HOW TO PREP YOUR HOME FOR PET-SITTERS

The bags are packed and the tickets are booked. But, what happens to your beloved pets while you’re away? An empty home is easy enough to leave behind when you are travelling: simply switch off all appliances, shut all taps, lock up and leave. But, the process becomes somewhat more complicated when you have to leave furry loved ones behind.

The amount of time a pet can be left alone varies depending on the type of animal and the personality of the specific pet. Generally speaking though, any pet will need human interaction at least once a day, so leaving a pet to its own devices with a timer-set feeder and a bundle of chew toys simply won’t cut it.

This leaves you with three options: book your pets in at a pet sitter, hire somebody to pet sit from your home, or ask a friend or family member to house sit or pop in daily while you’re away. If you are going to have somebody come in to your home to look after your pet, then you need to make sure the following is in place:

Give them the keys to your castle
Make sure they have their own set of keys to your home. If you don’t have a spare set, then you will have to get these made before you leave.

Leave sticky note trails
Even if you mentioned everything to your pet sitter before you left, people tend to forget things. To avoid a barrage of phone calls from your confused pet-sitter, you ought to write things down that they might need to know while you’re away. Alarm codes, how much to feed your pet, and where to find your pet’s food and toys are a few of the vital points they will need to know before you leave. You should also remember to mention where the closest vet is, or to leave the number of your pet’s vet in case of an emergency.

Fill them in on the layout of the land
Keep in mind that whoever is looking after your pet while you’re away will not be familiar with the layout and the rules of your home. If you want to avoid vases being knocked over in the dark as they fumble for the light switch, or paw-prints on your newly purchased couch, then you ought to do a quick run through of your home and the various rules you have in place for your pet before you leave.

Leave provisions
While it might seem obvious, make sure that you have enough pet food to last for however long you are away. Not only this, but also make sure there is food and refreshments for whoever is pet sitting for you. It is difficult to plan for every eventuality, so it is always a good idea to leave an amount of emergency cash for the pet-sitter in case something runs out or needs to be purchased.