Days, Times, and Who Is Actually in Charge
Start with the frame of the booking itself: the exact day and time you will drop your cat off and the exact day and time you will collect her, written out in full rather than left as a rough understanding. Catteries run on changeover times, and a cat collected hours late can mean an extra night charged or, worse, no space held. With a home sitter, confirm which days they visit or stay, how many visits per day, and roughly when, so your cat's feeding rhythm survives your absence.
Confirm who will actually be caring for her if it is a business with several staff, and who holds keys or access details for a sitter. Write down the name of the person you dealt with, too, because a query answered by someone else later is much easier to resolve when you can say who agreed what.
Money: Total, Deposit, and What Could Add to It
Get the total cost in writing, not just a daily rate, along with how much deposit is required, when it must be paid, and how the balance is settled. Ask what would add to that total: late collection, administering a daily routine, a vet trip they have to make, or extra days if your return is delayed. None of these are unreasonable charges, but every one of them is better agreed calmly in advance than discovered on a doorstep while you are tired from travelling.
Cancellation terms belong in the same written exchange. Note how much notice avoids losing the deposit and what happens if the cattery or sitter cancels on you instead, including whether they help find alternative care. During busy holiday periods, that one clause is the difference between a disappointment and a crisis with flights already booked.
Requirements: Proof, Food, and Belongings
Ask exactly what the booking requires from your cat and get the answer recorded: which vaccinations must be up to date and whether they need to see the card in advance or on arrival, what parasite treatment status they expect, and whether an unneutered cat or a cat with a medical condition changes the arrangement. Sending a photo of her vaccination card ahead and receiving a written yes removes the most common check-in failure entirely.
Confirm feeding in the same detail you would give a friend: whether they supply food or you do, her exact meals and quantities, and anything she must not be given. List what you will bring with her, such as bedding that smells of home, a familiar toy, and any supplies for her daily routine, and ask what they prefer you not to bring. A written belongings list also protects you both if something goes missing in a busy cattery wash cycle.
Emergencies and Updates, Agreed Before You Leave
Finally, confirm the emergency arrangement in writing: which vet they would use if yours is not theirs, how they reach you, and that they have authority from you to seek urgent care if you cannot be contacted. Agree how updates will come during the stay, such as a message each evening, so you are not inventing the system mid-holiday.
Keeping that entire exchange in KinsLe Messenger means every confirmation about her stay lives in her per-pet communications hub alongside her sitter and vet conversations, so on drop-off day you can reopen one thread and check any detail in seconds.