Pet-sitting handoffs can miss small details: the sitter does not know the cat only eats if the bowl is moved away from the window, or that the back gate sticks, or which neighbour has the spare key. You knew all of it. You just did not write it down.
Here is what is worth leaving behind, and why each part earns its place.
Start with what a stranger cannot guess
Your pet's name and breed are the easy part. The useful details are the ones you have stopped noticing: where the pet sleeps, which rooms are off limits, how they behave when a stranger comes through the door, whether they bolt when the front door opens. Markings matter too — a sitter describing “a brown dog” is at a disadvantage if one goes missing. Note any microchip or tag number and the approximate weight.
If other animals or people are in the house, list them. A sitter who expects one cat and meets two will spend the first visit working out which is which.
Contacts, in the order they should be used
Give your sitter more than a phone number. Write down:
- You — the number you will actually answer, and where you will be.
- A second contact — someone local who can get to the house if you cannot be reached.
- Your usual veterinary practice, with its address and phone number.
- An out-of-hours practice, because the usual one may be closed when it matters.
Then add your own instructions about how you want those contacts used: who to call first, what counts as “call me immediately” versus “tell me when I am back”, and what to do about visitors, deliveries or leaving the property.
The routine, in your own words
Write the day as it actually runs — morning, midday, evening, overnight — rather than as a tidy schedule you wish you kept. Include the small mechanics: the door that stays shut, the walk route that avoids the loud dog, the litter tray scooped before bed.
For feeding, the useful columns are when, what, how much, and where. Add a line for water, a line for treats, and a line for anything you would rather was not given. That last line can help avoid misunderstandings.
One boundary worth naming: a handover sheet records what you already do. It is not the place for medical or dosage instructions invented on the spot. Anything clinical belongs with your veterinary practice, in their words.
Supplies, and where things actually are
Food, bowls, leads, litter, bin bags, cleaning cloths, the spare towel for muddy paws. List what exists and where it lives, and say what to do when something runs out — buy more and you will reimburse, or call you first.
If brushing is part of the routine, note where the brush or comb is kept so the sitter is not hunting for it. If you need one, we also sell a Self-Cleaning Pet Grooming Comb — entirely optional, and not needed to use this checklist.
Separately, write down the household details a sitter needs and no more: keys and alarm, which bins go out and when, how the heating works, where the water shut-off is, and anything they should not touch. Keep this narrow. A sitter needs to run the house for a few days, not inherit it.
Confirm the handoff — both ways
Before you leave, review the notes together, in person or remotely, so the sitter can ask questions while you are still available. Agree how they will update you, and how often.
Ask for a short daily note: date, fed, out or exercise, water and litter changed, and how the pet seemed. That gives you a record rather than a vague memory. At the end of the stay, a two-line summary — anything unusual, anything used up, anything that needs your attention — closes the loop cleanly.
Keep it in one place
Written notes give both of you something to refer to. Choose paper or a shared format the sitter can reliably access, write it once per stay, keep it somewhere they can find it, and take it back afterwards. Completed notes hold your contact details, your movements and how to get into your home — share them securely with the sitter you intend to use, not publicly.
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