how-to
How to Leave Instructions for Your Cat Sitter
Last Updated: November 6, 2026
Quick Summary
To learn how to leave instructions for your cat sitter, start with one page covering your contact details and home access, then add a written feeding and medication schedule, a visit-by-visit checklist, and a short emergency page listing who to call and what you authorize. Keep it to two pages, walk your sitter through everything in person, and text a photo of the sheet.
- Write exact portions in cups or can sizes, not vague scoops.
- Build a visit-by-visit log with initials and timestamps, not one reused list.
- Group warning signs into three tiers: call owner, call vet, or go to emergency now.
- A male cat straining to pee with no urine is a fatal emergency within a day or two.
- Do a 20-minute in-person walkthrough a day or two before you leave.
Table of Contents
- Start With the Basics: Owner Contact Details and Home Access
- Build Your Cat Sitter Feeding and Medication Schedule
- Use a Cat Sitter Checklist So Nothing Gets Skipped
- Write Cat Sitter Emergency Instructions Before You Pack
- Grab a Cat Sitter Instructions Template and Fill It In
- Cover Litter Box, Water, and Household Details
- Walk Your Sitter Through Everything Before You Leave
- Book Your Cat Sitter and Hand Off Your Instructions
- Frequently Asked Questions
Start With the Basics: Owner Contact Details and Home Access
Learning how to leave instructions for your cat sitter starts with two things: how to reach you and how to get inside.
At Tracy's Kitty Care, we ask every client to put this on one page first.
Your contact sheet should include:
- Your cell number and a backup number
- Email and a messaging app handle if you use one
- Flight or travel details, including return date and time
Note your time zone if you travel far, a 9 a.m. text your time may wake you at 3 a.m.
Walk the entry yourself before you leave and test the key and deadbolt.
Build Your Cat Sitter Feeding and Medication Schedule
A cat sitter feeding and medication schedule is a written table showing what your cat eats, how much, when, and any meds with exact doses and times. Put it on the fridge and text a copy to your sitter.
Cats thrive on routine. A missed meal or a late dose shows up fast.
Portion Sizes, Food Brand, and Where the Food Lives
Write the brand, the exact formula, and the amount in measurable terms. "One scoop" means nothing.
Spell out these details:
- Wet food, dry food, or both, with brand and formula
- Exact portion per meal, using cups or can sizes
- Where the food is stored, including the cabinet or closet
If your cat grazes, say so. If food goes down at set times and comes up after 20 minutes, say that too.
Watch out: if you free-feed one cat and ration another, a sitter who mixes the bowls will cause a fight or a diet slip.
Medication Dosage, Timing, and What to Do If a Dose Is Missed
Medication instructions need more detail than any other part of the sheet: drug name, dose, time, route, and what to do if something goes wrong.
Include these lines for each medication:
- Name, dose, and how it's given (pill, liquid, injection, topical)
- Exact times, morning and night
- Where the meds are kept and how to hide them
For liquid meds, practical tips for giving liquid medication to cats help owners write steps a sitter can follow without guesswork.
If your cat needs insulin or injections, confirm with your sitter before you book that they can handle it. For cats on medication, choose a cat sitter for medication with a vetting process that confirms the sitter can give doses correctly.
Use a Cat Sitter Checklist So Nothing Gets Skipped
A cat sitter checklist is a one-page list of every task for each visit, with a checkbox beside each item. Most checklists fail by day three: a single undated list gets reused, boxes get checked from memory, and nobody can tell whether the 7 a.m. feeding actually happened.
Build yours as a visit-by-visit log instead of one master list. Print one row per visit for the length of your trip, or set up a shared note the sitter can edit from their phone. Each row should capture the same fields so patterns are visible at a glance:
- Date and visit window (for example, "Tue 11/10, 7-8 a.m.")
- Food given: amount, brand, and whether the bowl was washed
- Water refreshed: bowl or fountain, and whether the fountain was topped off
That last column is the one owners skip and later wish they had. Initials and timestamps create a record you can compare against your cat's normal patterns when you get home.
