Measure breathing the way vets mean it: resting and undisturbed
Resting breathing only counts when your cat is asleep or deeply relaxed and has not just been playing, eating, or startled. Watch the chest rise and fall — one rise and fall is one breath — and count for a full minute, or count for thirty seconds and double it, noting which method you used. Do this on three separate calm occasions and record all three figures with their times of day.
Write down the context beside the number: asleep on the sofa, warm room, after an active evening. A breathing count without context cannot be compared later, because a higher count on a hot afternoon after play means something entirely different from the same count at rest. Note also the character of the breathing — quiet and even, audible, with effort — in plain words.
Record appetite as amount, eagerness, and timing
Appetite is more than whether the bowl ends up empty. For one ordinary week, note what is offered, how much is left, how quickly your cat comes to the bowl, and whether she asks for more afterwards. Record treats and any scavenging honestly, since a cat leaving meals while filling up elsewhere is a different picture from a cat genuinely eating less.
Convert that week into a short summary line: typical amount per meal, usual enthusiasm, normal pattern across the day. That summary, not seven days of raw notes, is the baseline a vet can use — but keep the raw week behind it in case detail is ever wanted.
Describe play level in time and intensity
Play baselines are usually remembered fondly and inaccurately, so measure them. Across a few normal days, note how many play sessions happen, roughly how long each lasts, and what intensity looks like for this cat — full chasing and pouncing, or batting from a lying position, which is normal for many older cats. Note favourite triggers and the usual time of day.
Record also the non-play activity that surrounds it: greeting behaviour, exploring, watching birds, following you between rooms. A future decline often shows first in these quiet activities while formal play still looks normal, and a baseline that includes them catches the change earlier.
Store the baseline where comparisons will actually happen
A baseline only earns its keep if it is found at the moment of comparison — usually at a vet appointment when something has changed. Keep the summary with your cat's other health records, date it, and refresh it after any major life change: a house move, a new pet, a significant weight change, or simply once a year for a healthy adult cat, more often for a senior.
When you do notice a change, write the new observation beside the baseline with its date rather than replacing the old entry. The pair — normal then, different now, over this interval — is exactly the information that turns a vague worry into a useful consultation.
Held in KinsLe's Pet Passport, that breathing, appetite, and play baseline travels with your cat's other records as one packet, so any vet seeing her can judge a change against her own documented normal, not a textbook average.