Dr. Marie replied:

The symptoms that you are describing are really typical of diabetes. A cat with diabetes will have a very large thirst.

After a cat has had diabetes for a while, the disease can start to affect their muscles. We can often see a condition called diabetic polyneuropathy. When this happens, the back legs become weak, which is probably why he is having trouble jumping.

The good news is that diabetes is treatable. Your cat will need insulin injections but most people don't find this too difficult to do. You will also need to be in contact with your vet regularly, especially in the first few months. They will likely be doing repeated glucose curves to determine how much insulin he needs.

If a cat with diabetes is not treated, then they end up going into a serious condition called diabetic ketoacidosis which is fatal.

There are other possibilities for what is going on. I can't give you an official diagnosis over the internet, but I'm very suspicious for diabetes. Hopefully he can see his vet soon!

Dr. Marie.

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