Cat Sitter Checklist + Info Sheet

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #CelebratingMorris #CollectiveBias

As much as I love to travel, it always breaks my heart a little to have to leave our cat behind. For those of you new around here, this is our cat, Graham, and he’s been our buddy for almost 8 years now. He’s super well-behaved and extremely independent, but as self-sufficient as he is, we still need to make sure he’s got a cat sitter when we’re out of town.

Usually, that’s my mom. And she’s great with him (thank the Lord!)

We usually take Graham over to her house along with all of his stuff, but as you can imagine, it’s easy to forget a thing or two when you’re prepping to leave your cat with a sitter.

So to keep you from forgetting anything the next time you travel, here’s a quick list of items to review with your cat sitter before you go! Be sure to download the cat sitter checklist and info sheet at the end of this post and use it the next time you head out of town without your furry friend.

Cat Food + Feeding Instructions

First and foremost, be sure to leave your cat sitter with your cat’s food and feeding instructions. We always leave my mom with plenty of Graham’s 9Lives® cat food because Graham has a huge appetite most days and he gets really hangry if he’s not fed on time. We get this huge 20lb bag of 9Lives® cat food at the Dollar General and we love it because it lasts us a really long time. We also love the brand itself – we’re so happy to see that 9Lives is dedicated to the health and happiness of cats everywhere while assuring that us, as cat parents, are making responsible food choices.

I obviously love Graham and I want him to be around as long as possible, so I want to make sure that I’m feeding him good stuff. 9Lives is a cat food brand that provides taste, nutrition, and variety while giving us the confidence that we’re making the right choice for our cats. #bestcatmomever

I mean, they’ve been around for over 50 years, so they’ve gotta be good at what they do, right? For more than half a century, they’ve been helping cats lead long, healthy lives. Plus they’re the owners of one of advertising’s greatest icons – Morris the Cat. How stinkin’ cute is he?!

He’s referred to as the greatest Celebri-cat of all time, and I think it’s easy to see why. Learn more about Morris the 9Lives Cat and his 50th adopt-i-versary here!

Litter Box + Litter + Cleaning Info

Another thing we always review with my mom is Graham’s litter box. We have a pretty fancy litter robot that does most of the cleaning itself, but every day or two you have to take out the bag at the bottom and put in new litter. You’ll want to let your cat sitter know how to use your cat’s litter box if it has special instructions, how often to change the litter, and then, of course, you’ll want to leave plenty of litter to last while you’re gone.

Your Contact Info/Emergency Contact

Obviously, my mom knows how to reach me should something happen, but make sure to leave your cat sitter with your contact info – phone number and e-mail address, in case they need to reach you. If you’re staying at a hotel, you can even consider giving them the hotel info so that if there’s an emergency, they can get in touch. If you want to be SUPER prepared, you can also leave them another person’s contact info – your mom, your sister, your neighbor – just someone else they can turn to in case they really can’t get ahold of you.

Vet’s Contact Info

You’ll also want to leave them your cat’s vet information. As much as my mom loves my face and loves Graham, if I don’t write down his vet’s info, she’ll never know who to call if God forbid something were to happen to him. You can also write down the location of the nearest animal hospital – again, just in case.

List of Medications + Instructions

If your cat takes any medications, be sure to write them down for your cat sitter. Let them know what the medication is, how often to administer it, and how, exactly, it should be administered. There was a time in Graham’s life when we were giving him IV fluids under his skin, and we had to teach my mom how to do it before we ever left him with her.

Treats

In addition to Graham’s food, I also like to leave my mom a few treats she can feed him if he’s behaving well. I don’t know a single cat who doesn’t like treats, so leave a few with your cat sitter and let them enjoy a little extra TLC whenever you’re gone.

Location of Nearest Pet Store

If there’s a particular pet store that you like to shop at, let your cat sitter know in the event that they have to run out to the store to get something. I always let my mom know that I buy Graham’s 9Lives food at Dollar General so she knows exactly where to go if she runs out of food – (highly unlikely with this 20 lb bag!) Here’s a coupon you can use, btw. Sign up with Ibotta and earn $2.50 when you buy it.

Playing Schedule

I don’t know about your cats, but Graham isn’t one to really play much. He has a giant cat tree that he loves, but all he ever does is curl up on the couch next to me and sleep. But if your cat is a little more energetic than mine, let your cat sitter know what his/her playing schedule should look like.

Favorite Toys

Again, despite the fact that Graham doesn’t play much, I do try to round up a couple of his toys and I make sure that he has them with him. I honestly feel that Graham gets separation anxiety whenever we’re apart, so I try to make his temporary living environment as fun and playful as possible. Next time we go out of town I’m leaving one of my t-shirts with him so he can smell me, so you might wanna give that a shot, too.

Cleaning Products

Another thing you’ll want to leave your cat sitter are all the cleaning products they might have to use. For example, Graham tends to throw up every once in a while – all over our carpet. We have a heavy-duty stain remover/carpet cleaner that works like a charm, so whenever my mom’s watching him at our house I leave that out for her and pray she doesn’t have to use it.

Special Instructions

Anything else your cat sitter might need to know? How about this – are there any rooms or areas in your house that are off limits? Whenever my mom cat sits at our house, I let her know that Graham’s not allowed in the baby’s nursery, so she makes sure to keep that door closed at all times.

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So that’s it! Those are the things we go over with our cat sitter whenever we head out of town! Anything else I missed? Let me know down below in the comments, and be sure to print out these checklists I made for ya!