What feeding instructions should I leave for a friend or cat sitter?

Leave a written feeding plan for each cat: exactly what food to serve, how much and when, where supplies are kept, dietary restrictions, fresh-water tasks, and how to handle leftovers and clean bowls. Add any prescribed medication instructions and your owner, veterinary and emergency contacts. Walk your friend or sitter through one meal before you leave, and agree on in-person visit times—even if you use an automatic feeder.

Write down each cat’s meals and supplies

Keep the instructions beside the feeding supplies and send your sitter a copy. Use your cat’s established feeding plan rather than asking the sitter to choose portions or substitute foods.

• Cat’s identity and feeding place: Give the cat’s name and a photo if needed. In a multi-cat home, label bowls and explain any separate feeding arrangements.
• Exact food: Write the food’s full name, variety and texture, including any prescribed diet. Show where unopened food, opened portions and spare supplies are kept.
• Meal times and portions: List each meal’s time and amount per cat. Use grams, a clearly marked measure, or a precise fraction of a named can or pouch—not “a scoop” or “some wet food.” Explain whether any dry food or treats are included in the daily amount.
• Dietary rules: List known allergies, foods to avoid and any no-sharing rules between cats. State which treats are allowed and how many, or write “no treats.”
• Equipment: Show where bowls, measuring utensils, a scale if used, cleaning supplies and waste bags are stored.
• Fresh water: Identify every water station and ask the sitter to replace the water with fresh water at each visit. Demonstrate any fountain tasks they will need to do.

A simple meal entry is: cat’s name → time → exact food → measured portion → feeding location. Fill in every part before handing it over.

Give clear leftover and cleaning instructions

For canned or pouched food, ask the sitter to promptly refrigerate or discard unused or leftover food, following FDA guidance. Keep the refrigerator at 40°F or below. Show which refrigerated portions are available for the next meal and include the food maker’s handling instructions rather than leaving the sitter to guess how long food can stay out.

Add these tasks to the written plan:

• After each use: Wash and dry food bowls and scooping or measuring utensils. Keep those utensils for pet food only.
• Daily: Wash water bowls.
• After each meal check: Note how much was eaten and handle leftovers as instructed. Do not simply add a fresh portion on top of uneaten wet food.

Fit an automatic feeder into the visit plan

If you use the Meowant Automatic Wet Food Cat Feeder-MW-PF06, show your sitter how to load the measured wet-food portions and use its push-button controls. It keeps pre-portioned wet-food meals cooled while they wait to be served, with two independently managed bowls. Each bowl opens once per day, and its lid closes automatically one hour after opening. Write down which bowl serves which meal and the programmed opening times so the sitter does not duplicate a meal.

Treat the feeder as a feeding aid, not a replacement for visits. Have the sitter check what was eaten, remove unsuitable leftovers, clean and refill bowls, and provide fresh water. Leave a backup meal plan for an interruption, including where the food is and which scheduled portion it replaces. If cooling is interrupted, the sitter should check the food and arrange an alternative meal.

Arrange in-person visits at least twice a day, as Cats Protection advises. Very young or older cats, or cats with certain health conditions, may need more frequent visits. Agree on that schedule before you leave.

Leave individualized medication and contact instructions

Medication: If medication is part of the routine, leave the exact prescribed medicine, dose, time, method and any food-related directions. Choose a sitter experienced in the required care and demonstrate the routine. Include your veterinarian’s instructions for a refused, missed or vomited dose if provided; do not ask the sitter to improvise a dose or treatment.

Keep a short contact sheet with:

• You: Your phone number, availability and an alternative way to reach you.
• Backup person: Someone who can help if you or the sitter cannot be reached.
• Usual veterinarian: Practice name, phone number and address.
• Emergency veterinarian: Phone number and address, plus any arrangements you have made for authorizing care.
• When to call: Your cat’s individualized veterinary instructions, including what to do if they refuse food or cannot take prescribed medication. State whom to contact if you do not respond.

Before leaving, have the sitter walk through the feeding routine with you. Ask for a brief update after visits covering food eaten, water, any medication given and anything unusual, so both of you have a clear record.

FAQs

How should I write meal portions in my cat sitter’s instructions?

For each cat, record the meal time, exact food, feeding location and portion in grams, a clearly marked measure, or a precise fraction of a named can or pouch. State whether dry food and treats count toward the daily amount, and include dietary restrictions and any separate feeding arrangements.

What should I tell my cat sitter to do with leftover wet food?

Ask the sitter to promptly refrigerate or discard unused or leftover canned or pouched food, following the food maker’s handling instructions, and keep the refrigerator at 40°F or below. Identify which refrigerated portions are intended for later meals, and have the sitter wash and dry food bowls and measuring utensils after each use.

What feeding instructions should I leave if I use an automatic cat feeder?

Write down the scheduled meal times and measured portions, demonstrate how to load and operate the feeder, and explain how to avoid serving the same meal twice. Arrange in-person visits at least twice daily to check food eaten, handle leftovers, clean feeding equipment and provide fresh water; very young or older cats and cats with certain health conditions may need more frequent visits. Leave a backup feeding plan that identifies where the food is kept and which scheduled meal the backup portion replaces.