Tracking a Senior Pet's Changes Over Time

To track senior pet changes, write each one down in plain words, with the date you first noticed it and how old your pet was. Then bring the notes to your vet. That's the whole method. It works because older pets change slowly. After a few weeks, nobody in the house can say for sure when the stairs became a problem or when the bowl started being left half full.

This guide is about keeping the record, not reading it. It won't tell you what a change means or what to do about it. That's your vet's job. For more on the everyday routine, see our senior pet guides.

Why track changes in an older pet at all?

Because small changes are easy to miss, and easier to forget. Cornell's feline health center says that "cats are experts at hiding illness", and that elderly cats are no exception. VCA Animal Hospitals adds that a change in behavior can be the first sign of pain, illness, or degenerative disease.

Both sources also warn against one habit: shrugging a change off as age. Cornell says never to assume that changes you see in an older cat are simply due to old age. VCA says even small changes may be significant and are worth telling your vet.

A written record helps in a plain way. "He seems slower" is hard to act on. "Hesitated at the sofa for the first time on the 3rd, age 12" is something your vet can work with.

What should you write down?

Write down anything that differs from your pet's normal, in your own words. You aren't judging it. You're recording what you saw. VCA suggests noting 3 things for each change: the behavior, roughly when you first became aware of it, and how old your pet was at the time.

Here is a simple set of areas to watch. Your vet may add or drop some for your pet.

VCA lists weight loss or gain, changes in skin or coat, and new lumps or bumps among the things to report. Many of the others on that list, such as urination, mobility and sleep, are the same areas as the table above.

If you want a fuller routine to sit beside this record, our senior pet care checklist covers the daily and weekly jobs.

How do you keep entries consistent?

Keep them short, dated and in the same words each time. A few habits make that easy:

• Pick a steady moment. A quick note after the evening meal, or when you put the kettle on, is easier to keep up than a long weekly write-up.
• Use the same words. If you wrote "slow on the stairs" last month, write it again, so changes stand out.
• Add a photo or short video. A ten-second clip of how your pet gets up from a nap says more than a sentence.
• Date everything. The date is what makes the record useful later.

Cats need a little extra attention here. Cornell suggests a basic hands-on check about once a week, done as part of normal affection. While you stroke your cat, you can look at 4 things: the teeth and gums, the ears, any lumps, and the skin and coat. If you find something new, write it down and tell your vet.

What if more than one person looks after the pet?

Then the record needs one shared place, and everyone who cares for your pet should know where it is. Otherwise each person holds a slice of the picture. One person sees the morning routine, another sees the evening walk, and the sitter sees none of it.

Agree on this before you need it: anyone who notices a change writes it down, rather than mentioning it in passing. A shared note or a shared log means the person at the vet's door has the whole story, not just their part. Our guide to household sharing shows how that works in the app.

How do you bring it to the vet?

Bring the dated notes, the ages, and any photos or videos, and lead with the changes that worry you most. VCA advises telling your vet about any change in behavior, and says that pets showing behavioral changes should have a physical examination, regardless of age.

Cornell notes that at a senior visit the vet reviews the cat's medical and behavioral history and compares weight and body condition with earlier records. Your notes feed into exactly that. They add the weeks between visits that nobody else saw. Cornell also lists 3 tests a vet may suggest at least once a year: blood tests, a fecal exam and urine analysis.

Then ask your vet what to keep tracking, and for how long. They may want different things written down for your pet, and they know how often your pet should be seen. Cornell says a vet may suggest seeing a healthy senior cat more often than a younger one. Our vet-ready care record guide shows how to put the notes in one place before the appointment.

Keep track of it

Paw Crew is coming soon to iPhone, and it keeps this kind of record for you. Entries land in the Day Ledger with the date and time, Observations hold the things you notice in your own words, and weight sits alongside them. When it is time for the vet, a vet-ready report pulls the record together. With household sharing through iCloud, everyone who looks after your pet adds to the same record. Paw Crew logs and reminds only. It doesn't interpret what you record.

Bottom line

Write each change down with a date and your pet's age, keep the words the same each time, and bring the record to your vet. The log keeps the history. Your vet decides what it means.