You've noticed your cat barely touches the water bowl, or did the skin-pinch test and it didn't snap back the way you expected. The question is "is this enough to need a vet, or something I can watch for a day?" PetHealthLog lets you log the skin-tent and gum checks, note water intake, appetite and litter box output, and watch whether the signs are easing or building - so you can tell a quick fix from something that needs help. Free, no account, works offline.
Start tracking - it's freeIf the skin over your cat's shoulders stays up in a tent and does not fall back, that can mean serious dehydration - contact your vet or an emergency clinic now. Call right away too if your cat has stopped drinking entirely, is vomiting repeatedly or has ongoing diarrhoea, is passing little or no urine, is straining in the litter box (a male cat passing little or nothing is a particular emergency), has sunken eyes, or seems weak, collapsed or very lethargic. Dehydration is usually a sign of another problem, so a cat that seems dehydrated and unwell needs to be seen, not watched. This tracker is for keeping a record, not for delaying care when a cat is clearly struggling.
Veterinary sources describe a couple of simple checks owners can do at home. The skin-tent test: gently lift the loose skin over the shoulder blades and let go - in a well-hydrated cat it springs straight back, while skin that settles slowly can suggest dehydration. The gum check: lift the lip and touch the gums, which should feel wet and slippery, not dry or tacky. Alongside those, you might notice sunken eyes, low energy, less interest in food, or fewer and smaller clumps in the litter tray.
The catch is that one check, done once, is easy to misread. An older cat, or one that has recently lost weight, can have a slower skin tent that is normal for them. Gums can feel different depending on how you check. So a single "I think the skin was a bit slow" is hard to act on. What actually helps is the same check repeated over time, next to the basics - is the water bowl going down, is your cat eating, are there normal clumps in the box - so you can see a direction rather than a one-off impression.
PetHealthLog is free, asks for no account and works offline, so each time you check you can record the skin-tent result, how the gums felt, roughly how much your cat has drunk, and what the litter box looks like. The trend is right there: easing reassures you, building tells you it's time to call.
A log only helps if it is quick to fill in and turns scattered checks into something you can read. Here is how PetHealthLog handles both.
Note each time you do the shoulder skin-pinch and whether it snapped back quickly or settled slowly, with a time stamp. One check is hard to judge; the same check across a day or two shows a direction.
Record whether the gums felt moist and slippery or dry and tacky. It's a quick, repeatable check, and a written note beats trying to remember "did they feel a bit dry yesterday?"
Add a quick note on roughly how much your cat has drunk, whether it is still eating, and whether it seems bright or flat. A cat going off both food and water reads very differently from one that is just a bit fussy at the bowl.
Note whether there are normal urine clumps, fewer and smaller ones, or none. Output is one of the clearest everyday clues to how well-hydrated a cat is, and a vet will ask about it.
Export a clean PDF of the checks, intake notes and litter box observations with their dates. If you do end up at the clinic, the conversation starts from a real record instead of "I think she's been drinking less, and the skin test seemed a bit slow."
General guidance from veterinary sources - when in doubt, call. The tracker helps you spot these, it does not decide them.
Once a vet has checked your cat and ruled out a medical cause, many owners try simple changes to encourage drinking. A pet water fountain appeals to cats that prefer moving water, several wide shallow bowls placed away from food and litter give more chances to sip, and - if your vet agrees it suits your cat - more wet food carries plenty of water in each meal. None of these treat dehydration or replace a vet's assessment, and none should be used to put off care when a cat seems unwell - they just help with everyday intake while your vet handles the cause.
These search links show popular options on Amazon. They are everyday hydration extras - whether your cat's dehydration needs a vet is a question for your vet.
Water fountains → Wide cat bowls → Wet food →#ad - affiliate links: as an Amazon Associate, PetHealthLog may earn from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you. Informational only, not veterinary advice.
You check your cat at odd moments - the water bowl that looks untouched at night, a quick skin-pinch when you're worried, a glance at the litter tray in the morning. The last thing that should stand between you and noting it down is a login screen or a spinning loader.
PetHealthLog stores everything locally on your device. There is no account to create, nothing is uploaded to a server, and there is no tracking. It opens instantly, lets you log a check or note intake whether or not you are online, and keeps the data yours. You can export a backup any time and restore it on another phone.
Free, offline, and ready the moment you open it.
Start with PetHealthLogTo follow exactly how much your cat drinks each day over time, log intake and spot a rising or falling trend.
If your cat has also gone off its food, switch to logging meals and appetite - a cat that stops eating needs prompt attention.
If the problem is drinking far more than usual rather than too little, track intake to share a clear pattern with your vet.
If vomiting is driving fluid loss, log each episode and what came up so the picture is clear at the clinic.
For a cat managing kidney disease, where hydration matters a lot, track diet, water and how it is doing between visits.