A whirlwind of responsibilities often leaves many tasks unattended, from household chores to essential appointments. Amidst the chaos, one priority remains unwavering: the health of beloved pets. For a devoted cat owner, the urgency of managing vaccination schedules and health notes became apparent when a miscalculation nearly led to missed vet appointments. The quest for an effective reminder system led to the discovery of Notion, a versatile tool that has proven to be the perfect ally in pet care management.
What do you use Notion for?
- Mostly productivity and tasks.
- Creating niche pages for daily life.
- I don’t use Notion.
Why I turned to Notion for my pet care app
While the Google Play Store boasts a plethora of pet care applications, many fall short in functionality. The most comprehensive option, PetDesk, was unavailable in my region, leaving me to explore alternatives. Some apps were riddled with bugs, while others lacked the ability to manage multiple pet profiles or the specific features I required.
Having dabbled in self-hosting, I opted against that route for accessibility reasons. Instead, I turned to Notion, a platform primarily recognized for productivity but rich with customizable templates suitable for niche applications. Already utilizing it for medication tracking, I appreciated its reminders feature and cross-device compatibility. Moreover, the option to publish pages for sharing added an extra layer of utility.
I wanted a solution that can sync across devices, track expenses, and set reminders.
With shared expenses for my cats alongside my ex, a dedicated expenses table was essential. Notion’s robust database capabilities allowed me to record and visualize this data effectively. Most importantly, the ability to set reminders and document health incidents was crucial, especially given my cat’s recent diagnosis of Stage 2 Chronic Kidney disease. Monitoring her condition and behavior changes, along with managing her arthritis and hairball treatments, became a priority. My other cat, nearing 10 years old, also necessitated careful tracking of his health as he ages. Thus, Notion emerged as the ideal solution.
Setting up my pet care page in Notion
Instead of starting from scratch, I explored various Notion templates to identify one that best suited my needs. Ultimately, I chose the Pet Care Planner template by Notion Octopus as my foundation. After removing unnecessary demo data and sections, I tailored it to focus on health-related information and expenses, eliminating features irrelevant to my two indoor cats.
I started with the Pet Care Planner template, then tweaked the page and set up additional databases for the ideal setup.
Next, I created profiles for my cats, Black Velvet (BV) and Loxi, incorporating their photographs, medication details, and notes from recent vet visits. Adjusting filters and views allowed me to prioritize the information most pertinent to my needs. I modified the currency for the expenses database and streamlined the transaction list for monthly tracking, transitioning data from my previous Google Sheet with ease. Additionally, I logged upcoming vet appointments and set reminders for notifications.
Limitations I had to keep in mind
Despite its impressive capabilities, Notion does have limitations to consider. As a free user, I faced restrictions on certain automations and the number of charts available. Streamlining the template for mobile viewing was also necessary, particularly on my Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7, where the layout wasn’t perfectly optimized for smaller screens.
There are some drawbacks to using Notion’s free plan, as well as some considerations when using templates on your phone.
Nonetheless, for critical tasks like adding notes and reminders, Notion performed admirably on my smartphone. In recent weeks, I have successfully documented my pets’ health incidents, including a recent episode with Loxi, all without needing to power on my PC. This efficiency has alleviated the burden of relying on memory or setting reminders for later documentation.
While the solution may not be flawless, it provides peace of mind in tracking my cats’ health reliably. Future plans include expanding the template to incorporate pet-related chores on a scheduled basis. For those struggling to find a suitable app, exploring Notion’s diverse templates and databases could unlock new organizational possibilities.
