Daily Care by Species and Reading What Is Normal

The most important skill in pet sitting is not feeding or walking. It is knowing what normal looks like for each animal in your care, so you notice quickly when something changes. This lesson explains how to build that picture, what daily care looks like for the species sitters meet most often, and which changes mean you should act.

Start with a baseline for every animal

A baseline is a description of an animal on a good day. You collect it at the meet-and-greet and refine it on your first visits:

• Eating: what, how much, how quickly, and whether it usually finishes.
• Drinking: roughly how much, and from where (a bowl, a fountain, the bath tap).
• Toileting: how often, where, and what normal looks like in the litter tray, garden or cage.
• Energy and movement: how the animal greets you, how it gets up, how far it likes to walk.
• Behavior: where it likes to rest, how it reacts to visitors, whether it hides from strangers at first.
• Known quirks and conditions: the cat that always vomits a hairball on Tuesdays, the old dog that is stiff first thing, any medication.

Write it down. On a busy week, "I think he usually eats it all" is not good enough. A written baseline lets you compare today with normal and gives the owner and the vet precise information if something changes. The meet-and-greet checklist covers the questions to ask.

Daily care by species

Every household has its own routine, and the owner's written instructions come first. These are the species-specific points that help you understand those instructions and ask the right questions.

Dogs need their meals, fresh water, toilet breaks at intervals that suit their age and training, exercise and company. Many dogs find an owner's absence unsettling, so a consistent routine matters. Check that the collar or harness fits and identification is on it before every walk.

Cats need food, fresh water, a clean litter tray and a quiet, predictable visit. Many cats hide from strangers for the first visit or two, so find out in advance where the usual hiding places are. You still need to see the cat at every visit to confirm it is well. Cats are poorly adapted to going without food, so a cat that has stopped eating is a reason to contact the owner and the vet, not to wait.

Rabbits and guinea pigs need constant access to hay, fresh water, suitable fresh food and a clean, secure enclosure. Their digestion depends on eating almost continuously. A rabbit that stops eating or stops producing droppings is an emergency and needs a vet the same day. Guinea pigs need vitamin C from their diet every day, so follow the owner's feeding instructions closely.

Birds need fresh food and water daily, a clean cage and protection from drafts, fumes and other pets. Fluffed-up feathers, sitting on the cage floor or changes in droppings can be signs of illness.

Fish and reptiles depend on their environment: correct water quality or temperature, lighting and humidity. With these species, checking the equipment is part of checking the animal. Ask the owner to show you exactly what normal readings look like and what to do if equipment fails.

If a species is new to you, say so and learn before you accept the booking.

Reading stress and illness during a visit

At each visit, compare the animal with its baseline. Look for:

• Changes in eating or drinking: food left untouched, much more or much less water gone.
• Changes in toileting: no urine or feces when there should be, diarrhea, straining, blood.
• Changes in energy or posture: hiding when it usually greets you, reluctance to move, a hunched posture, limping.
• Changes in breathing: fast, noisy or labored breathing at rest, or breathing with the mouth open in a cat or a small mammal.
• Vomiting, especially more than once.
• Signs of stress: pacing, destruction, excessive licking, or a dog that will not settle.

Not every change is an emergency. Some are stress from the owner's absence and settle within a day or two. The skill is deciding which is which, and that is why the baseline matters: a cat that always hides from visitors is not worrying; a cat that always greets you and is now hiding may be.

When you are unsure, the professional default is to contact the owner and, when the change could be medical, the vet's practice. Describe exactly what you saw and when. You do not need to know what is wrong; you need to notice, record and escalate. Some signs (difficulty breathing, collapse, a rabbit not eating, repeated vomiting, straining without passing urine) need a vet straight away, and lesson 3 walks through how to handle a situation like that.