When your mother goes into the hospital, the animals in her house still need food, water, a way outside, and someone who knows where the carrier is. Most of that work is small and easy to miss from far away, so size the plan to her actual house before the phone call comes, not during it.
Local option: New Plan Care gives families in the St. Louis area in-home help so a parent can stay home: companionship, help with bathing and dressing, meals, and overnight care. Call (314) 405-0887.
Count every animal and every daily task
Write down each animal in the house, with its name, its food, its water source, and its usual schedule. For a dog, that is walks and the door. For a cat, it is the litter box and the feeding time. For a bird or fish, it is the water and the light. Note what the animal does when its routine is off, such as scratching at a door or hiding, so the person covering visits knows what is normal and what is not.
Match the plan to the house
Walk the house in your head: which doors lock, which door the animal uses, where the food is stored, and whether the yard is fenced. A fenced yard with a gate that latches needs a key or code plan. An indoor cat with a basement door that can be left open needs a different check. Note which rooms the animal lives in and whether those rooms are safe for a visitor to enter alone. Make sure the stairs or steps on the visitor's route are safe to walk.
Decide who has keys and who is home
Pick one person who has a key, lives close enough to reach the house within an hour, and can visit once or twice a day. Confirm they can do the work at the times the animal needs it. If no one nearby can cover every visit, split the work by time, with morning from one person and evening from another, and a written list of who does what. A local helper can cover visits if you pay for their hours, and the Local Help for a St. Louis Parent page lists where to start.
Gather the vet records and the carrier
Put the vet's name and number, the animal's vaccine record, and any medicine the animal takes in the folder. Write the food type and amount in your own words so the visitor does not have to guess. Keep the carrier near the door with a leash, a litter box if needed, and a blanket. If an animal must go to a boarding place or a friend's house, decide that before the hospital call, not during it.
Plan for the whole stay, not the first day
The first day is usually the easiest part. The plan has to hold for the whole stay, which can run longer than you expect. Set a daily check-in with the visitor and ask them to report food, water, litter, and any change in the animal's behavior. Decide who stays in the house overnight if a visit runs late. Keep the pet plan in the folder with the house plan, not only in your head.
What to do tonight
Call your mother, or the person she trusts most, and ask who is in the house with the animal now, which door it uses, and where the food is kept. Write the answers on one page. Then find one person nearby who could make the first visit if the hospital call comes, and ask them to walk the house with you on video.
What to leave with the doctor
Tell the doctor about any animal bites, scratches, or allergies in the house, since those can matter for her care. If she has been lifting a pet carrier, a litter box, or a heavy food bag, mention it, because lifting can affect what she should be doing. The doctor does not need to decide anything about the pets themselves.