The sitter arrives, you're halfway out the door, and the instructions are a string of texts and a sticky note on the fridge. One printed page is easier on everyone: who to call, what each pet eats, and what's due while you're gone. This guide covers what to put on it, then how to print it with Care Cat, our plants and pets app for iPhone, in its Pets mode.
What a good sitter sheet has
Keep it to one page the sitter can stick on the fridge:
- The dates you're away, so nobody has to work it out.
- Who to call if something's wrong: your number, or a neighbour's who can let them in.
- Your vet's name and number, and any other vet your pets have seen.
- Each pet's routine, in your own words: food, medicines, habits, where the lead is. Write it the way you'd say it to a friend.
- Anything due while you're away, like a flea treatment, with a box to tick so you know it was done.
- The house stuff: keys, the bins, anything else the sitter will ask about.
If a pet takes a medicine, copy what the label or your vet says. Don't rewrite it from memory, and if you're not sure, ask your vet before you go.
Write your pets' notes
In Care Cat, pick Pets on the first screen, then add each pet with Add your first pet or + (Add pet). Each pet has a Notes field ("Food, medicines, habits"). Whatever you type there prints on the sheet exactly as you wrote it. To change it later, open the pet's page, tap ⋯, then Edit and the pet's name.
The sheet also prints each pet's photo, what kind of animal they are, their birthday and their microchip number, if you've added them.
Add what's due
Anything with a due date on a pet's record shows on the sheet if it falls while you're away. To add one, open the pet's page, tap + (Add record), pick the Kind (Vaccine, Vet visit, Medicine or Other), type its name, set the Date it was last given, then turn on Due again and set the date. Tap Save.
The vet you type in Vet or clinic (optional) is printed next to the due line, and it's how the sheet knows which vets to list.
Make the sheet
- Tap Sitter sheet (the printer button) on Pets' Home.
- Set From to the first day you're away, and the number of days away. You can set up to 31.
- Pick Letter or A4.
- Fill in If something's wrong, call. The field says "Your name and number, or a neighbour's".
- Add each vet's phone number. The vets your pets have seen are listed by name, with a Phone field next to each.
- Write a note for the sitter: keys, the lead, anything else.
- Check the preview at the top. It's the page exactly as it will print.
- Tap Print or Share. Share sends it as a PDF, so you can text or email it to the sitter as well.
What the sitter gets
The page is headed Looking after my pets, with your dates and how many pets there are. Then:
- Who to call, with your line and up to four vets, each with the number you gave.
- A card for each pet: the photo, the name, the kind, birthday and microchip, and your notes word for word.
- Due while I'm away: under each pet, every due date that falls in your trip, with the vet and a box to tick. Anything already late is marked "was due" with its date.
- Your note at the bottom.
It all fits on one page. If you have a lot of pets with long notes, the text gets a little smaller, and any pets that still don't fit are counted in a line under the last card.
Add your own lines with Pro
With Care Cat Pro, an optional one-time purchase, you can add your own lines under who to call, like the Wi-Fi or bin day. In the sitter sheet, tap Add a line, like the Wi-Fi or bin day, then fill in a label and What it says. Up to six print, exactly as you type them. Lines you've made keep printing if Pro is ever lost, and you can always remove them.
What it costs
The pet-sitter sheet with Print and Share is free, along with pets, records, due dates and morning reminders, with no limit on pets or records, no ads and no account. More on the Care Cat page.
Every pet, record and photo is kept on your device and in your own backups unless you share it. The sitter sheet leaves your device only when you tap Print or Share.
Quick answers
Does the sheet tell the sitter how to care for my pets?
Only in your words. Care Cat prints what you wrote and adds no advice.
Can I print it for a long trip?
Yes, up to 31 days. Anything due in that time is listed with a box to tick.
Will it print things that aren't due during the trip?
No. Only due dates that fall while you're away, or are already late, go on the sheet.
Can I send it instead of printing it?
Yes. Tap Share to send the PDF.
Try Care Cat
Care Cat is coming soon: free, no ads, no sign-up → iyio.com/apps/care-cat