The short answer
Bring the whole feeding picture, including what you cannot measure.
A useful pet food diary identifies the exact foods, the amounts offered and eaten, and everything given between meals. Include the people and routines involved. AAHA treats the animal, diet, environment and household as parts of a nutrition history; WSAVA’s form includes snacks, chews and food used for medication.[1][2]
The goal is a record your veterinary team can interpret. It is not a scorecard for good or bad feeding, and it does not diagnose a food reaction.
Build a small packet before the appointment
First, ask the clinic whether it has a diet-history form and how long a record it wants. AAHA notes that owners can complete a history at home for the team to check.[3] If no form is supplied, the WSAVA short diet-history form (one-page PDF) is a useful starting point.
Make a folder with three parts:
- Product evidence: clear photos of the front and back of every food, treat and supplement package. Keep the exact recipe or formula name visible, along with calories and feeding directions when listed. For home-prepared food, bring the actual recipe and the changes you make to it.
- What happens at home: a dated record with units, leftovers and who fed the pet. Add a note about shared food, access to another pet’s bowl, or meals offered while you are away.
- Your questions: the main concern, when you first noticed it, and what you want help deciding. Include current medicines and supplements with their labels and prescribed directions.
WSAVA asks for product names, amounts, feeding frequency and when foods were introduced.[2] Our folder structure is an editorial way to keep those details together. A photograph of only the bag’s front may not identify the formula or explain the portion.
Use one line per feeding event
Copy these fields into a phone note or notebook. Write the unit beside every quantity so “half” does not have to be reconstructed at the appointment.
| Field | What to enter |
|---|---|
| Pet, date and time | Which animal; when the food was offered. |
| Exact item | Product and recipe name, or a reference to its label photo. |
| Amount offered | Grams, a stated measuring-cup amount, part of a named package, or a clearly labeled estimate. |
| Amount left or eaten | What you actually observed; mark spilled, shared or unknown food. |
| Context and person | Meal, training, chew, topper or food for a pill; who gave it. |
| Observation | A factual change with its time, separate from your guess about its cause. |
Walk through the day with everyone who feeds the pet, including a sitter or dog walker. AAHA specifically includes extra foods, supplements, medicines and the people involved in feeding in its history questions.[1] A weekly chew or occasional training class belongs in the history even if it did not happen on the day you recorded.
If you already have a veterinary feeding plan, keep that plan alongside the diary. Label one “planned” and the other “observed.” Do not silently replace what happened with what was supposed to happen.
Make unknown amounts visible
Shared bowls: note the amount put out for the group and which pets had access. “Two cats shared this bowl; individual intake unknown” is more honest than assigning half to each cat. Ask the team how it wants individual intake measured.
Free feeding: record refills and any remaining food you can measure. State the period covered. A bowl that looks full at bedtime does not tell you how much each pet ate.
Small extras: keep them in the record even if the quantity is uncertain. “One piece, size not recorded” preserves an event; “zero” erases it. Do not invent a gram weight later.
Food moved into a toy: say whether it came from the portion already recorded for the meal. Our food-puzzle guide explains that practical food ledger. For label-based treat calculations, use the separate worked treat-calorie example; this diary does not set a new allowance.
Repair a vague note without inventing precision
Hypothetical example, not a feeding recommendation
Original: “Cat breakfast: half a can. Ate fine.”
After checking with the feeder: “October 7, 7:30 a.m., Miso. Food A, recipe shown in photo 1, 85 g can. Approximately half offered; not weighed. Some left at 8 a.m.; amount unknown. Second cat could reach the bowl. AB fed breakfast.”
Question for the team: “How should we measure Miso’s own intake when both cats use this station?”
The repair identifies the product, the package size and the limits of the observation. It does not turn half a can into an exact amount eaten, and it does not conclude that appetite or nutrition is normal. Keep the original note if it helps show what was remembered later.
Turn the diary into a useful conversation
Start with your main concern, then show the record and label photos. Mention changes in activity, feeding location, household routine or food access. AAHA’s screening also includes weight, body and muscle condition, and a physical examination; a diary supplies only part of that assessment.[3]
- Which missing detail would most improve this record?
- Does the current feeding plan need a change, and what exactly should each caregiver do?
- What should we monitor, when should we check back, and which changes mean calling sooner?
Read the agreed plan back before you leave. Put the start date on the new instructions so an older note cannot be mistaken for the current plan. Keep records and medication details private; share them directly with your veterinary team.
Do not wait for a finished diary when your pet needs care
A cat that stops eating needs prompt veterinary attention. Cornell warns that sustained appetite loss can seriously affect an adult cat in as little as 24 hours, and sooner in very young kittens. That is not a safe waiting period: call when you notice the change.[4]
For either species, seek emergency veterinary care for difficulty breathing, collapse or suspected poisoning.[6] Contact your veterinarian promptly about vomiting, diarrhea or other illness; urgency depends on the animal and accompanying signs.[5] Bring whatever information you have. Do not delay the call to weigh leftovers or take perfect photographs.
Common questions
How many days should I record my pet’s food?
Ask your veterinary team how long a record they want and whether they have a preferred form. If the appointment is soon, bring the information you have and clearly mark gaps. Do not postpone care to finish a diary.
Do treats and food used for medication belong in the diary?
Yes. Include snacks, training rewards, dental chews, toppers and food used to give medication. List supplements and medicines separately with their labels and current directions so the veterinary team can review the whole picture.
What if two cats eat from the same bowl?
Record what went into the shared bowl and say that individual intake is unknown. Do not divide the total equally and present it as measured intake. Ask your veterinary team how to obtain a more useful individual record without disrupting a prescribed plan.
Should I calculate a new calorie target from the diary?
No. The diary describes current feeding. Bring label calorie information if available, but ask the veterinary team to set or review the feeding plan. An incomplete diary cannot establish nutritional adequacy or explain a symptom.
Sources
- Gathering a Comprehensive Nutrition History (June 22, 2021) — American Animal Hospital Association. Accessed October 7, 2026.
- Short Diet History Form — World Small Animal Veterinary Association. Accessed October 7, 2026.
- Screening Evaluation (June 21, 2021) — American Animal Hospital Association. Accessed October 7, 2026.
- Anorexia — Cornell Feline Health Center. Accessed October 7, 2026.
- Guide to Pet Emergencies (April 7, 2025) — UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine. Accessed October 7, 2026.
- Emergency and Critical Care — Cornell University Hospital for Animals. Accessed October 7, 2026.