Pet Sitter Checklist: What to Leave Your Sitter Before You Go

Last updated: March 2026

Why does a pet sitter checklist matter so much?

Spring break and Easter travel mean a lot of pets are about to spend a week with someone who does not know their habits. Most of the time that goes fine. The trouble usually starts in small gaps: a sitter who does not know the cat bolts when the front door opens, a dog who backs out of a loose collar on the first walk, or a pill that gets skipped because the instructions said “one in the morning” without saying which bottle.

The ASPCA-funded survey behind that 15% figure also found that dogs and cats got lost at similar rates (14% of dogs, 15% of cats), that 93% of lost dogs were recovered, and that only about 75% of lost cats made it home. Cats were also less likely to be wearing any ID at all. In other words, a dog who slips out has good odds, and a cat who slips out with no tag and an unregistered chip has noticeably worse ones.

Merck Animal Health puts the risk plainly: skittish dogs and cats may be tempted to bolt when their routine changes, even with a careful sitter in charge. Your absence is the routine change. A written checklist does not remove that risk, but it closes the gaps a sitter cannot guess about, and it gives them a plan if something goes wrong at 9 p.m. when you are on a plane.

What should be on a pet sitter checklist?

Here is the full list in one place. The AAHA, the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center and the AKC all publish similar lists, and they overlap on the same core items. Print this table, fill in the middle column with where each answer lives in your house or phone, and leave it on the fridge.

What emergency and vet information does your sitter need?

Start with the basics on a single emergency card: your regular vet’s name, address and phone number, the closest 24-hour emergency hospital, the ASPCA Animal Poison Control number, and your pet insurance details if you have a policy. The AAHA suggests leaving that card somewhere highly visible, not buried in a drawer.

Then handle the part most owners skip: permission to treat. If your pet is hurt and you cannot be reached, a clinic needs to know who can approve care and how much they are allowed to spend. The AKC notes that many pet sitters ask clients to fill out a form explaining the type of veterinary care the pet can receive, including a spending cap for emergencies, and suggests providing one yourself if they do not. That document is often called a vet treatment authorization form or veterinary release.

A useful authorization covers:

• The sitter’s name and your backup decision-maker’s name, and who has the final say
• A dollar limit for treatment without your approval
• How payment will work (card on file at the clinic, a card left with the sitter, or insurance)
• Conditions your pet has and how you want them handled
• Any procedures you do not authorize without speaking to you

Call your vet before you leave, tell them the dates you will be away, and give them the sitter’s name. The ASPCA’s own sitter checklist recommends exactly this, so the clinic is not surprised when someone new walks in with your dog. If you put a card on file, ask your card issuer to expect a possible vet charge while you travel so it is not declined as unusual.

How do you write feeding, medication and routine instructions a sitter can follow?

This is the part of the checklist that runs every single day, so it deserves the most care. The goal is instructions that someone who has never met your pet could follow at 6 a.m., half awake, without texting you. Vague notes create the most common sitter mistakes, and nearly all of them are preventable with a few extra lines.

For food, write the brand and formula, the exact amount in cups or cans, and the times. “Feed twice a day” is not enough. “1 cup of the blue-bag kibble at 7 a.m. and 6 p.m., level scoop, in the steel bowl” is. If you have more than one pet on different diets, label each container and note who eats where. The AKC recommends labeling food containers for multi-pet homes and writing down feeding order, since one fast eater can clear a second bowl before anyone notices. Note which treats are allowed, how many per day, and anything the sitter should never give, such as table scraps or rawhide. Leave more food than the trip needs in case your flight is delayed.

Medications are where a written plan matters most. Ask your vet to write or print the dosing schedule rather than copying it from memory, and keep each pill bottle with its original label. For each medicine, list the name, the dose, the time, whether it goes with food, and how your pet takes it best: in a pill pocket, in wet food, or straight down the throat. The ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center suggests going over medication instructions with the sitter in person before you leave, and storing medication in a pet-resistant container, because dogs and cats will happily eat flavored pills as if they were treats. Count the pills before you go so the sitter can tell if a dose was missed or doubled. If your pet is on insulin, seizure medication or anything given at set times, say what to do if a dose is late, and get that answer from your vet.

Next comes the routine. Pets settle faster when the day looks the same, and the AAHA points out that keeping the familiar routine helps your pet feel safe while you are gone. Write the daily schedule hour by hour:

• Wake-up, breakfast and first potty break
• Walk length, route and any dogs or yards to avoid
• Midday break and play time
• Dinner, evening walk and bedtime spot
• For cats, how often to scoop each litter box and where the cat usually naps

Finally, describe behavior quirks without sugarcoating them. If your dog pulls toward squirrels, guards food, hates men in hats or slips out of a flat collar, the sitter needs to know before the first walk. If your cat hides for two days whenever a stranger visits, list the usual hiding spots so the sitter can lay eyes on the cat daily instead of panicking. Include what normal looks like too: how much your pet usually eats, whether vomiting a hairball once a week is typical, and what bathroom habits are standard. A sitter can only spot a problem if they know the baseline, and the earlier a change is noticed, the more options your vet has.

How do you plan for a lost pet while you are away?

Give the sitter a lost-pet plan in writing, the same way you would give them a fire escape route. A pet is most likely to slip out early in a sitter stay, before they trust the new person and before the sitter learns which door is the problem.

