What to leave for your pet sitter: a checklist

A week before you go

• Walk the sitter through the house so your pets meet them and they see where everything is. If your pet takes medication, show them how you give it.
• Tell your vet's office that the sitter may bring your pet in, and ask whether the clinic has an authorization form.
• Set a spending limit for emergency care if no one can reach you, and write it down for the sitter and the clinic.
• Choose a backup person who knows your pets and can make decisions if you can't be reached. Ask them first.
• Check ID tags and the microchip. Tags should be on every collar, and the chip's registration should have your current phone number. (More on that in our guide to pet health records.)
• Stock up. Enough food and medication for the whole trip, plus extra in case you're delayed.

What to write down

• How to reach you, where you'll be and your travel schedule.
• Your backup contact's name and phone number.
• Your regular vet and the nearest emergency vet, with phone numbers and addresses.
• The ASPCA Animal Poison Control number, 888-426-4435 (a fee may apply).
• For each pet: age, weight, health conditions, what and how much they eat, each medication with its dose and timing, their routine, and their quirks and hiding spots.
• For the house: where the water shutoff and circuit breaker are, and anyone else who may stop by.

What to leave out

• Each pet's medications in a labeled bag or container, out of pets' reach.
• Food in labeled containers, especially if your pets eat different things.
• A carrier for each cat and a leash for each dog, by the door.
• Poop bags, litter, cleaning supplies and a pet first aid kit, where the sitter can find them.
• A spare key, even if you have a keypad, and a second one with a neighbor you trust.

Keep things normal

Pets cope best when their days look the same: the same mealtimes, the same walks, the same spot to sleep. Before you leave, put away anything a stressed pet might get into, like trash, cleaning products and toys small enough to swallow.

If the sitter stays overnight

Add where they'll sleep and which bathroom to use, how the heat and TV work, whether doors and windows should stay locked, whether guests are OK, and whether they can help themselves to the fridge.