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Adding a cat to SeniorThrive

Meals, weight, vet visits, behavior. Cats look self-sufficient but benefit from a steady record. Here is how to set one up in My Pets, and how to send a care sheet to a pet sitter.

Written by Brian Fluhr

To add your cat, sign in first.

This page explains how it works. The tool itself is inside your SeniorThrive account.

Sign in, or create a free account.

Cats are wonderfully independent, which is part of why people love them. That independence also makes it easy to miss changes. A cat who is eating a little less. A weight that has been slowly climbing or slowly dropping. Habits that have quietly shifted.

My Pets is the quiet way to keep a record of the things cats do not announce.

Where to add

Go to Daily Life, then My Pets.

Tap Add Pet. The form walks you through six short steps, and you can stop and come back.

  1. Basic Info. Choose Cat, then fill in Pet's Name. Breed, Age (years), and Weight (lbs) are there too, all optional. You can add a photo here. Cats deserve a good photo.

  2. Vet Details. Veterinarian name, phone, and address. If you have already added another pet with a vet, SeniorThrive offers to copy it across so you do not type it twice.

  3. Vaccines & Meds. Vaccination entries with the date given and the next date due, plus any medications with dosage and schedule.

  4. Insurance. Provider, policy number, and claims phone, if there is a policy.

  5. Daily Care. Feeding Instructions, Exercise Needs, Behavior Notes, and the rest of the routine. These are the notes a sitter reads.

  6. Review. A last look before you save.

What is worth writing down for a cat

  • Feeding. Brand, wet or dry or both, portion size, times. Note any changes the cat makes themselves: skipping a meal, eating less, or suddenly ravenous. Feeding Instructions is the place for it.

  • Weight. Weigh them now and then if you can, and update the Weight field. A slow drop is one of the first things people notice in an older cat.

  • Vet visits. Annual, or every six months for senior cats. Keep the vaccination dates current and note anything the vet raised.

  • Medications. Including flea prevention if they are indoor-outdoor. Pilling a cat is its own art form.

  • Behavior. Hiding more than usual. Change in affection. More vocal. Less active. Any shift from their baseline goes in Behavior Notes.

  • Grooming and routine. Brushing, nail trims, dental care, and how the day usually goes. Especially worth writing down for a long-haired cat, and for anyone looking after them while you are away.

A note on senior cats

Cats are considered senior around age eleven. At that age, small changes matter more and move faster. A senior cat losing weight or changing habits is worth a vet call sooner than a younger cat with the same signs. Trust your instincts.

Sending information to a pet sitter

On your cat's card, tap Share with pet sitter. SeniorThrive puts together a care sheet with your cat's name, your vet's name and phone, and the daily care instructions you wrote. There is a box for notes about this particular stay.

Anything private is off until you tick it, one box at a time:

  • Vaccination dates

  • Medications and health notes

  • Emergency guardian contacts

  • Other sitter contacts

  • Microchip number

  • Insurance details

  • Who has a key to my home

  • Vet street address

  • Saved additional notes

Then send it by text, by email, or copy it wherever you like. A good care sheet is what lets you enjoy the trip, and the things you would rather not put in a stranger's phone stay out of it.

A cat asleep in a sunbeam is the kind of grandchild-ready photo that makes an afternoon.

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