Your lost-pet plan should include:

• Recent, clear photos of each pet, front and side, showing markings. Hill’s recommends a photo that clearly shows features and markings, and the AAHA suggests texting it to the sitter ahead of time.
• Your pet’s microchip number and the registry it is listed with. Confirm the registry has your current phone number before you leave, since a chip only helps if the contact information is right.
• What is engraved on the ID tag, and confirmation that the tag is on the collar during the whole trip.
• The first steps: search the immediate area, call you and the backup contact, call local shelters and animal control, and post to neighborhood groups. Our guide on how to find your lost dog walks through it step by step.

Cats deserve extra attention here. In the 2012 survey, cats were less likely than dogs to wear any ID and less likely to be found. If you have an indoor cat, read why indoor cats need ID tags before the trip, and tell the sitter to check where the cat is before opening any outside door.

How do you set up the Lohji app before you leave?

Paper checklists work, but they live on one fridge. The free Lohji app from Shiloh’s House gives your pet a digital profile that you edit on your phone and that updates instantly. It is the same profile a Shiloh’s House smart tag opens, so it does double duty: a reference for your sitter and a reunion tool if your pet gets out. Download it on the App Store or Google Play; sign-in uses a one-time text code, with no password to remember.

Set it up the week before you go:

1. Create your pet’s profile with name, breed, age and sex. Add every pet; the app supports unlimited pets with a pet switcher.
2. Add your sitter as a contact. You are the Primary Guardian, and you can add two more contacts with a name, relationship (choose “Pet Sitter”), phone, text number and email.
3. Fill in medical notes, behavioral notes, the rabies vaccine ID and your veterinarian.
4. Record up to three voice messages (15 seconds each). A calm “Biscuit, come” in your own voice can help a scared dog settle for a stranger.
5. Set a reward for safe return if you want to offer one.
6. Ask the sitter to tap the tag with their phone during the meet-and-greet so they see exactly what a finder would see.

If your pet wears a Shiloh’s House smart tag, anyone who finds them taps any modern phone to the back of the tag, with no app needed, and the profile opens in their browser with one-tap Call, Text, Email and Map buttons. Because the sitter is listed as a contact, the finder can reach them directly even when you are on a plane. When you get home, edit the contacts back in a few seconds. For more on how this compares to trackers, see AirTag for pets vs NFC smart tags.

How do you hire a pet sitter you can trust?

Whoever you hire will have your keys, your alarm code and your pet’s life in their hands, so treat it like any other hire. Two US trade groups publish free hiring guidance and searchable directories: Pet Sitters International (PSI) and the National Association of Professional Pet Sitters (NAPPS).

“Just because someone is a pet lover and posts a profile on an app—or even on a nationally-publicized site—doesn’t ensure he or she is a qualified pet sitter operating a legitimate business.”

Beth Stultz, Vice-President, Pet Sitters International

PSI’s interview checklist lists the questions worth asking every candidate:

• Do they hold any business license your city or state requires?
• Are they insured and bonded? Ask for proof of liability coverage written for pet-care businesses.
• Can they show a recent background check? PSI encourages checks within the past year for sitters and staff.
• Do they use a written service agreement that lists dates, visit lengths and emergency procedures?
• What training do they have, including pet first aid? Are they a Certified Professional Pet Sitter?
• Do they have a backup plan if they get sick during your trip?

NAPPS gives similar steps: find sitters in your area, interview them, check references, confirm bonding and liability insurance, and have them meet you and your pet at home. A friend or neighbor can be a fine sitter too. Just give them the same checklist and the same signed authorization form you would give a professional.

Why do a meet-and-greet and a trial visit?

A meet-and-greet is the first in-home meeting, and professional sitters usually require one before they accept a booking. It lets the sitter meet your pet, walk through your house, and complete paperwork, and it lets you watch how they handle your dog at the door or coax your cat out from under the bed. Use it to walk through your checklist line by line, show where every supply lives, demonstrate how you give medication, and test the keys and alarm code.

A trial visit goes one step further. Book a short paid visit or overnight a week or two before the trip, ideally while you are reachable nearby. It reveals the problems a conversation cannot: the cat who will not eat for a stranger, the dog who will not walk past the mailbox, the side door that does not latch unless you lift the handle. Fixing those while you are home is easy. Fixing them from an airport gate is not.

Spring is a busy season for sitters, so book early. Ask what happens if your flight home is delayed, and confirm the sitter’s number is saved in your phone and your backup contact’s phone.

How often should a pet sitter visit a cat or a dog?

Cats are often treated as low-maintenance, but a cat can get into serious trouble in a single day. Cornell’s CatWatch newsletter advises having a sitter visit at least once a day, preferably twice, and warns that a cat with a urinary blockage in the morning can be in severe pain by evening. The UK charity PDSA recommends at least two visits a day for cats when you travel. Twice-daily visits also mean the sitter sees whether food and litter are being used.

Dogs need more. Most adult dogs need several bathroom breaks a day, so a drop-in schedule usually means at least three visits (morning, midday and evening), or a sitter who stays overnight. Puppies, seniors, dogs with separation anxiety and pets on timed medication often do better with an in-home overnight sitter. Our guide to how long you can leave a dog alone breaks down limits by age.

Frequently asked questions