we just recently adopted a cat from a local shelter
great tips, will help us out a bunch when taking an out of town trip - thanks :)

Do other people here really think it's necessary to tell your landlord you are going out of town? I've never even considered this before (but I'm a new renter).

Congratulations on your adoption!

I have a binder that has all my cats info in it and directions to our vet and the 24 hour animal hospital, I leave that out with treats (for humans and cats) and spare keys.

Good timing! I was looking through the archives yesterday for a post like this. We're going on vacation next week, and my sister-in-law is staying at our place to take care of the pets. The Trader Joe's gift card & a spare key outdoors are two things I hadn't thought of - thanks for the suggestions!

Ana - love your comment about "treats" for both humans and cats :)

i would not leave a spare set of car keys lying on the counter just in case the house gets broken into...

Just make sure all your "sensitive items ;)" are locked away.
No matter how much you trust your sitter, they will go thru your stuff.
joel

I would be a bit wary of leaving a blank check, even if house sitter is honest, b/c there's always the chance that it could fall into the wrong hands. Leave a credit card, that way no one can clean out your bank acct (no disputing w/ bank, but you can dispute unapproved credit card transactions).

Emmaduck, it never occurred to me to let my landlord know either. I suppose it depends on what type of place you live in - I live in a large complex, and seriously doubt they want to hear about it every time someone goes out of town! I might leave a signed note that says "so and so is house sitting for me, blah blah blah" just so that there is no confusion about who is/is not supposed to be in my place.

i'm sorry this is ridiculous
blank check, random keys outside, buying a grocery card for a friend who takes 5 min to feed your cat... and since when has any landlord cared when his or her tenant went on vacation?

I just took my friend out to lunch when I got back and offered to sit for their pets when they need it.

I have to have my dog sitter stay at my house every other month and have been doing this for years. I have very through dog instructions and house quirks listed. I leave my friend's number who has a key to my house incase of an emergency incase she locks herself out which would be difficult or if something happens to me.

I always go to the store the day before and stock the fridge with easy things for her to make, snacks and fruit.

I leave fun magazines out and an extra 12.00 or so with my video card (make sure you add their name to your video store account) because the more she is here the better it is for my dog.

emmaduck - It would be helpful if your petsitter does get locked out, then the landlord would know they are who they say they are. Otherwise the landlord might not let them in, and if you can't be reached, that could be trouble.

I'll generally pay a student friend to cat sit, but I definitely make sure to leave the place clean, user-friendly and buttoned up before I leave. In case she wants to stay and hang out (which I encourage, since my cat is rather "high needs"), I'll make sure the guest bed has fresh linens, there are clean towels laid out, some of her favorite beverages in the refrigerator, and instructions on how to use the DVD player/TiVo. Seems like youngsters nowadays don't know how to drive a manual transmission anymore, so I don't bother to leave car keys.

The vet will bill me for any emergencies that come up, so I see no need to leave a check or credit card.

I do tell my neighbors I'm going out of town, and if there's going to be a cat sitter or house sitter coming by, what he or she looks like. I'm fortunate that I live in a neighborhood where people look out for each other.

Other general leaving-town prep I do, regardless of whether there's a cat sitter involved: I put any portable electronics, expensive jewelry and other valuables in the file cabinet and lock it. Not because I don't trust the cat sitter, but because it's just generally wise not to leave stuff like that out in case of a break-in. Before leaving, I clean up dirty dishes and take the garbage out so it doesn't get stinky while I'm gone. I have a few lights around the house on timers all the time, but if you don't, you should do so when you leave town.

I emailed my landlord (2-flat) to let them know we'd be gone for a week. It's a courtesy, in case they need to get into the apartment for any reason, or are trying to get a hold of us. Or if they wonder who the stranger is coming in and out of our apartment every day.

I don't think a blank check is necessary - I keep my credit card number on file at the vet's and if there's an emergency with one of my pets, then anyone can bring them in for care and it's covered by my card.

But the rest of the items - very nice! I do a lot of pet-sitting in Marin County and San Francisco, and it's much appreciated when there's a nice bottle of wine chilling in the fridge and a stack of Netflix movies on the coffee table.