What the Sitter Should Send After Each Visit
Ask for a short, structured update rather than a free-form text: a photo of the cat (eating, playing, or resting, not just hiding), a one-line status on food, water, litter, and meds, and a flag for anything unusual. Ask for it within 30 minutes of leaving, while details are fresh.
A common failure is the sitter who sends "all good" every day and then reveals on day five that the cat stopped eating on day two. Tell your sitter explicitly: report changes the same day, even small ones. A cat that usually finishes breakfast and leaves half is a data point worth a text.
Visit-by-Visit Checklist for Drop-In Versus Overnight Care
Drop-in visits and overnight stays need different checklists. Drop-in care is task-completion focused: arrive, feed, water, scoop, meds, play, observe, secure the house, send the update, lock up.
For cats with special needs, a cat sitter checklist for special needs cats gives you a ready-made version to copy, including fields for mobility, seizure logs, and subcutaneous fluids.
Watch out: a checklist that lives only on the fridge gets ignored once the sitter is juggling three other clients. Text a photo of the completed first visit back to the owner and ask them to confirm it looks right, that one exchange sets the standard for the rest of the trip.
Write Cat Sitter Emergency Instructions Before You Pack
Cat sitter emergency instructions are the page a sitter grabs when something goes wrong: who to call, in what order, and what you authorize. Write them before you pack.
List these contacts in order, with the phone number written out rather than saved only in a phone:
- Your cell, then a backup number
- A neighbor or nearby relative who can reach the house and has a spare key
- Your regular vet, with address and phone
Call your vet's front desk before you travel to ask whether they want written consent, a credit card on file, or a stated spending cap, because policy varies by practice.
Consider setting a spending limit in the letter. Write the cap as a number, not a range.
Decision Thresholds: Call, Drive, or Wait
A list of symptoms is not enough. Your sitter needs to know what to do with each one.
Call the owner first, then the vet if no answer within 15 minutes:
- One episode of vomiting or diarrhea in an otherwise bright cat
- A skipped meal but normal energy and litter box use
- Mild limping or a small cut
Call the vet during business hours, and the owner immediately:
- Not eating for more than 24 hours
- Repeated vomiting or diarrhea (more than two episodes in a day)
- Straining in the litter box with little or no urine produced
Go to the 24-hour emergency vet now, and call the owner on the way:
- Trouble breathing or open-mouth breathing
- A male cat straining to pee with no urine, this is a urethral blockage and is fatal within a day or two if untreated
- A cat that cannot stand or is having a seizure
A male cat straining to pee is an emergency, not a litter box problem. Say that in bold on the sheet, with the emergency vet's address in bold beside it.
For the deeper safety prep, how to ensure cat safety with a sitter covers hazards room by room.
Home Access Troubleshooting
Most emergency calls start with a sitter who cannot get in. Add a short access-failure block to the emergency page:
- What to do if the key sticks or the deadbolt will not turn (jiggle technique, which door to try second)
- The alarm code, the shutoff steps, and the monitoring company's phone number
- Who else has a key and can be called (neighbor, relative, building manager)
Watch out: an alarm that trips and is not shut off within the monitoring company's window brings police or a private responder, and the sitter may be charged a false-alarm fee. Write the shutoff steps in order and have the sitter practice them at the walkthrough.
Group the warning signs into three tiers so your sitter knows whether to call, drive, or wait.
| Tier | Warning signs | Action |
|---|---|---|
| Call owner first | One vomit or diarrhea episode, skipped meal, mild limping, extra hiding | Then vet if no answer within 15 minutes |
| Call vet in business hours | Not eating over 24 hours, repeated vomiting, straining with little urine, collapse | Call owner immediately too |
| Go to emergency vet now | Trouble breathing, male cat straining to pee, seizure, suspected poisoning, hit by car | Call owner on the way |
Grab a Cat Sitter Instructions Template and Fill It In
A cat sitter instructions template is a fill-in-the-blank form that covers contact details, feeding, meds, litter, and emergencies on two pages. Use one template, fill it once, and update it before each trip.
