Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Getting Started

Do these 6 things to make it easy on your pet sitter when you travel

By

When you’re going on vacation or have to take a business trip, leaving your fur babies alone is difficult as a pet parent. However, if you have a good pet sitter, you’ll be much less concerned for your pets while you’re away. You can find a great pet sitter through word-of-mouth referrals from your veterinarian, groomer, friends, and neighbors. Whether you’re using a sitter you’ve worked with before or trying someone new, there are a few steps you can take to make the process much easier for your pets and your pet sitter. Here are some of our favorite pet sitter tips. 

An orange tabby cat in a chair.
Hier und jetzt endet leider meine Reise auf Pixabay aber/Pixabay

Make sure there’s a proper introduction

If your pet is nervous around strangers, the most important step is introducing him to his sitter before you leave home. Allow your pet to spend time with the sitter while you’re there to keep him calm. When your pet sees you interacting with the sitter and treating them like they belong there, he’ll be much more likely to warm up to them. That doesn’t mean every pet will warm up to every single sitter. In addition to your pet’s comfort and safety, you can’t ask a pet sitter to risk their health on the job. If your pet suddenly becomes aggressive when you open the door to the sitter and never settles down, it’s not going to be a good fit. 

Recommended Videos

Make sure your sitter has notes

While many sitters do this automatically, it’s important to either have your sitter take notes on your pet’s habits, likes, dislikes, and medications or provide them yourself. This is especially important if you have any pets with special needs or allergies. After all, you don’t want your sitter bringing a treat from home if your fur baby has a food intolerance or allergy.

If your pet is on medication or supplements, your sitter will need to know when to administer them. This could require multiple visits in a day, or you may want to ask if your sitter is willing to stay in your home while you’re away. We suggest that you make sure your sitter is insured and bonded, especially if they’ll be staying in your home. Choosing an insured, bonded sitter offers you protection in the event of accidents, negligence, damages, and theft. Lastly, contact information is a must. If your pet falls ill, your sitter needs to know how to reach you, and they’ll need to know how to get in touch with your veterinarian. 

A brown and white dog watching a sunset beside a red haired woman.
Sven Lachmann/Pixabay

Stick to a routine

Pets do well when they know what to expect day to day, especially dogs. Having a set routine also makes things much easier for your sitter. Just like you, pet sitters lead busy lives, and they could be juggling multiple clients in a day. It’s much easier for them to know they need to walk the dogs at set times than to wonder when they should drop by. Your pets will be much happier if they’re fed and walked at the same time as usual than they will be if they have to adjust to a new routine in addition to the absence of their favorite human. 

Make sure you have plenty of supplies

Sometimes out-of-town meetings run longer than expected, flights get delayed due to inclement weather, or you get caught in traffic. Be sure you have enough of your pet’s food, treats, and medications to last for longer than you plan to be away from home just in case an emergency arises.  

Consider calming aids

If your pet has a favorite toy or scratching post, make sure he’ll have access to it while you’re gone. You may want to invest in pheromone diffusers, which can help relieve stress. Some pets enjoy music, so leaving the radio or television on while you’re away — especially if you leave it on for them while you’re at work — can help them feel more settled. Having music or the television on also gives the impression that your home is currently occupied, making the risk of break-ins lower. Many nervous pets also do well with compression garments, which anecdotal evidence suggests may calm anxiety. Try out different methods of calming your pet before you leave town to make sure they work. The day before your big trip isn’t the best time to try out something new.

A small brown dog being held by someone wearing a plaid jacket.
Moshe Harosh/Pixabay

Don’t be afraid to stay in touch

It’s your pet sitter’s job to keep your fur baby safe and happy while you’re away, so don’t feel like you’re a nuisance if you call for a check-in. You can ask your sitter for photo updates or possibly chat with them — and your pet — on a video call. Leaving your pet behind is never fun, but with a trusted pet sitter on hand, you’ll feel much better knowing your pet is in the comfort of his own home with a trusted professional watching over him. 

Topics
Mary Johnson
Mary Johnson
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Mary Johnson is a writer and photographer from New Orleans, Louisiana. Her work has been published in PawTracks and…

Editors’ Recommendations

Beagle 101: Key things to know before getting one as a pet
What makes beagle dogs so special
Little girl playing with a beagle

Beagles are lovable dogs who melt hearts with their soulful eyes and long, silky ears. They conjure up images of a pack of hounds out on a hunt, a playmate hanging out with a kid, a hiking companion, or even a cuddle buddy at the end of an adventurous day. The beagle dog breed is certainly all of these wonderful things and more.

It’s believed that the ancestors of the people-loving beagle were small hunting dogs that English gentlemen used to track hares in the 1500s. Today, two varieties of beagles are recognized by the American Kennel Club (AKC): the 13-inch beagle and the 15-inch beagle. The smaller dogs are under 13 inches in height, while the larger ones can measure over 13 and at or under 15 inches. Both have short coats and come in a variety of colors, with the most common being the tri-colored black, white, and tan. The other colors of the beagle dog breed are white and red, and the less common lemon and white. However, there is so much more to this dog than its looks.

Read more
Which dog has the best sense of smell? See if you can guess correctly
Bloodhound tracking in forest

Whether their heads are held high sniffing in the wind or buried under something mysteriously stinky on your morning walk, there’s no doubt a dog’s sense of smell is a key part of the way he navigates his world. It's actually important to let your dog sniff as you stroll along, as it can help his brain generate new pathways in learning.

In fact, a dog’s sense of smell is so powerful that it can be trained to detect food allergies, certain forms of cancer, and even bedbugs! Law enforcement agencies use dogs to track criminals, narcotics, and explosives, while search-and-rescue organizations use dogs to find missing persons.

Read more
Yes, your Persian cat is indeed a prince or princess and needs special care
Caring for your Persian's fur, face, teeth, and more
Gray Persian cat lying down

Before you bring home any cat, you'll want to be familiar with their care requirements. While there are some basic needs that all cats share, the amount of effort and time you're going to need to put into caring for your cat mostly depends on your cat's breed and individual needs. Some short-haired breeds are low-maintenance pets, for example, but long-haired breeds often require a more demanding grooming schedule.

That's especially true when it comes to the Persian cat. This beautiful breed of cat is known for its long coat and short, smooshed-in face, but those characteristics also bring some unique care requirements. Be sure to learn all about Persian cat care so you can keep your Persian happy, healthy, and looking beautiful.
Are Persian cats high maintenance?

Read more