A hint to anyone hiring a pet sitter: assuming you trust that they will be dependable and stay for as long as they are required to, leave their payment (I charge $40/night or if it's just a visit $20/visit) on the counter when you go. It makes it much nicer to have the money up front. A lot of pet sitters do it as a side job because money's tight, so often, the sooner we get paid, the happier we are! :-)

If you're looking for a pet sitter - check with your local vet's office or animal shelter. Often, the staff members do it on the side for a little extra money, and you can trust that they love animals and know how to care for them properly! My favorite pet sitters are the vet techs at my vet office!

A low maintenance cat is one that you need to visit 2x's a day? Sheesh -- my cat only needs to be fed once a day and litter box scooped every other day. Of course, she's an attention-whore, so she requires hour long visits, haha.

When I have house/cat-sit before for a friend, she just gives me the keys and lets me raid the fridge. Course, there is normally nothing in the fridge when I get there.

Laura
http://www.grafxnerd.net

Geez - now I feel like a bad cat-mom. I've left my cat for as long as five days with no cat-sitter, just a big bowl of food and another of water. She never seems worse for the wear when I get home!

I probably wouldn't leave a blank check. I do a lot of pet sitting, and most of my clients contact their vets ahead of time to tell them there will be a sitter and to make arrangements for payment in case the animal gets sick. I've only had to take one client's animals to the vet (they're chronically sick and need regular vet care) and have never had to mess with money.

I don't do overnights (I've got my own animals that need attention, which I make perfectly clear to clients), so stocking the fridge would be pointless. I have had clients who were gone on long trips ask me to take their perishables, which is fine. Free food is always nice, but I wouldn't want someone to buy it especially for me.

Something else, especially for cat owners. If you're going to be gone very long, please let the sitter know when trash pick-up is (or where the dumpster is located), so she can take out the trash! Otherwise, you'll have stinky litter trash smelling up your apartment, and that's never good.

(And no, I do *not* snoop through people's private stuff! I really don't want to know what's in your toy drawer, your medicine cabinet, or your cupboards.)

"Do other people here really think it's necessary to tell your landlord you are going out of town?"

I agree that it depends on the situation. It may be just as a courtesy to the landlord. I would suggest you alert your landlord of any vacation, especially if a student. The landlord may take your prolonged absense as abandonment.

I am very impressed with all the stuff you do for your house sitter. I just usually offer to watch their house/cat when they go out of town and take them out to dinner.

In the past I've pet sit for a good friend. Her dog ate something really really bad and had excessive amounts of blood coming out of both ends. it was a horrific experience. I ended up rushing the dog to my vet and using my judgement on how to treat her because 1) I couldn't get in contact with her and 2) her vets office was closed. so my advice is to leave explicit instructions on what to do in the event of a pet emergency so there is no question as to the extent of life saving procedures to be performed. (BTW her dog recovered but there was a $2500 bill! thankfully she paid it!) my doggies both have living wills with exact procedures we would want to have done in the event of emergency. when living wills are created at a time you are relaxed and calm decisions can be made outside of "the heat of the moment" and you can actually think about what's best for the animal.... but that's totally off topic! sorry.

I love the curtains over the windows with the TV mounted to the wall. chic media room with out the dark and dreary!

You sound like me. Nothing makes me happier than doing nice favors for someone who's doing me nice favors.

@emmaduck:

There's actually a clause in the rider to my lease specifying that I must</i< notify my landlord if I leave my apartment unattended for two weeks or more.

It's a simple matter of safety -- a moderate annoyance, such as a leak or a dead animal, can become major damage or violate building codes with no one there to monitor it.

Knowing you'll be gone, the landlord may schedule in a visit to make sure there are no problems in your absence, or take advantage of that time to do some routine maintenance, repairs, or remodeling.

My upstairs neighbor watches my cat for me when I go out of town. She has a spare key to my place and that's all she really needs. I do NOT let my landlord know when I am out of town, because (1) I don't think its his business especially since my trips have never exceeded two weeks and (2) I highly doubt he could care. So that would be a decision each renter would need to make based on their situation.

As far as stocking fridges, and leaving treats, I always come back with something small for my neighbor/friend/fur child babysitter. A $5 giftcard to get some coffee at our local shop, or I have been known to take her to dinner when I retun as thanks. I personally don't believe in spending tons of money to have someone feed my (fur)child, but hey, that's just me!

