Not the big things — those usually make the list. It's the small, specific, "I didn't think to mention it" details that cause most of the mid-stay texts. Here's what actually gets left out.
- The word that works, versus the word you think works. "Sit" might only land when said a specific way.
- What's normal hiding versus worrying hiding, especially for cats.
- That the water bowl needs refreshing more than once a day.
- The actual walking route — not just "he needs a walk," but which direction avoids the dog three doors down.
- What triggers barking, and what to do about it.
- That they're food-motivated to a concerning degree and will absolutely try to convince a new sitter they haven't been fed.
- The specific way they take medication — hidden in food, by hand, whatever actually works.
- What time they expect to be fed, to the minute, apparently.
- That the vacuum, the bin truck, or a specific sound sets them off.
- Which rooms or furniture are off-limits.
- How long they can be left alone before it's a problem.
- The name and number of a backup contact, not just yours.
- A spending limit for emergency vet care, and written permission to use it.
- That the "aggressive" bark at the door is entirely for show.
- Where the spare key actually is, not just that one exists.
- How they react to other pets, if the sitter has any.
- What counts as an actual emergency worth interrupting your trip for, versus something completely normal.
Why this list exists
None of these are dramatic on their own. Individually, they're a shrug. Together, missing four or five of them is how a sitter ends up guessing their way through a stay instead of confidently handling it — and how you end up getting texted about things you'd have happily explained in advance if you'd remembered to.
The fix isn't remembering better. It's writing it down properly once, and keeping it updated — which is the whole idea behind Quirks & All: one link with everything a stand-in actually needs, current the moment something changes.