Going away? Your pet's countdown checklist

Enter the day you leave, the number of nights and the pets you have: dogs, cats, small pets such as rabbits and guinea pigs, or birds. Each task has a number of days before departure, and the checklist turns that into a calendar date. Tasks that only matter on longer trips, such as a trial stay before a week away, appear only when your trip is long enough. You can tick tasks off and print the list.

The timings are Petym's planning suggestions. No veterinary or welfare body sets a number of days for most of these jobs. Where a source does give a timing or a must-do, we follow it: Cats Protection says to book a cat sitter early, have a backup, and meet the sitter at least a few days before you leave; PDSA says to leave your vet's details and a signed letter allowing the carer to take your pet to the vet; and the RSPCA says to keep vaccinations and flea and worming treatments up to date.

Meeting the sitter with your pet in the room tells you more than any profile. The RSPCA advises meeting a sitter before you employ them, so you are confident they can meet your pet's needs, and suggests introductory sessions so your pet can settle with its new carer. The American Kennel Club suggests an in-home consultation and, if there is time, a trial day while you go out.

Two weeks gives time to find someone else if the match is wrong, and to fit a trial visit before a long trip. Cats Protection's minimum is a meeting at least a few days before you leave. On Petym, the first meet and greet with a sitter is free, before any booking.

Most Indian trips cluster around the same dates: Diwali, the Christmas and New Year break, summer holidays and family weddings. Sitters and catteries book up first around these, so the checklist starts a month ahead. Diwali also brings fireworks, so tell the sitter which room your pet hides in and keep windows shut on the main nights.

Housing societies often control who comes in, and some have rules on pets in lifts and common areas. Register the sitter with the society office and the gate before you go, and tell them the lift rules your neighbours expect. In summer, plan for heat and power cuts as carefully as for food: PDSA lists flat-faced, overweight and older dogs among those most at risk of heatstroke.

If your dog's tick prevention runs out mid-trip, the sitter needs the next dose and the date to give it, or your vet should give it before you leave.