How to Prepare for Your House Sitter

Passport? Check. Visas? Check. Chargers? Check. You may think you’ve got it all figured out for getting ready to go on vacation, but how prepared are you for your house sitter? 

Here are some top tips to make sure your cat sitter feels welcome in your home, it’s important that they have everything they need for the duration of their stay.

How to introduce my cat to their sitter

Bringing someone new into your home is always tricky to begin with. To ensure that everyone gets on, you should take the time to introduce your cat carer to your kitty before you go. If your cat is an outdoor cat, try and arrange the first meet and greet when Mr Whiskers will be home (i.e around dinner time). This also gives you the opportunity to show the cat sitter your cat’s feeding routine in real time 🙂

If you know your kitty can get a little moody with strangers, we would advise having a read through our tips on “How to look after an aggressive cat”. A good way to prepare your house sitter is to share these tips with them.

Prepare for a house sitter: Keep your cat’s routine

You and your cat will have your own routines and habits. So, to ensure as little disruption as possible for kitty make sure your cat sitter is aware of them, even the little quirky ones such as “every morning at 7am my cat follows me to the bathroom and drinks from the tap”.

If your cat has set feeding times please prepare your house sitter so they are aware of this.

Prepare your home for your house sitter

Preparing for a house sitter, rather than a drop-in cat sitter requires more thought. Not only do you need to make sure your cat has everything they need, you will also need to prepare your home for your house guest.

Preparation for your kitty:

• Is there enough cat food for the length of time you’re away
• Do you have enough cat litter?
• Is the house sitter prepared to dispose of the dirty litter?
• Are cleaning products easy to find and in one place
• Does the cat sitter know where to find your kitties toys and treats
• Does the cat sitter know your cats favorite hiding places

Preparation of your home:

• Prepare for the house sitter by making sure your home is nice and tidy, no dirty dishes and bins out
• Refrigerator emptied from any food which will spoil
• Fresh bedding and a towel for your sitter
• Clear alarm and security instructions
• A note on the Wifi access and how the TV works
• Instructions on how the heating works
• Do you have plants that need watering and when?
• What windows should be left open/closed
• Which rooms are out of bounds

A clean home is a happy home

• Prepare for your cat sitter
• Over-night or pop-in visits
• How to judge a good cat sitter?

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Prepare your vet for when you’re away

It’s unlikely that your cat will need a vet while you’re away, but just in case, leave your credit card information with the vet to cover you if there are any emergencies while you are gone. You should also leave insurance details and emergency contact information with your cat sitter.

Extra, Extra

• Let your neighbor know you’re away
• Make sure your emergency contact/friend has a spare key
• Buy some Feliway diffusers to help your kitty stay calm in your absence 
• Get a new cat toy so that your kitty and sitter have something fun to bond with
• Make sure you’ve confirmed your Cat in a Flat booking so that your cat and cat sitter are covered by the Cat in a Flat Guarantee.
• Read through our Cat Sitting Checklist to make sure you haven’t missed anything. This can be found in the Forms & Tips section of your profile.

Being well prepared will allow the cat sitter to enjoy looking after your cat and in turn allow you to relax and enjoy your time away. Win-win for all.