A medication log that works has 6 fields, gets filled twice a day, and carries 3 stop lines written at the top of the page. Fill the fields in the same order every time, dose by weight rather than by memory, and keep the log where the pills are so the entry happens before the cat is picked up. The whole routine takes 30 seconds per dose and answers the 2 questions a clinic asks first: what was given, and when did it last happen.
Why twice a day, 12 hours apart
Twice-daily dosing means 12 hours between doses, and a practical window of plus or minus 1 hour, so 08:00 and 20:00 allows 07:00 to 09:00 and 19:00 to 21:00. Two doses bunched 6 hours apart then a 18-hour gap is not twice daily; it is 2 peaks and a trough, and for most antibiotics the trough is where resistance gets a chance. Write both target times on the sheet before the first dose, and write the actual time next to it at every dose.
Once-daily drugs want the same clock discipline at 24 hours. A 3 kg cat and a 6 kg cat on the same tablet strength end up with very different mg/kg, which is why the weight line belongs on the log even when the prescription has not changed in months.
The 6 fields, and what each one must contain
Six fields cover everything a vet, an emergency clinic at 02:00, or a pet sitter needs. Copy this table onto paper or a spreadsheet and keep the column order fixed.
| Field | Example entry | Tolerance or check | What goes wrong without it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Drug name and strength | amoxicillin-clavulanate 62.5 mg/ml | 1 brand, 1 strength on the label | two bottles, two strengths, one guess |
| Dose in mg and in ml | 11.25 mg = 0.18 ml | recheck to 0.01 ml | a 2x overdose from a unit mix-up |
| Time given | 08:10, 20:05 | within 1 h of target | double dosing at the 12 h mark |
| Route | by mouth, with 10 ml food | 1 route per dose, no mixing | a topical given by mouth |
| Reaction | vomit 40 min after dose 3 | time, 1 sign, duration in h | a pattern nobody can date |
| Course end and recheck | day 7, recheck day 10 | exact date, 0 to 2 days early | a course that runs 3 days long |
Dose math you can show your work on
Dose in mg equals weight in kg times mg per kg. A 4.5 kg cat at 2.5 mg/kg needs 11.25 mg; at 62.5 mg per ml that is 0.18 ml. Round to the nearest 0.01 ml on the syringe, not to the nearest 0.1, because 0.2 ml of this bottle is 12.5 mg, an 11 percent bump. For a 3.6 kg cat the same 2.5 mg/kg gives 9 mg, which is 0.144 ml, and that is the point where a 1 ml syringe with 0.01 ml marks beats a 5 ml syringe with 0.2 ml marks.
Write the arithmetic on the log once, on the first day, and let everyone copy it. If the cat's weight changes by more than 5 percent, 225 g on a 4.5 kg cat, redo the math with the vet before the next dose rather than scaling it in your head. A weight trend chart with weekly entries makes that 5 percent line visible before it becomes a dosing error.
Handling a missed dose
Under 6 hours late, give the dose and shift the next one so the gap stays at 12 hours. Over 6 hours late, skip it and take the next dose on the original clock; never give 2 doses to catch up, because the doubled peak is the part that causes vomiting and, with some drugs, worse. Record the miss with the actual time, and note whether the cat ate afterwards, since a skipped dose and a vomited dose look the same in a summary that only says missed.
The 3 stop lines at the top of the page
Print these 3 lines in bold where the log starts, so nobody has to decide at midnight.
- Stop line 1, reaction: vomiting more than 3 times in 24 hours, swelling around the face or eyes, breathing over 40 per minute at rest, yellow gums, or a seizure. Stop the drug and call the clinic, and take the bottle with you.
- Stop line 2, course end: the date written in field 6, commonly day 7 or day 10. Stop there. A course extended by 2 or 3 days because the cat seems better is how a partial course turns into a repeat visit.
- Stop line 3, product problem: past the expiry date, cloudy where it was clear, changed color, or open longer than 14 days for most oral liquids. Stop and get a fresh bottle rather than using the last 2 ml.
Storage numbers worth taping inside the cupboard
Most tablets keep at 15 to 25 Celsius, away from light and steam, which rules out the bathroom shelf. Liquids that say refrigerate belong at 2 to 8 Celsius, not in the door, where the range swings 4 to 10 degrees every time it opens. Write the open date on the label with a marker: 14 days is the common limit for an opened oral suspension, 28 to 30 days for many others, and a split tablet is usually good for 30 days in a labeled pill box.
Keep the log and the medicine in the same place, but not the same drawer as human medicine. A cat that chews through a blister pack of a common painkiller is an emergency within 2 hours, and the toxic plant and product list is faster than a search engine when you need to know whether 1 tablet is a problem.
Two caregivers, one page
Shared care fails when each person keeps their own memory. Put 1 sheet on the fridge, 1 photo of the current page on each phone, and a rule that the person who gives the dose writes it before standing up. A 7-day course at 2 doses a day is 14 entries; count them at the end of the week, and if the sheet shows 11, that is the first thing to tell the vet at the recheck, ahead of how the cat looks.
What to bring to the recheck
Bring the sheet, the bottle with its label, and 3 numbers: doses given out of doses prescribed, the weight today, and the date of the last dose. A clinic can change a plan in 2 minutes with those 3 numbers and 10 minutes without them.
Frequently asked
What should a cat medication log contain?
Six fields: drug name and strength, dose in mg and in ml, time given, route, reaction, and the course end plus recheck date. Keep the column order fixed so anyone can read the page at 02:00, and count the entries at the end of a 7-day course.
How late can a twice-daily dose be before I skip it?
Under 6 hours late, give it and shift the next dose to keep a 12-hour gap. Over 6 hours late, skip it and stay on the original clock. Never give 2 doses at once, since the doubled peak is what drives vomiting and worse with some drugs.
When should I stop the medicine without waiting for the vet?
Three lines: a reaction such as more than 3 vomits in 24 hours, facial swelling, breathing over 40 per minute, yellow gums or a seizure; the written course end date; and a bad bottle that is expired, cloudy, discolored, or open past 14 days.