for everybody but Roy. He was the runt of the litter and someone had spattered paint on him so he looked perpetually dirty. Roy ended up staying. He also had some behavioral issues. He liked to nurse. On anything. Your ear, your neck, fingers, whatever was available. That personality quirk took awhile to go away. The two other cats that I had (Beenie and Blackie) accepted Roy eventually and became good friends. Now Beenie and Blackie are gone and only Roy is left. He acts a little like the dogs, wanting to be included in doggie things. After Beenie died in the spring, Roy lost a lot of weight. I attributed it to stress. In July, he was getting really thin and also was constantly thirsty. I thought diabetes but the vet took his temperature and looked him over (didn't take blood) and pronounced him healthy. Two weeks ago, I took him back. There was definitely something wrong with him and I wanted to know what it was. He was even thinner, drinking all the time and eating voraciously. This time they did take blood. Several hundred dollars later, lo and behold, Roy is diabetic. So this evening I have to go and learn how to give my cat shots of insulin. Grand. But at least little buddy will be fine after some fine tuning.