Leaving a pet alone for 5 days sounds scary to me. I guess I'd board, instead. But I'd rather have someone actually live in than just pop in and feed the pet, if I'm going to so much trouble.

Some of the advice I wouldn't do, but this came right on time. I will be in the hospital next month for major surgery, and I will be there for a week so I hired my friend's teenager daughter to pet sit for me. I normally kennel my dog when I go out of town, but this time I decided to keep him at home. Emma, I do tell my landlady when I go out of town, just incase there is a fire or anything major. She can easliy be reached. Also, if something needs to be fixed, like a water tank being busted she can go into my apartment. You never know what will happen.

Besides some snacks and tea, I leave a just-barely-started jigsaw puzzle, and directions on using the washing machine and dryer. That way, my cat watching friend can spend an hour or two in the house without feeling very bored. It takes my cat awhile to adjust to new humans.

Before leaving town, I always lock the filing cabinet with any sensitive paperwork (bank info, tax info, etc) and make sure the computer is password protected. Depending on how close you are to the person doing your pet sitting, this is a precaution to consider.

MJS,

How do you keep your cat from playing with the jigsaw puzzle?

Mine would turn it into her personal playground.

I like leaving treats and doing as much as I can for my pet sitters because I'm an overly protective cat owner.

Growing up we always had cats (still do), and we always just left them with a TON of crunchies and a clean litter box (or two). Boarding cats seems traumatic and unnecessary. Cats are independent creatures and they're smart enough to take care of themselves. We always return to kitties who are safe and happier to see us than when we left!

pollymagoo is right - landlords may assume you've taken off if you're gone for a few weeks and didn't contact them first.

When I was managing apartments, one tenant disappeared for months with no notice and left most of her things. Attempts to contact the family members who had co-signed her lease proved futile, and I had to assume she had abandoned the apartment. Imagine my shock when she reappeared a few months after that, again with no notice!

Tell. Your. Landlord. PLEASE!

Tale of caution.
Let your landlord know you're going away and beware of professional pet sitters.
A few years ago we organised for a pet sitter to come in twice a day to feed our two cats, empty litter and play with them. Before we went our landlord had let us know he'd be popping in to do a gas check, which didn't concern us as we were away anyway.
However, she didn't fulfil her obligations and we arrived back to cat urine and faeces all over the flat and an eviction letter from our landlord who was understandably horrified by the tenants from hell.
That took some explaining (proving we were away and had got someone to look after the cats) and a lot of cleaning and apologising.
Now I rely on a friend who I trust and give her a gift afterwards, such as vouchers (she refuses cash) and flowers or chocolates.

Madame Is,
That's terrible! The same thing can happen when you rely on friends, though. Whether you're using a professional service or having someone you know sit for your pets, it's *always* a good idea to get references, preferably from people you personally know and trust.

I'm not a professional, by any means. I have a day job and only do pet sitting on the side, but I do a *lot* of pet sitting. All of my clients have come to me via word of mouth.

Something else to consider--be clear about your expectations. How many visits do you want the person to make? How often do they clean litter boxes? Do you want your pet brushed every day? I've got one client who got a little upset that I cleaned the litter boxes on every visit (2x/day). She thought it wasted plastic bags. Another client got upset that I washed her sinkful of dirty dishes. So, whatever your boundaries are, make sure you spell them out.

Sorry I have to laugh, but this is too funny!
Leaving a half done puzzle? stocking the fridge for their favorite snack? netflix selection and tivo instructions? are they pet/house sitting for you or you are sitting them? LOL!
People don't need you to entertain, they will probably will be texting while there! LOL!
joel

Maybe this goes without saying, but if you leave snacks/beer/whatever for a sitter, make sure you tell them that it's for them! Last time I was away, I left a bottle of wine in the fridge for my friend, and she didn't take it because she thought I was saving it for my return :)

I never thought to tell a landlord that I was going on vacation. I figured if I paid the rent, it wasn't any of their business. How can it be considered abandonment if the rent is paid?

I have family pet-sit and I never thought of some of these things.

A Living Will for a pet is such a great thing! It keeps medical expenses for getting you over your head.

Personally, I watch DVD's on a laptop but never thought of hooking up the DVD player before leaving.

Baking cookies would be a very welcoming treat, warms up the place so they don't feel so strange in the place.