Pet Sitter Instructions Template: What to Leave for Your Sitter

A pet sitter instructions template is a one or two page sheet that tells a sitter who your pet is, how the day runs, what medication your vet has set, who to call and how to get around your home. Fill it in about a week before you leave, walk your sitter through it, and leave a printed copy where they will see it. The list below is built from the AKC, the ASPCA and the RSPCA, and you can copy it as it is. More ideas are in our travel and pet sitter guides.

This is a template for organising care and records. Anything about your pet's health, food or medicine comes from your vet, so copy those details exactly as your vet gave them and add nothing of your own.

What goes in a pet sitter instructions template?

Five blocks cover almost everything the three sources mention: the pet, the feeding routine, medications, contacts and the home. Replace each line below with your own details.

1. Your pet

• Name, nicknames, age and breed
• A recent photo (one per pet if you have several, with a note of who is who)
• Microchip details
• Personality notes: things they love, things that worry them, favourite hiding spots for cats

The ASPCA calls age, weight, health issues, medications, diet and microchip details "critically important" in an emergency, and suggests sharing walk schedules and, for cats, common hiding spots. The RSPCA also asks for behaviour and personality notes.

2. Feeding and routine

• What each pet eats, how much and at what times, written the way your household already does it
• Feeding order if several pets share the home
• Where the food, bowls, treats and scoops are kept
• Walk times and routes, play, bedtime
• If your pet eats fresh food, where to buy it

The AKC suggests detailed feeding instructions, labelled food containers when pets are on different diets, and the same schedule while you're away. The RSPCA adds that usual food and treats should come with feeding instructions. If you share care across a household already, our guide on sharing pet care without double feeding shows how to keep one record everyone follows.

3. Medications

• Each medication's name, written exactly as on the vet's label
• The dose, timing and frequency, copied from that label
• How your pet takes it, and where it is kept out of reach
• Enough supply to cover the whole trip

The ASPCA recommends listing each medication with its dosage, timing and frequency, reviewing it in person, and using a pet-resistant container. The AKC adds that you should confirm there is enough for the whole trip. Never change anything on the sheet yourself. If a question comes up, it goes to your vet. Our guide to keeping medication doses on track covers the record side.

4. Vet and emergency contacts

• Your vet's name, phone number and address
• The out-of-hours service or the nearest emergency clinic
• The ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center number the ASPCA lists: 888-426-4435
• Your own phone number, plus your itinerary and where you are staying
• One trusted person who knows your pet and can make decisions if you can't be reached
• Vaccination dates, if you have them

The ASPCA and the AKC both ask for your itinerary and several ways to reach you. The AKC says to name at least 1 trusted decision maker after checking that they agree, to tell your vet's office that the sitter is authorized, and notes that some sitters ask for a form covering emergency care with a spending cap. The RSPCA asks for the vet's out-of-hours details. A vet-ready record of your pet's care makes the vaccination dates easy to find.

5. Home and supplies

• Alarm codes, how to turn off the water, and where the circuit breakers are
• A spare key, and a neighbour or landlord who knows the sitter is coming
• Names of anyone else who may be in the home
• Where the leash, bags, litter, carrier or crate and first aid kit are
• For overnight stays: sleeping arrangements, appliances, bathroom use, and whether the sitter can eat your food

The AKC includes all of these and also suggests putting away small toys that could be a choking hazard, and removing plants, trash and cleaning supplies from your pet's reach.

How do you use the template with your sitter?

Fill it in early, then go through it together. The ASPCA suggests reviewing medication instructions in person, and a short walk-through in your home also shows the sitter where things are.

A simple order works well:

1. Write the sheet about a week before you leave, so there's time to find missing details.
2. Tell your vet's office who your sitter is and when you'll be away.
3. Check with your emergency contact that they're happy to be named.
4. Walk the sitter through feeding, walks, medication and the house.
5. Leave a printed copy on the kitchen counter and send a digital copy too.

Put the vet and emergency numbers on the first page. Nobody wants to read three paragraphs about feeding first when something's wrong.

What should the sitter tell you while you're away?

Ask for a short note after each visit: fed, walked, medication given, and anything that looked different from the usual. Keep it factual. If something worries the sitter, the next step is a call to your vet or the emergency clinic on the sheet. A guess won't help.

Agree how often you want updates before you go. One message a day is plenty for most trips. A photo shows the routine is being followed.

How do you keep the template up to date?

Keep one master version and change it when something changes: a new medication course from your vet, a new vet, a new alarm code. Date the sheet so the sitter knows it's current.

Paw Crew is coming soon to iPhone, and it is built for this. The Day Ledger holds each pet's feeding, walks and medication in one place, household sharing lets the people in your home see the same log, and the vet-ready report puts your pet's records on one page you can copy into your sheet. Everything stays on your iPhone and in your own iCloud. Paw Crew logs and reminds, and your vet makes the medical decisions.

Bottom line

A good pet sitter sheet puts your pet's routine, your vet's details and your home's quirks on one or two pages. Fill it in early, walk your sitter through it, and copy medication details exactly from your vet's label. If anything about your pet's health is unclear, ask your vet before you go.