A shy cat turns cat sitting into a different job. There may be no greeting at the door, no cat on the sofa, and no photograph of a relaxed pet on a lap. The sitter's work is quieter and more forensic: confirming the cat is present and well, keeping food, water and trays right, and reporting truthfully. Before you leave, you need to know exactly how a sitter behaves when your cat hides for every minute of every visit.
The Hiding Question, Asked Directly
Put the scenario plainly: what do you do when the cat hides all visit, every visit, for a week? The answer you want describes visual proof-of-life checks without extraction. A sitter experienced with shy cats will talk about checking the known hiding places calmly with a torch, looking for eyes and a breathing, settled shape, and leaving the cat exactly where she feels safe. They will say, without being prompted, that extraction is off the table: no dragging her from a hiding place and no shifting furniture to get at her, because cornering a hiding cat destroys trust and risks a bite or a panicked bolt.
Be wary of the opposite answer. A sitter who promises to coax her out for cuddles, or who boasts that no cat can resist them, is describing the approach most likely to leave your cat terrified and eating nothing. Experience with shy cats sounds unglamorous, and that is the point.
Evidence Read Honestly, Reported Honestly
With no cat to photograph, evidence becomes the visit. Confirm the sitter will read food, water and tray evidence carefully: how much food has gone since the last visit, whether water has been drunk or spilled, and what the tray shows about eating, drinking and digestion. Fresh food placed in the evening and eaten overnight is a good sign even if the cat is never seen awake. A completely untouched bowl across two visits is information the sitter should pass to you promptly, not soften.
Agree the reporting standard too: a truthful message every visit, even when the whole message is that she never appeared and the overnight food was eaten. That kind of report, sent every visit, is a successful booking for a shy cat. Ask the sitter to say so plainly rather than dressing the visit up with invented interaction, and agree what change would trigger a call to you or the vet: no food touched, no tray use, or signs of distress heard from a hiding place.
Set the Visit Up for a Cat Who Will Not Appear
Leave the sitter a map of the hiding places your cat actually uses, permission to check each one visually, and instructions to keep visits calm, predictable and at similar times. Bowls should be refreshed in the same spots, lights and curtains left as your cat expects, and any food for overnight eating placed before the sitter leaves. Get the provider's agreed terms confirmed in writing, including visit length, the proof-of-life routine and what happens if the evidence suggests she is unwell.
Before the first visit, create a Care Pass in KinsLe for this sitter alone, limited to the days you are away and to the proof-of-life routine you specified.