Name the real favourites, and where they live
A sitter told to play with the cat will reach for whatever toy is visible, which may be the one your cat ignores. List the two or three toys your cat actually responds to — the feather wand, a particular crinkle ball, the cardboard box that outperforms everything bought — and say where each is kept. Note which toy is the reliable opener for a shy cat and which one only works once she is already moving.
Describe condition honestly. If the favourite wand toy is fraying and due to be retired, say so, and say what replaces it. A sitter improvising a substitute with string or ribbon creates exactly the hazard your instructions exist to prevent.
Write the session the way it actually unfolds
Play with most cats has a shape: a slow start, a peak of chasing and pouncing, then a wind-down where interest flickers. Tell the sitter that shape for your cat — how long she usually plays before losing interest, the signal that she is done, such as walking away or starting to groom, and the rule that done means done rather than the toy being pushed back at her.
Add timing. If play normally happens before the evening feed, write that, because a sitter playing at random hours may find the cat asleep and conclude she is unwell, or may rev her up at midnight. A short session twice a day, at the usual times, keeps the cat's rhythm intact in a way one long improvised session does not.
State the safety rules as plainly as the fun parts
This section is where toy hazards belong, in direct language: which toys come out only during supervised play and go back in a closed cupboard afterwards, whether your cat chews soft toys, and what to do with a damaged toy — bin it, do not repair it with tape or glue. Mention anything your cat hunts that is not a toy, such as hair ties, elastic bands, or a child's small toy, and where those should be kept out of reach during the sitting.
Also say what play is off limits for this cat: no hands as toys if she bites in excitement, no picking her up mid-play, no laser pointer if it leaves her frantic and searching long after the light is gone. A first-time sitter copying something they saw online can undo good habits in a weekend.
Tell the sitter what good play reporting looks like
Ask for a brief note after each day: did she play, for roughly how long, and with what. A cat who plays normally is telling you she feels secure; a cat who refuses play for two days running may be stressed or unwell, and you want that pattern visible early, not summarised when you return. Explain that standard in the instructions so the sitter reports play as health information, not as entertainment news.
Leave this section beside the toys themselves if you can — instructions stored where the wand lives get read; instructions in a folder across the house get skimmed once.
Handing the play section over in a KinsLe Care Pass gives your sitter temporary, clear access to the favourites, the session shape, and the put-away rules together, so play stays familiar and safe while you are away.