An Animal Chaplain’s Guide to At-Home Pet Burials

When the first cat I lived with after leaving my childhood home died, the vet asked me, “What would you like to do with him?” I was flabbergasted. I had no idea. As a kid, when cats went to the vet at the end of their life, they never returned.

“You mean I can have him back?” I asked quizzically. And thus, I was educated on cremation. As a result, a glossy, ceramic urn for a classy jet-black cat named Mr. Kitty sits on a shelf in my writing room. Beside him, the cremains of Ringo Petricelli, who succumbed to feline diabetes, rest in a foot-tall Egyptian-style urn with the head of a cat, reminiscent of the goddess Bastet. Next to him, Max the Cat’s cremains fill a bright white Buddha-shaped urn.

While it felt most reverent for me then, to have my feline roommates cremated by fire individually, I soon learned the shadow side of this choice―it is not friendly to our planet. Sustaining the heat needed for cremation requires a lot of fuel and releases carbon dioxide and toxins into the air. In fact, the cremation of an average-sized dog releases about 100 lbs. of greenhouse gases. So, many pet people are turning to new processes, like aquamation (“water cremation”) or home burials.

Considerations for Home Burial

Depending on which statistics you look at, it’s estimated that somewhere between 10 to 25 percent of companion animal bodies are buried. (It’s hard to know precisely because some people bury cremains, which impacts percentage reporting.)

Home burials are most common when an animal dies at home. Upon death, you may want to spend a little time with your pet, perhaps offering a prayer or some words of goodbye. It’s also helpful to let other animals in the house see the recently departed, as it can help them adjust to the loss. (Be aware that fluids may pass from the body, so it’s best not to lay an animal on your bed or other soft surface that might absorb anything wet.)

If you cannot bury the body immediately, make sure to store the pet somewhere cool. That said, a burial should happen as quickly as possible since the body will start to decompose. (And your local laws may require a specific timeframe.)

Sometimes when a pet dies at an animal hospital, the vet refuses to release the body for a home burial. If this happens to you, ask them to provide a written reason why or show you evidence of local governmental law prohibiting them. Pre-planning helps here, too—if home burial is important to you, make this clear to your vet while the pet is still living so that the vet understands your expectations.

It’s also important to consider how long you expect to live in that location. If you plan on moving in the future, or are renting, you may want to opt for a burial at a local pet cemetery if you want your pet buried in the earth.

Burying Cats, Dogs, and Small Animals

If you decide to bury on your property, it’s a good idea to check your state and city guidelines, since federal laws on pet burials don’t exist. Some states (or localities) permit backyard burials, while others do not. In many places, specific burial depths are required (often three to five feet). In all locations, it’s a good idea to ensure your animal companion’s resting place is a safe distance from any body of water (or well) to avoid risk of contamination. And don’t forget to check for underground power lines before you dig. Just call your utility company, and they can advise where any might be located.

With some pre-planning, you can order a pet casket or shroud to be shipped to your home if you like. These come in both biodegradable and impenetrable styles. You can also consider an Euthabag (an eco-friendly pet body bag) for transporting and/or burying a deceased animal. If the animal has been euthanized or had chemotherapy, be sure to select an impenetrable covering so that chemicals do not make their way into the soil or groundwater, potentially harming other animals (or humans) in the area.

For small animals who’ve died naturally—like hamsters, guinea pigs, or birds—or small budgets, a hand-decorated cardboard box can be transformed into a beautiful burial container. Make sure to use biodegradable decorations—and skip the glitter, which is notoriously unfriendly to the planet and can take 1,000 years to biodegrade. (Also, be aware that some glitters are made from insects or fish scales, thus exploiting other beings.)

After you complete your burial, make sure to put something heavy on top of the grave for a while, like a big pot of flowers. This has both spiritual and practical purposes. Marking the grave with something beautiful can provide a lovely place for you and your family to sit and reflect when you feel grief coming on or to remember your relationship with the deceased. It also provides a barrier to ensure other animals don’t go digging up your little buddy.

Burying Larger Animals

Burials for larger animals, such as horses, are more complicated. The Humane Society of the United States provides a list of state-by-state resources. In other countries, check with your local animal welfare organizations.

Earth Burials in Other Locations

The International Association of Pet Cemeteries & Crematories offers a searchable database for 15 countries. While not all pet cemeteries are associated with the organization, many are, so it is a good place to start your search.

There’s a growing movement supporting whole family cemeteries, especially those that offer green burials for any species. The Green Pet-Burial Society promotes “conservation whole family cemeteries” where interspecies family members can be buried next to or near each other in a protected wildlife preserve that supports and provides safety to other living beings. Founder Eric Greene offers, “Earth is our home; it is what we are part of. Death puts in perspective―and at the end, there is only nature and our stewardship of this planet and life on it.”

Burying through Recomposition

An interesting development in deathcare practices is recomposition. Rather than reserving land for burial or having cremains placed symbolically near a tree trunk, advocates of recomposition suggest we can use dead bodies to support and heal existing natural areas in need of restoration.

If you live in the Pacific Northwest, your animal companion can become part of a reforestation project. Greg Schoenbachler and Paul Tschetter’s company Rooted uses a system of pods that provide precise quantities of air and water tailored in real time to compassionately compost your pet’s body, turning it into rich soil. Most of the time, animals are communally composted in the pods, and the soil is donated to partner organizations. For an additional cost, though, Rooted can recompose a single pet and return the soil to you for your own use. Also referred to as earth cremation, the process takes about eight weeks and costs about $100 for group recomposition.

Honoring the Transition

However you choose to deal with the practicalities of an animal companion’s body upon their death, there’s no doubt you’ll have emotional work to do as well as you process the loss after burial. Consider honoring your pet by holding a “Furry Wake.” Learn about grieving and get tips for processing your feelings or overcoming guilt you might feel. And remember: You need not do grief alone. Research suggests that people who seek support from friends or attend pet loss grief support groups manage grieving more effectively.

Want to learn more about pet loss? Read “Book Review: Sacred Sendoffs.”