Food is only the first five minutes
Feeding is the task owners remember to brief, but a cat can be fed perfectly and still be poorly looked after. The sitter's real job is to confirm, once a day or more, that your cat is well, the home is safe, and nothing small is quietly turning into something large. That takes a written list, not goodwill alone, because each task below catches a different kind of problem.
Agree the list before you travel and put it in the order the visit should run. A sitter following the same sequence every day notices when one step looks different, and that difference is often the first sign of illness, stress, or a household mishap.
Water, litter, and the quiet health check
Fresh water matters as much as food. The bowl should be emptied, washed, and refilled, because cats drink more readily from clean water and a slimy bowl puts many off. If your cat has a fountain, the sitter should check it is running and topped up.
The litter tray is a health report in disguise. Scooping daily keeps the home fresh, but the sitter should also note whether your cat is urinating and passing stool normally, and report straining, blood, diarrhoea, or a tray that has suddenly gone unused. Alongside that, a simple once-over — bright eyes, normal breathing, moving comfortably, eating with usual enthusiasm, no new lumps or sore spots felt during stroking — gives you early warning without turning the visit into an examination.
Company, play, and respect for a shy cat
Cats vary enormously in how much human contact they want from a sitter. A confident cat may expect a proper play session with a wand toy, grooming if she enjoys it, and lap time before the sitter leaves. A shy cat may want the opposite: the sitter moving calmly, speaking softly, confirming she is safe in her hiding place, and leaving without forcing contact.
Brief the sitter on which cat yours is. Forcing affection on a nervous cat teaches her to hide harder, while underplaying a sociable cat leaves her climbing the walls by day three. Either way, some unhurried time in the house matters, because a sitter who stays a while spots the vomited hairball, the scratched door, or the unusually silent cat that a flying visit would miss.
Small house tasks that keep things normal
Ask the sitter to bring in post and parcels, alternate curtains or blinds, and leave lights as you directed, so the house looks lived in. Watering plants, putting bins out on the right day, and wiping up litter tracked across the floor all belong on the list if you want to return to a home that feels cared for.
Include a safety sweep: cooker off, taps off, windows as you left them, no cleaning chemicals or small hazards within a curious cat's reach. In warm weather the sitter should check the rooms your cat uses are not overheating, and in cold weather that heating is working as expected.
The message that closes every visit
End each visit with a short report to you: a photo of your cat, what she ate, tray notes, and anything unusual, even if it seems trivial. That message is how you relax on your trip, and its absence is your cue to contact the sitter or your backup person the same day.
Leave your vet's details, an emergency contact, and written permission for urgent treatment alongside the list, so a sitter who finds a problem can act at once. Putting the whole routine into KinsLe as a Care Pass gives your sitter temporary, clear access to feeding, litter, play, and home tasks in one place, so nothing depends on memory or a fading message thread.