Write Cat Sitter Notes That Survive a Busy Weekend

It is late on Friday. Your cat sitter has found the bowl but can't see a measuring scoop. A text from you says the scoop is “where we keep the food,” and there are three closed containers on the same shelf. The sitter eventually finds the scoop in the smaller container, then wonders whether the bowl on the counter belongs to the cat or the dog. This is the sort of problem a short set of instructions can solve, provided it describes the house as another person will find it.

A useful sitter sheet fits the job. One person visiting twice a day needs a different plan from a friend staying in the spare room. Start by listing the things the sitter must accomplish on every visit, then put the unusual decisions on a separate line or in a small section. If the cat gets an individual care plan from a veterinarian, leave the actual written plan and walk through it with the person who will carry it out. A last-minute message is a poor substitute for a handoff about anything they are expected to do precisely.

Use the words a stranger can match to the room

“Food is in the utility cupboard” may be enough when there is one cupboard and it has no other purpose. For a shared cupboard, write “sealed blue tub on the middle shelf beside the spare paper towels.” Use the same description on the page and the container. Put the clean bowl in its feeding spot, then show what should go back in the cupboard after use. If there are identical bowls for two cats with different routines, mark the bowls and the feeding places distinctly.

Leave the scoop with its own food and include the amount and timing you actually follow. If the portion is written by weight, leave a working scale and show the sitter how to zero it with the bowl on top. If the sitter uses a can, show where the rest of an opened can goes and how you label it. Keep unnecessary extras out of the way so a person who is late for work can complete the care without choosing among six treat bags.

Write where the litter supplies are and where to put the waste. “Take it out” could mean a bin in the kitchen, a covered one outside, or the building's designated disposal area. Show how the relevant door locks and which key to take. Explain whether the cat can be in the entry while the sitter does this. One detail about a self-locking door can save a difficult visit on a rainy morning.

Describe a normal visit from the cat's side

A cat may be on the sofa before you get your coat off and spend the whole first sitter visit behind the bed. Put down the normal hiding places and the ones you would want checked if the cat doesn't appear. Ask the sitter to look quietly without reaching inside a retreat. If a daily visual check is important, show which positions let someone see the cat without moving a heavy piece of furniture or sending them deeper into the space.

Leave a little information about what the cat chooses when comfortable. One may come over after a person sits at the kitchen table for a minute. Another might prefer an invitation to chase a toy several feet away rather than a hand held directly over their head. Show how to start the activity and where to put the toy away. If your cat likes short bursts of interaction, tell the sitter that a few minutes is normal. It can save both of them an awkward half hour of attempted petting.

Make a plain rule about doors and windows. For example, keep the cat inside and secure the entry door before carrying in groceries. If the apartment has a screened porch, state whether the cat is ever allowed on it and the conditions under which it stays closed. Even a familiar visitor may assume an open screen is part of the usual routine. Point out any interior doors that need to stay open so the cat can get to water or litter after the sitter leaves.

Give exceptions a place on the page

Put the name and contact details of the regular clinic where the sitter can find them without unlocking your phone. Include the local urgent care option and an alternate person who can answer questions or help with transport if you are unreachable. Leave clear arrangements for veterinary authorization, transport, and payment with the sitter and clinic as appropriate. Keep the carrier accessible and show how it opens. If it is normally on a high shelf, move it somewhere the sitter can reach.

Separate updates you would like to hear from anything that calls for prompt professional advice. A note about where the cat napped can wait until the end of the day. If the sitter is worried about the cat's health, the sheet should tell them whom to call even if your plane has landed late and your phone is off. Ask the sitter to describe what happened and when instead of guessing at a cause. That is useful both for you and for anyone giving them advice.

Write down any household issue that could interrupt the visit. Who has a spare key if the main one sticks? What will the building do if the electronic entrance fails? Which person knows how to reset the lock if it needs attention? Share security details directly with the sitter and only as needed. A printed note left on a table is a poor place for information that would let someone outside the household enter later.

Put the date at the top of the sheet so a sitter can distinguish this trip from the instructions you left last winter.

Walk through the first visit in daylight

Invite the sitter over when there is enough time to practice the entrance. Let them do the routine while you follow quietly. They should be able to identify the food, start a meal, find the litter supplies, and close the apartment without waiting for you to reach across and fix something. If you find yourself using the phrase “Oh, you have to lift that first,” write the missing action down. Check the same cupboard, container, and door the sitter will use during the weekend.

If they will arrive after dark, show where the light comes on. A hallway switch hidden behind a bookcase may be obvious once you live there and awkward when you are holding a bag. Place supplies in a well-lit area and clear the path the sitter will use. If there is a security alarm, test the authorized entry together rather than leaving a series of instructions to try for the first time while the countdown is running.

Give the sitter the dates and a practical communication plan. “One text after the evening visit” usually covers ordinary updates. Use a shared record when several people are rotating visits. Each person can mark the time, whether the cat ate, where they saw them, and any supply that is running out. A photo can be helpful when showing a broken latch or an unfamiliar spill. A camera aimed at the cat all evening creates more information than most people need and can raise privacy concerns for the sitter.

If the sitter is caring for two cats, let the walkthrough reveal where their visits diverge. One may walk straight to the kitchen while the other follows a separate route to a bedroom. Point out which empty bowl proves that each cat has had its own meal. When the cats use the same tray, a sitter can describe what they see without assigning it to an animal they did not observe. Write the names next to the reliable observations. A simple line such as “saw Juniper on the chair” travels better between shifts than “one of them was out when I got there.”

Make the last page useful when you return

Before you leave, write down when you expect to return and whether someone will cover the next visit if you are delayed. If Saturday's sitter is finished after breakfast on Sunday and you are due home that afternoon, decide who can give the evening meal if the trip runs late. Make sure everyone knows who will confirm the change. Leaving vague instructions with two people can produce two meals or none at all.

When you get home, ask what took longer than expected. The sitter may have filled the water bowl easily but had to turn on two lights to find the litter scoop. They may also have discovered that the cat emerges from the spare room when they sit quietly at the table. Update the one page while the details are fresh. The next trip starts with a document that reflects what a person actually did in the house.

The best version does not require the sitter to remember a tour they took weeks ago. It gives them the address of each essential object in the room, a short picture of the cat's usual visit, and a clear decision to make when plans change. Those details can be written on one readable sheet. Leave it where the sitter stops first, and keep a copy you can refer to if the weekend produces a question neither of you anticipated.