Saying goodbye to your good boy.
How to respectfully deal with the loss of a beloved pet
A loss only an animal lover will understand
Loving a pet means that you are opening yourself up to the inevitable grief of losing that loved pet. The tragic truth is that, unless you are the owner of a giant tortoise or an elephant, you’ll probably outlive your pet. Cats, dogs and even most birds rarely make it to two decades, with many big dogs not even reaching 10 years of age.
Now. Not to make light of a tragic situation…I want to share a story with you.
This is not my story. But it could be. It is the kind of comedy of errors that can happen to any of us.
Let’s set the scene.
A loving family in suburban Joburg. A father, mother and two adult children. A beloved cat, many years old…let’s call him Mittens The children live about an hour away from their parents. On the Sunday in question, shortly before Christmas, the whole family, including a new son-in-law, decide to meet up for lunch and a theatre show. They have lunch, they see a musical, they hug and kiss and say goodbye. The kids head to their houses, the parents go home.
Enter: The concerned neighbour.
He has known the family for years. He approaches the parents as soon as they arrive home, carrying a bundle wrapped in a red blanket. A small black cat paw with a distinctive white marking dangles from the bundle.
The neighbour tells a horrible story of a hit and run, of hearing tires screech and seeing an indistinct sedan speed off. He ran out, saw a flash of black and white fur and knew immediately that this was Mittens, the much-loved cat. Thinking to spare his owners, the kind neighbour decided to conceal the cat’s grievous injuries in the aforementioned blanket and wrap up the dead body of their pet before handing him over…
Shocked, traumatised, confused…
The father takes the wrapped bundle and carries Mittens home one last time. Phone calls are made, tears are shed, children make U-turns and rush to their childhood home to say farewell to their childhood pet.
The new son-in-law takes it upon himself to dig a grave in a sunny secluded spot in the garden. More tears, words of farewell, memories shared, and Mittens is laid to rest, still neatly wrapped in the red blanket. The family finds comfort in the fact that they could all say goodbye…The mother suggests tea and they head back inside.
The son-in-law goes to switch on the kettle. He emerges from the kitchen carrying a perfectly healthy, purring black cat with a white paw. “I didn’t know you had two cats.”
“We don’t” answers the father, grabbing the real Mittens and hugging him in relief. “So, who did I just dig a grave for?” To this day they still don’t know.
But they planted a little Catnip bush on the grave of the unknown cat. Every pet deserves dignity, all the way to the end. (The death and revival of Mittens happened about 15 years ago.)
These days, the norm for dignified pet disposal is pet cremation.
In many ways we do believe that this is the better option. Whether your pet passed due to old age, disease or because you had to make the impossible decision to give them a dignified and pain free end, the question about how to respectfully dispose of their body is a contentious one.
Many animal hospitals and veterinary clinics offer a pet cremation service even if your pet passes away at home. You can bring the animal to them, and they will send it to a crematorium to cremate it. The price varies depending on whether you want their remains back. If you ask for single animal cremation you can receive the ashes of your pet back in a small wooden casket or urn. If you opt for the (much) less expensive option of cremation without receiving the remains back, so called communal cremation, you will bid your pet farewell at the clinic and that’s that. The prices for single pet cremation and return of remains can be anywhere between R3000 and R6 000, while basic communal cremation usually costs about R 2000 at the most. Obviously, the price can increase based on additional services you add, or any memorabilia you choose to receive back.
In our search for dignified disposal options, we came to the conclusion that
- All the local reputable pet cremation services are in line with their prices,
- All of these services are run as passion projects and born from a real love for and respect of the relationship between humans and our pets.
It was heartening to read through their websites, and see the discussions of different options, al driven by dignity and respect. Whichever cremation service you choose, we feel safe to say that you and you beloved pet will be in safe hands.
https://legacypet.co.za/about/
https://earthpet.co.za/our-services/
https://www.preciouspetscs.com/services/service-pricing
Also read our article on New Pet Checklist.
