3 Things to Do Before You Travel and Leave Your Pet at Home

As fun as it may be to travel, it’s natural to worry about your pets while you’re away. We spend so much time with our pets that it’s hard to imagine they’ll be ok without us while we’re away.

Of course, hiring a pet-sitter is the best way to make sure your pets are taken care of. However, you can also do a few things before you leave to ensure your pet’s comfort at all times.

Here are three things to do before you travel and leave your pet at home.

1. Purchase Back-Up Food

It’s easy to forget how much pet food you have at home and assume the sitter can just run out and get more if necessary. However, you run the risk of your pet-sitter buying food that your pet normally doesn’t eat (and therefore won’t), or even food that your pet shouldn’t be eating for any dietary reasons.

It also just saves your pet sitter the hassle of having to go out and buy food. Make their job easy by stocking up on your preferred brand ahead of time.

In short, we think you should stock up early. Naturally, this rule goes for other things you think your fuzzy friends might need while you’re on vacation—specifically medicine or even toys. If you have a pet that relies on medicine, it is imperative that that medicine is available for the sitter to apply/put in their food/etc. As far as toys—the home will be emptier than usual, and it can’t hurt to have a little more entertainment around.

2. Solve Any House-Keeping Problems that Require Supervising Your Pet

Typically, pet-sitters spend much less time at our house than we do when we’re home, which means it’s imperative that you finish all house maintenance projects before you leave. For example, any holes in the fence or cabinets your cats like to climb into should be closed before you go to guarantee nothing bad could happen while your animals go unsupervised.

Consider investing in yard fencing for keeping your pets in and critters out. It is a great idea year-round, but especially before you leave home for days at a time.

3. Meet with Your Pet-Sitter Before You Leave

All pets are different, and they each require unique feeding schedules, bathroom breaks, food products, treats, toys, etc. The most helpful way to ensure your pets are safe at home is to personally meet with your pet-sitter before your trip. Introduce them to the animals (and the animals to their sitter), show them around the house, and walk them through the standard routines that your pets are used to.

This is also an ideal time to clarify any specific needs your pets may have, such as medicine that has to be applied in a specific place and/or at a specific time. Check with your pet-sitter before your meeting is over to ensure that they feel confident in their ability to take care of your pets.

Final Thoughts

To have the best time away from home, you should leave knowing everything’s taken care of, including all matters with your pet. Our pets are our pride and joy, and they deserve to feel as safe and comfortable when we’re gone as they do when we’re with them.

Before you go on vacation and leave your pets in the hands of someone else, consider these three tips to make sure that you are doing your part to leave your animals in safe, healthy circumstances.

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