The sitter sheet
Looking after ________________
One page, on the fridge. If anything on the second page is true, don't wait to hear back from us: do what it says, then call.
Sitter
Her weight now
Away from / until
Medications: name, what it looks like, dose, actual clock time, in food or by mouth
What to do if a dose is missed
Food: what, how much, when, warmed or not
Water and litter
Her normal: where she sleeps, what an evening looks like, how much she usually eats
Your vet: practice, phone, address
Emergency clinic: name, phone, address
Your number, and a local backup human
Authority
________________ is authorized to seek veterinary treatment for ________________ and to approve treatment up to $________. The clinic has been told. Signed
For the sitter
What to watch for
Kidney cats go quiet rather than dramatic, so these lists are short and they mean phone, not wait. The first list means go, then phone.
Take her in now
To the vet, or the emergency clinic if they're closed. Then call me.
- Her ears, paws or legs feel cold
- Her gums are pale or white
- She's straining in the litter box
- There have been no wet clumps in the box for twelve hours
- There's blood in her vomit, or her stool is black and tarry
- She's had a seizure, collapsed, or can't stand up
- She's breathing fast or hard at rest, or with her mouth open
- She's bumping into things, or her pupils are wide and stay wide
- She's breathing wetly or working to breathe after subcutaneous fluids
- Anyone gave her human medication
Call the vet today
Today, not when I'm back. Then text me.
- She has eaten far less than normal for a day
- She's vomiting repeatedly, or can't keep water down
- She's weak in the back legs, or holding her head oddly low
- She's hiding and won't come out even for food
If she's on fluids, this is normal
A soft, cool, painless lump that moves down her chest or leg after fluids is expected, and it should be gone within about twelve hours. Only a hot, hard or painful one, or one still there after twelve hours, is a call to the vet.
“I won't be annoyed if you call or text me about her, at any hour.”
Sitters often wait a day because they don't want to spoil a trip, and a day matters in a kidney cat. Please don't wait.
Me
Our vet
Emergency clinic