oh dear msolga - I can just picture you in and out of layers of woolly jumpers! Girl cats have their own problems! .... and Rosie a good girl? with
her bed language

she'd make a docker blush!
Both of my daughters have much less complicated and more cuddly-all-the-time cats.
No himself and Paddy aren't promenading at the moment as the door to the garden is permanently open in this nice weather (when we are at home) and so he comes and goes as he pleases - he enjoyed the company on walks in the winter when he didn't stay out so long. They did look funny
Roberta sorry to hear about the problems with Mikey, aren't there any animal charity vets there? we have the PDSA (Peoples Dispensary for Sick Animals) for those who can't afford expensive vets fees, you just donate what you can I believe. Vets bills certainly are scary as we've just found out to our cost with Paddy. At least he doesn't need the op that would have been about another £300 - over $600.
Have you tried excluding things from his diet one by one to see if anything there is a trigger?
As you say, it could be pure attention seeking.
I hope you are doing well.
I don't know anything about diabetes I'm afraid Tico