Our older Samoyed was diagnosed with diabetes early this year, after having numerous seizures during the holidays, before we could get a vet appointment. Poor girl has had a whole series of health issues, including an autoimmune disorder that causes her immune system to attack pigment-containing cells. For a Sammy, there's not a lot of pigment, but the retinas are pigmented and we battled for years to preserve her vision before having to take out her eyeballs. Now, we struggle trying to get through the night without her moaning. During the day, she's fine, but nights are rough on her. Managing the diabetes isn't too bad. We have to inject her with insulin twice a day and try to stay on top of her glucose readings. I'm still trying to figure out how best to dispose of the sharps. For the first couple of containers, I bought an container that costs about $12 and then another $20 or so to send via USPS to a proper facility, but recently I learned that my county's landfill will take the sharps, so I just need to figure out a cheap option for a container.
I've sorta looked at the managing of the diabetes as practice for when I get diabetes, as it runs in my family. However, I might not get it for at least a few years, if I'm lucky, because I've lost about 25% of my body mass during this pandemic, jogging a lot and not eating all the unhealthy food I enjoy too much.
Good luck with your cat's diabetes.