Character first: a large, busy, opinionated cat
A sitter brief for a Turkish Van has to start with energy, because this is a big, muscular, athletic cat with strong opinions and the strength to act on them. Warn the sitter that she will climb to the highest shelf available, open cupboards that are not properly latched, and treat a closed door as a puzzle rather than a boundary. Vans bond deeply but on their own terms, often shadowing one chosen person while keeping affection short and purposeful. Note where your Van likes to be, how she signals she has had enough stroking, and the rooms that are genuinely out of bounds, so the sitter enforces your rules instead of inventing softer ones.
The water fascination needs its own paragraph
Water deserves a separate warning in any Turkish Van handover, because the breed is well known for an unusual attraction to it. Tell the sitter to keep toilet lids down, bathroom doors shut, and baths or filled sinks never left unattended with the cat loose in the room. Some Vans will pat at a running tap, dunk toys, or paddle in a water bowl, which is charming until it is a soaked floor beside electrical cables. Say what your own cat actually does, since individuals range from mildly curious to fully committed swimmers, and note her normal drinking habits so a sitter can tell playful splashing from a cat drinking far more than usual, which is a health flag worth reporting.
Feeding, litter, and the daily play obligation
Set out your Turkish Van's feeding amounts, times, and food storage, keeping in mind this breed matures slowly and an adult still eats like an athlete. State her litter setup and scooping routine, and what normal tray use looks like so a change stands out. Then treat play as a duty, not a bonus: a Van left unplayed-with will invent her own entertainment, usually involving heights, curtains, or the sitter's belongings. Specify the session she expects, such as a long wand-toy workout in the evening that ends with a small meal, and where the toys live. Ask the sitter to rotate a couple of toys rather than leaving everything out, so each evening's game still feels new.
Contacts, vet permission, and the signs to act on
Leave your Turkish Van's vet details, your contact number, and a local backup who can step in, together with written permission for the sitter to authorise urgent veterinary treatment and a note on how it will be paid for. For a Van, the act-now list includes going off food completely, repeated vomiting, straining to urinate, limping after one of her athletic leaps, or a sudden uncharacteristic lethargy in a normally relentless cat. Also ask the sitter to report escape attempts or a door found ajar, even if she is safely inside, because a determined Van who has worked out one latch will try it again the next visit.
Keeping one thread for the whole stay
Scattered texts across two phones are how sitter updates get lost, so agree one channel and one daily rhythm before you leave: a message after the main visit, a photo of your Van eating or mid-play, and honest notes on appetite, tray use, and any household damage attempted. That single thread becomes the record you can scroll through at midnight in a hotel room without piecing together screenshots. KinsLe's KinsLe Messenger is built for precisely this, holding every conversation about a Turkish Van, from sitter updates to family questions, in one per-pet communications hub.