Make the Balcony and Windows the First Conversation, Not the Last
In a ninth-floor flat, one open balcony door is the whole risk, so brief it before feeding times or litter brands. Tell the sitter plainly: the balcony door stays locked for the entire stay, the cat does not go out there supervised, on a harness, or just for a minute, and no window is opened beyond its latch or restrictor. If the flat relies on the balcony door for air in warm weather, agree the alternative now, such as opening it only while the cat is shut in another room, and write that arrangement down rather than leaving it to judgement on a hot evening. Walk the sitter to each window and door while you talk, and show them the latches working, because a sitter who has physically closed them once is far more likely to check them every time.
Show the Routine Where It Actually Happens
A written list helps, but a sitter new to this cat learns fastest by being shown. Walk the flat together: where the food is stored and measured, where your cat eats and how much she leaves when she is unsettled, where the litter tray sits and how you dispose of waste in this building, and where she sleeps and hides. Point out the hiding places specifically, because a new sitter who cannot find the cat on day one may panic and start opening cupboards and, worse, doors. Explain what normal looks like for this cat in this flat: the evening active spell, the sounds she makes at birds through the glass, the neighbour noises that spook her, so the sitter can tell an ordinary Tuesday from a genuine problem.
Brief the Building, Not Just the Flat
A city apartment has risks beyond its own front door. Show the sitter how to come in without letting the cat slip into the corridor, especially when carrying shopping, and agree the rule for the front door: cat shut in another room first, or a foot-and-bag block every single entry. Explain the lift, the stairwell door and what to do if the cat ever did get into a shared area, including which neighbours know her and would call you. Cover the practical building details too: where rubbish goes, which keys do what, how the intercom works, and whether deliveries or cleaners are expected during the stay. A sitter who is confident in the building moves calmly through it, and calm movement is itself a safety feature around a door-dashing cat.
Leave Contacts Matched to Real Decisions
Finish with the decisions the sitter might actually face. Leave your vet's name and address, an emergency or out-of-hours contact, and your own contact plan with honest expectations about when you can answer. Name a local backup person, ideally someone with a spare key, who can reach the flat faster than you if the sitter is locked out or the cat is unwell. Write down what counts as urgent enough for an immediate vet trip, such as straining to urinate, repeated vomiting, or not being found after a careful search of the known hiding places, and what can simply be reported to you that evening. Agree how often you want updates and in what form, so the sitter is not guessing whether a daily photo is expected.
A KinsLe Care Pass hands your sitter temporary access to this cat's feeding routine, hiding places and ninth-floor safety rules together, so the balcony instruction is never buried in a fading message thread.