Here is the template we hand our own clients. Copy it into a document and fill in the blanks.
Page 1: Daily Care
- Owner name: ______ Cell: ______ Backup: ______
- Cat name, age, and a one-line temperament note: ______
- Food brand and formula: ______
Page 2: Home and Emergencies
- Key or code and how to use it: ______
- Alarm code and shutoff steps: ______
- Vet name, address, phone: ______
Two pages, one pen, ten minutes. Keep a copy on the fridge and text a photo to your sitter.
Cover Litter Box, Water, and Household Details
The small stuff is where visits go sideways. Litter, water, and house quirks deserve their own section.
For the litter box, write:
- How many boxes and where they sit
- Litter brand and how deep to fill it
- How often to scoop, and where waste goes
For water, note the bowl or fountain, where it lives, and how often to refresh it. Fountains need a top-off and a quick rinse. Say so.
Then add the house notes:
- Trash day and bin location
- Plants to water, and plants the cat chews
- Rooms to keep closed
Watch out: a cat that bolts for an open door is the most common sitter headache. Write "close the door behind you before you set anything down" in plain words.
Walk Your Sitter Through Everything Before You Leave
A handoff walkthrough is a 20-minute meeting where you show the sitter the house, the food, the meds, and the cat.
Most problems trace back to a skipped walkthrough.
During the walkthrough:
- Walk the entry and test the key and alarm
- Open the food cabinet and show the portions
- Demo any medication, and watch the sitter do it once
- Show the litter setup and where supplies live
- Point out the emergency page and the signed letter
- Let the cat meet the sitter on the cat's terms
Skip the forced introduction. A shy cat will hide, and that's fine. Tell the sitter where the cat hides so they don't panic on day one.
Finish with a quick text test. Send one message each way so you both have the number saved.
Book Your Cat Sitter and Hand Off Your Instructions
The best instruction sheet in the world only works with a sitter you trust to follow it.
Tracy's Kitty Care sits cats in their own homes, and only cats.
Our 30-minute visits cover feeding, fresh water, litter box cleaning, and playtime or attention, for $30.00.
Ready to hand off the sheet? View our cat sitting service and pricing and pick your dates.
Your cat can't read the instructions, so the sitter has to.
Frequently Asked Questions
What should I include in cat sitter instructions?
At minimum, cover your cat's feeding schedule, portion sizes, food brand and location, fresh water routine, litter box setup, any medications with dosage and timing, your vet's contact details and authorization for emergency care, your own contact information and travel dates, a backup emergency contact, and home access details like a spare key. Add your cat's temperament, handling preferences, and favorite games so the sitter can keep her comfortable. A written cat sitter checklist keeps you from forgetting any of these sections.
How do I write a feeding and medication schedule for my cat sitter?
List each meal and dose by time of day, not by vague labels like morning or evening. Write the exact portion in cups or cans, the food brand, and where it is stored. For medications, note the drug name, dose, method of administration, and what to do if a dose is missed or vomited. If your cat needs insulin or pills, confirm with your sitter in advance that they handle medication, and leave written contingency steps so they are not guessing while you are unreachable.
What emergency information should I leave for my cat sitter?
Include your veterinarian's name, phone number, and office hours, plus the nearest 24-hour emergency veterinary clinic. Write a short authorization note stating you approve emergency treatment up to a set dollar amount, and leave a payment method on file with the clinic if possible. Add a neighbor or nearby relative who can act on your behalf, your own reachable phone number, and a list of cat-specific warning signs, such as not eating for 24 hours, labored breathing, or repeated vomiting, that mean the sitter should call the vet immediately rather than wait.
Should I leave written instructions or just tell my cat sitter verbally?
Leave both. A verbal walkthrough before you go lets the sitter ask questions, and a printed or shared digital sheet gives them something to reference at every drop-in visit. Written instructions matter most for medications, portion sizes, and emergency contacts, where a misremembered detail can cause real harm. Keep the sheet in one consistent spot, such as on the kitchen counter, and send a copy by text or email so the sitter has it on their phone too.
