Write for a Sitter Who Knows Cats but Not Yours
A good care sheet assumes your sitter is competent with cats in general and a complete stranger to this one. Skip generic cat advice and spend every line on what is specific: her name and how she responds to it, where she actually spends her time, and the small household details an outsider cannot guess, like the cupboard where her food lives, the tap she prefers to drink from, or the door that must stay shut because she dashes at it. Specificity is what turns a sheet from a nice gesture into something a sitter can run your home from.
Keep it to a length someone can absorb in one read-through and then use as a reference at the feeding bowl. Plain everyday words beat careful formal ones, and short headed sections let a sitter find the litter instructions at midnight without rereading the whole document.
Food, Water, and Trays: The Daily Core
State exactly what she eats, how much per meal, and at what times, including where uneaten wet food should be thrown away rather than left down. If she is fussy, say what to do when she refuses a meal, such as offering the accepted alternative you have left ready, instead of letting the sitter improvise with whatever is in the fridge. Note treats and their limits, and name anything she must never be given, including houseplants she chews or human foods she begs for convincingly.
Cover water in its real form: bowl, fountain, or running tap, and how often it needs refreshing or topping up. For trays, give the location of each one, the litter you use and where the spare bag is, how often to scoop, and where waste goes. These unglamorous details are the ones sitters most often have to guess at, and guessing wrong is how a cat ends up stressed in her own home.
Health, Quirks, and What Counts as an Emergency
Describe her normal honestly: if she hides from visitors for the first day, vomits the occasional hairball, or eats in two sittings, say so, because a sitter who knows normal can spot abnormal. Then state clearly what should trigger a call to you or the vet, such as refusing all food for a day, straining in the tray, hiding without emerging, or any injury, and leave the vet's name, address, and number in this section rather than buried at the end.
If she has any ongoing routine, such as something applied, brushed, or checked regularly, write the steps in the order you do them and say where the supplies are kept. Mention handling honestly too: whether she can be picked up, where she dislikes being touched, and how she prefers to be coaxed out, so the sitter never has to learn by startling her.
Walk It Through, Then Leave It Where It Is Used
Go through the sheet with the sitter in your home before you travel, showing the cupboards, trays, and hiding places as you talk, because a five-minute walk-through answers questions no document anticipates. Leave the printed copy where feeding happens, keep a photo of it on your own phone, and agree how the sitter will update you, such as a short daily message and a photo, so silence never leaves you wondering.
Sharing that same written routine through a KinsLe Care Pass hands your sitter temporary, clear access to her care routine and key details for exactly the days you are away, so the instructions live with the sitter rather than only on your kitchen counter.