Weekly pet care schedule template

What’s on the template

• Who’s who: up to four people and their initials, so “AB” in a box is clear to everyone.
• Daily tasks by day of the week: meals, fresh water, a walk or play, poop pick-up or the litter box, tooth brushing and medicine, plus blank rows for your own. Each has a Who and a Backup.
• Page 2: less frequent tasks with how often, who, next due and last done; contacts; house rules; notes.
• One version for dogs and cats, in US Letter and A4, fillable on screen.

How to fill it in

1. Write the names and initials first, then a Who and a Backup for every task. The backup steps in on the days the named person is away.
2. Cross out what your pet doesn’t need and add your own tasks in the blank rows.
3. Copy how often from your vet or your pet’s care plan into the less frequent tasks on page 2.
4. Initial a box right after the task, not at the end of the day.
5. Keep the sheet where everyone passes, and print a fresh one each week.

Tasks most pets need

Some jobs come up every day. The ASPCA says clean, fresh water should always be available and that a litter box should be scooped at least once a day. The RSPCA advises taking a dog out at least once a day unless your vet recommends otherwise. A veterinary technician at Cornell’s veterinary college recommends brushing your pet’s teeth at least once a day, for about 60 seconds, because plaque builds up within 12 hours.

Others come round less often. The ASPCA suggests trimming a cat’s nails every two to three weeks, checking dogs for fleas and ticks daily in warm weather, washing pet bedding often and taking a cat to the vet at least once a year. Ask your vet how often your own pet needs grooming, parasite prevention and check-ups.

Kids on the schedule

Children can take on real jobs with an adult nearby. Dr. Sara Griffin of Texas A&M’s veterinary college says children as young as two can help feed a pet but should never be left alone with one, and that around age 10 they can walk, feed and clean up after a pet, still with adult supervision. Put an adult down as the backup for every task a child owns.

• Shared pet care schedule: how families split feeding, walks and meds
• Printable feeding schedule for dogs and cats