Start with the cat's stability, not the owners' fairness
A shared cat living between two homes does best when the written plan protects her routines first. Agree how often she moves, on which days, and at what time of day, because a cat moved late at night after a busy evening arrives stressed and hides. Many cats do better with longer stays in each home rather than a rapid alternation, so write the pattern you will actually follow and a rule for changes, such as swaps agreed in advance except in an emergency. Name one home as her base for veterinary care, so her records, vaccinations, and ongoing treatment stay with one clinic that knows her whole story.
The transfer itself needs its own paragraph
Write down exactly how a handover works: she travels in her own carrier with a familiar blanket, her food and any medicine travel with her or are stocked in both homes, and the receiving home has her litter tray, scratching place, and a quiet room ready before she arrives. Note how she behaves on arrival, how long she usually takes to settle, and what each home does if she refuses food for the first day. If either home has other animals or children, write the introduction rules once, clearly, rather than renegotiating them at every visit. Consistency at the doorway is what turns two houses into two homes she recognizes.
Feeding, costs, and daily care, spelled out
Drift between homes is the quiet enemy: one home feeds a little more, the other changes the food, and soon nobody knows what she actually eats. The plan should name her diet, portions, feeding times, treats, and litter type, with a rule that neither home changes them without telling the other. Then cover money honestly: who pays for food, litter, insurance, routine vet care, and emergencies, or how each cost is split, and how receipts are shared. Include who handles flea prevention, nail trims, and carrier practice, so tasks are owned rather than assumed.
Decisions, emergencies, and information flow
Write who can authorize urgent treatment, how quickly the other person is told, and what happens if they cannot be reached. Agree that vet visit summaries, test results, and changes in appetite, litter habits, or behavior are shared the same day, with photos or a short note rather than a summary weeks later. Name what happens if one owner travels, moves farther away, or can no longer keep her, and review the plan after any big change in her health or either household. A written disagreement path, even a simple pause and revisit in a week, protects the friendship the arrangement depends on.
One shared version, kept current
Keep the plan as a single shared document with a date on it, not two diverging copies, and update it whenever her diet, medicine, or vet changes. Both homes should hold her chip details, clinic number, and emergency contact in the same form. When the information lives in one place, handovers stop relying on memory and text threads. That shared footing is what KinsLe Family Sharing supports, keeping your cat's profile and care information visible to the people in both homes.