What to tell your pet sitter: the complete handover list

Everything a sitter needs to know before you leave, from feeding amounts to the vet’s number, so they never have to text you to ask.

Most pet sitting problems are not emergencies. They are small gaps in information: how much food is "a scoop", whether the cat is allowed outside, where the spare lead is. Each gap turns into a text message, and a few of those on day one can make a sitter feel unsure and an owner feel anxious on holiday.

The fix is a proper handover. Here is what to cover, roughly in the order a sitter will need it.

1. Contacts first

• Your phone number with country code, and the times you can actually answer.
• Your regular vet: clinic name, phone number and address.
• The nearest 24-hour emergency vet, in case something happens at night or on a weekend.
• A backup person who knows your pet and can step in if the sitter gets ill.
• How much the sitter may spend on vet care without reaching you first.

That last point feels awkward to write down, but it saves a stressful decision if your pet needs treatment and you are on a flight.

2. Food, in exact amounts

"Feed her twice a day" leaves too much open. Write the brand, the amount in grams or cups, the times, and where the food is stored. Say which treats are allowed and how many. If your pet is a fast eater, a picky eater or on a special diet, say so, along with what is normal: some dogs skip a meal on the first day without you, and a sitter who knows that will not panic.

3. Medicine

For each medicine, list the name, the dose, the time of day and how to give it. "Hide the tablet in a small piece of cheese" is the kind of detail that makes the difference between a pill swallowed and a pill found under the sofa a week later. Leave enough medicine for the whole stay plus a couple of extra days in case your return is delayed.

4. Walks, play and toilet

• How long and how often to walk, and the usual route.
• Whether your dog can be off the lead, and where.
• Recall reliability: be honest if your dog does not come back when called.
• For cats: litter tray location, how often to clean it, and whether they go outside.

5. Habits, fears and rules

Is your pet allowed on the bed? Scared of fireworks, bikes or other dogs? Known to eat socks? This section is where you prevent the most common mishaps. It is also worth listing foods that are dangerous for pets, because a well-meaning sitter may not know them. Chocolate, grapes and raisins, onions, garlic and the sweetener xylitol are all toxic to dogs, and lilies are very dangerous for cats.

6. The house

Keys, door codes, the alarm, Wi-Fi, which bins go out on which day, plants that need water and where the cleaning supplies are kept. The sitter is looking after your home as well as your pet, so make it easy.

7. What you would like to hear

Agree on updates before you leave. One photo and a line each evening is plenty for most people. Saying it up front means the sitter knows what you expect, and you will not sit refreshing your messages wondering whether everything is fine.

Put it on one sheet

A handover only works if the sitter can find the information when they need it. Our free Pet Sitter Checklist puts all of the above on three pages, with a 7-day log the sitter can tick off. Fill it in once and reuse it every trip.