Agree who can help and what they can take on
Do not assume a willing contact is available. Explain the dates, location and tasks, and obtain agreement before making plans. Short-term help and a longer-term home are different arrangements. Tokyo's public emergency-card guidance encourages obtaining a backup carer's agreement in advance.
- Who can take on which tasks, for which dates?
- Who is the next contact if a visit or reply is not possible?
- Discuss access and expenses privately with the appropriate person
Separate a contact card from detailed daily instructions
The first priority is letting someone know there is a cat and whom to contact. Keep the contact card easy to find rather than burying it in food and paperwork details. Agree where it is kept and who may use it. Do not post addresses, keys or access arrangements on social media.
| Document | Contents | Sharing |
|---|---|---|
| Emergency contact card | Cat, agreed contacts and regular clinic | Complete necessary details and agree where it can be found |
| Daily-care note | Identification, existing routines, supplies, tasks and reporting | Share directly with the agreed helper, not publicly |
Identify each cat, the supplies and the existing routine
For a multi-cat household, check identification with a photograph or distinguishing feature. Name the actual product and storage location instead of saying 'what is on the shelf'. Pass on existing routines and veterinary instructions without changing them based on this guide. If possible, walk through the tasks together and revise unclear points.
| Area | Information | Open question |
|---|---|---|
| Cat | Name, photograph and distinguishing features | Can similar-looking cats be told apart? |
| Food and water | Existing instructions and supplies | Who clarifies unclear instructions? |
| Litter and cleaning | Products, cleaning and disposal | How is an unknown cat's observation recorded? |
| Doors and carrier | Closures, product instructions and location | How are entry, exit and transport agreed? |
| Contact | After-task and concern contacts | Who is next if the first person cannot reply? |
Hand over the clinic's instructions and original records
For ongoing care, identify where the clinic's written instructions and reports are kept instead of rewriting from memory. Ask the clinic about what a helper can safely take on when needed. Never fill a medication gap from memory or an online article. Agree whom to call about concerns and describe the observation and time plainly.
- Regular and out-of-hours official contacts; call to confirm current acceptance
- Where instructions and reports are kept and how to share them
- Mark unclear instructions unknown and name someone to clarify them
Report completed tasks, observations and unknowns
A visit time and completed-task list are more useful for the next helper than 'all fine'. If something could not be checked, report it rather than marking it done. The blank note is a recording aid, not a schedule or medical decision tool. Check photographs for private household details before sharing.
- Date, time and person
- Tasks completed and things actually seen
- Unknowns and any contact made
Reagree the plan if your return date changes
An extended absence does not automatically extend the original agreement. Confirm the next helper, supplies, costs and contacts. A longer-term inability to provide care needs more than a short-term worksheet: seek advice from local services early, without assuming they can take in the cat. After returning, agree how keys and shared documents are handled and revise the note for next time.