How to prepare your home for a pet sitter
The best sitter visits are the boring ones: fed on time, walked on schedule, medication given, nothing improvised. That kind of boring doesn't happen by luck — it happens because the house was set up for it. Here's the checklist I wish every household had waiting.
Write the routine down (even the "obvious" parts)
You know that Biscuit gets his kibble after the walk or he inhales it too fast. Your sitter doesn't — unless it's written down. A single page on the fridge beats a dozen texts:
- Feeding: brand, amount, times, and where the food lives
- Medications: name, dose, time, and your trick for getting it swallowed
- Walks and litter: usual times, favorite route, where the leash and bags hang
- Quirks: door-darting, thunder fears, the neighbor cat feud — no quirk is too small to mention
Stage the supplies in one place
A basket by the pantry with food scoop, treats, meds, spare leash, towels, and the litter scoop saves your sitter from opening every cupboard in your kitchen. If it took you a while to find something once, it belongs in the basket.
Leave the emergency answers, not just the numbers
Your vet's number matters, but the decisions matter more: which emergency clinic you prefer, how much vet care you're comfortable authorizing before a phone call, and who locally holds a spare key. Good pet sitters will ask for all of this at the meet & greet — having it written down already puts you miles ahead.
Do a five-minute hazard sweep
Trash secured, toxic plants up high, chocolate off the counter, escape routes checked. Pets do new things when the house feels different — the sweep you'd do for a toddler is about right.
Then let go
If you've done the above, your job is finished. A prepared home plus a professional sitter means the photo updates you get will be delightfully uneventful — which is exactly the goal.