Pet Care Checklist Before Leaving Your Pet With a Sitter

The night before a trip is not the time to be hunting for the vet’s phone number or trying to remember which cabinet the cat food is in. After a lot of first visits, I’ve noticed the households that feel calmest while they’re away are almost always the ones who spent twenty minutes prepping before they left  not because they did anything fancy, just because nothing was left to guesswork.

This is the checklist I actually use with new clients, built around the things that trip people up most often.

Start With the Meet-and-Greet, Not the Night Before

Every new client goes through a required meet-and-greet before their first paid visit. This isn’t just a formality  it’s where most of this checklist gets handled in one sitting, in person, instead of over a rushed phone call the day before you leave. I walk through your pet’s routine, meet them where they’re comfortable, and see the house so nothing is a surprise on visit day.

If you’re booking for the first time, reaching out to schedule a meet-and-greet a week or two before your trip gives both of us time to actually prepare instead of scrambling.

Supplies to Set Out

Pets do better with less disruption, so keeping their usual food, litter, and gear where they normally live is part of the plan. Set these out somewhere obvious so a sitter isn’t opening cabinets guessing:

• Food (premeasured portions save time and prevent overfeeding)
• Leash, harness, and collar with ID tag for dogs
• Litter, scoop, and extra litter box liners for cats
• Any medications, with dosage and timing written down even if we’ve already discussed it verbally
• Treats, toys, and bedding your pet is already used to

Paperwork That Actually Matters

A few documents make a real difference if anything unexpected comes up:

Vaccination records. All pets need to be current on core vaccinations before service starts  for dogs that’s rabies, DHPP, and Bordetella; for cats it’s rabies and FVRCP. If your pet’s records have lapsed, get that handled with your vet before your trip, not the morning you’re leaving.

A completed profile form. A filled-out dog profile form or cat profile form covers routine, personality, feeding amounts, and quirks in writing, so nothing depends on memory during a visit.

A medical care sheet, if relevant. For pets on medication or with an ongoing condition, a medical care sheet spells out dosage, timing, and what to watch for. This one matters more than people expect  I’d rather have too much detail than guess at a dosage.

Vet contact information. Your regular vet’s name and number, plus who to use if they can’t be reached. I keep a local 24/7 emergency vet on hand for exactly that situation, but knowing your preferred vet first matters.

Home Access and Household Details

This is the category people forget most often, usually because it feels obvious to someone who lives there every day:

• How you’d like the home secured  key, lockbox, or door code
• Trash and recycling day, if you’d like bins taken out
• Whether mail and packages should be brought inside (a standard part of visits)
• Any plants that need watering
• Alarm codes or anything a sitter needs to disarm or reset on entry
• Where the fuse box or water shutoff is, just in case

Communication Expectations

Set expectations for how you’ll hear from your sitter. After every visit, I send an update covering activity, bathroom routine, and whether your pet ate or drank normally  plus anything out of the ordinary the moment I notice it, not saved up for the next report. It’s worth telling your sitter your preferred way to be reached while you’re away, especially if you’re somewhere with spotty service or a big time difference.

The Emergency Plan

Nobody wants to think about this part, but it’s the one that matters most if something does go wrong. Before you leave, make sure your sitter knows:

• Your preferred vet and their hours
• A backup emergency vet, in case something happens after-hours
• Whether you want to be contacted first before any decision is made, or whether your sitter has authorization to act immediately in a true emergency

My own policy is simple: if anything happens, I call you first and figure out next steps together. If your pet needs to get to an emergency vet right away, I’ll get them there safely and reach out as soon as possible. Having this settled ahead of time  rather than figured out mid-crisis  is exactly the kind of thing that’s covered in the FAQs if you want more detail before your first booking.

A Final Walkthrough Before You Go

Right before you leave, do one last pass: food and litter set out, medications labeled, profile forms handed over, house key or code confirmed, and your travel dates and contact info written down somewhere your sitter can reference. It takes ten minutes and it’s the difference between a sitter who has to guess and one who can just focus on your pet.

Frequently Asked Questions

How far in advance should I book a pet sitter?

As early as you can, especially around holidays. Availability isn’t guaranteed, and earlier booking means more time for a proper meet-and-greet before your trip.

Do I need to leave a written schedule, or is a conversation enough?

A conversation is a great start, but writing down feeding times, medication schedules, and routine details  through a profile or medical care form  means nothing relies on memory days later.

What if my pet needs medication mid-trip that wasn’t part of the original plan?

Let your sitter know as soon as it changes. Medication administration, oral or topical, is part of standard visits, but the details need to be updated in writing.

Should I leave my vet’s info even if nothing’s wrong with my pet?

Yes, always. It’s one of the first things needed in an emergency, and it’s far better to have it on hand and never need it than to be searching for it under pressure.

Will I get updates while I’m gone even if everything is going fine?

Yes. You’ll get an update after every visit, whether it’s routine or not, so you’re never wondering how things are going.

Ready to Get Started?

If you’re preparing for your first booking, the best next step is a meet-and-greet  that’s where we’ll go through this checklist together in person and build a care plan around your pet’s real routine, so you can leave with one less thing to worry about.

To make this even easier, fill in the Dog Profile Form or Cat Profile Form, and see my Emergency Contact Policy for the contacts I need on file.