No one wants to think about the day when their beloved feline friend passes away. Unfortunately, every pet parent will most likely have to face this situation at some point in their life. Although it may be a difficult task to ponder over, it’s best to plan ahead while your pet is young and you are clear-of-mind, not jumbled-up with emotions and off-the-cuff decisions making skills.
Let’s explore your options when it comes to the death of your feline and how much is may cost to cremate a cat.
Burial Options for the Death of a Cat
There are two options when it comes to the cremation of your cat; the private and the communal. As you can probably already guess, a private cremation is performed for just your cat, while the communal has many animals in the same crematory at one time.
How does the cremation process work?
A basic cremation is used to reduce your pet’s remains to bone fragments. This process can take anywhere from 30 minutes to 2 hours depending on the crematory and the size of your pet. Once this step is finished, the larger bone fragments left over are pulverized so they can be reduced into a fine ash. These ashes can then be placed in an urn or other suitable container the pet parent chooses or the crematory can place them in a bag in a sturdy box suitable for burial.
As difficult as this may have been to read, it’s better to know how the process works now, then be told at your time of trauma and sadness.
How Much Does It Cost to Cremate a Cat?
Depending on the area, state and country you reside in these costs can greatly fluctuate. Private cremations will cost more since the crematory must cremate only your cat at one time. This can run anywhere upwards of a hundred dollars and more so if you want to purchase an urn (these can cost from as low as twenty dollars to over a hundred).
If you opt to have your cat cremated along with other animals, the cost can be significantly lower, but you will not be provided with the option of having your cat’s ashes.
In addition, some crematories may charge an extra fee for picking up your deceased animal and to also witness the cremation process.
Some veterinary clinics provide their own crematory services and is usually included into the fee of having your pet euthanized, unless you want to take the body home for your own backyard or pet cemetery burial.
Planning for Your Pet’s Death
If you are not sure where to find a crematory in your area, ask your veterinarian, a local animal shelter, friends or neighbors if they have any recommendations. Having a plan in place for your beloved fur baby’s demise is never going to be an easy task. But knowing your options now and how it works, may just save you some heartache and stress down-the-road.