Leavin' on a jet plane...

... to Japan for 2.5 weeks!

I've written up detailed instructions on how to take care of Peanut (it's over two pages long... am I paranoid? ), with instructions to call my vet immediately if ANYTHING seems weird. He tends to scarf his food and then throw it up, and I'm afraid that might result in some bad things if someone isn't around to watch him constantly. Of course he'll be checked on every single day, so I'm not TOO worried.

... maybe a little.

Is there anything in particular you guys think should go on the list of instructions? I've got the basics- feed him, give him fresh water, clean the litter box, pay attention to him for a little while, call the vet if things are strange.

Did I miss anything? I want to make sure my Goober is healthy and happy when I come home

Have fun!

Not paranoid at all! Our instructions for our pet sitter includes a diagram of the kitchen, showing the location where each of our six cats likes to eat. I also include detailed instructions on how much eat cat eats: Mollipop, for example, eats 1/2 can of cat food ("decorated" with dry kibble) twice a day. Whisper and Bootser, though, only eat 1/4 of a can of food with no decorations of dry kibble. When we're away, Amber needs to be fed under the couch in the living room or she won't eat. You get the idea.

Is once a day enough? Our kids are fed twice a day, so our petsitter comes in the morning and then again during the late afternoon, early evening. If you want your sitter to pick up your mail, water plants, etc, make sure she knows that.

Do you have special phone numbers written down that your cat sitter will need? Not only your vet, but an emergency vet for after-hours care, if necessary. Maybe your parents' phone number in case something funky happens. We list our vet, emergency vet, both of our cell numbers, the hotel number and room number, and sometimes if we're going to be gone for awhile, we also list my sister's cell number. Just in case.

Does your cat require bottled water? Ours only drink bottled water, not tap water, so we have a full page note on the cabinet in the kitchen....in red ink, all in caps. We keep 6 bottles of water in the fridge while we're gone and our sitter knows to take water out as needed.

If your cat is on any meds, your sitter will need to know the dosage(s). Our Whisper, because of chronic renal failure, is now eating Hills KD canned food. That was added to my instruction pages.

Have your litter scoop in view, along with plastic bags and such so your sitter knows exactly where they are. She'll need your broom and dustpan, too. Make sure she knows where to put the used litter. I'll put their grooming tools on the counter, too, as our sitter will sometimes give one or two a good brushing.

I put a supply of canned cat food right on the kitchen counter, along with their plates, knives, the dishwashing liquid, and a supply of dish cloths and towels. (I know that the cats will eat four cans of cat food in one day between the six of them.) A roll or two of paper towels. Their jars of dry kibble is on the counter, too. They eat some of Purina Indoor Cat Chow and some of the Hills Dental Diet crunchies for their teeth.

I don't worry about toys so much as the kids have a little mouse-shaped toy box and BooBoo has been known to dig deep to bring toys out to play with.

There's probably more stuff, too, but I just can't think of it right now. Since we're always in the US somewhere, I know that I can call our sitter and she'll get right back to me.

Have a great vacation! And I'm sure your little Goober will be fine!

You're a brave person going to Japan so soon after the quake and with all that radiation floating around. I work with a guy who was planning to spend 6 months there beginning in May, but he's changed his plans, and will now wait a few months.

Good luck to you!

Thanks so much for the added info! My vet is vet and emergency vet all at once- he's got after-hours staff who call him if something's wrong. If they can't make it there in time (he's pretty far away), then he'll recommend one closer to get to.

Got the phone numbers, got the scoop and baggies, got the watering instructions (he's not picky, he drinks tap water)... I think I'm set!

Originally Posted by orangeishcat

Got the phone numbers, got the scoop and baggies, got the watering instructions (he's not picky, he drinks tap water)... I think I'm set!

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good luck!....