Ten Questions to Ask a Pet Crematorium

About the cremation itself

Do you cremate on your own premises, or send elsewhere? If my pet is private, how do you keep them identified through the process? May I visit, or be present? A facility comfortable with those questions is usually one you can rely on.

About cost

What is the total for a pet of this weight, including collection from my address and ashes returned? Is the container included? Is there anything else I will be invoiced for? One clear figure, before you commit.

About timing

When would you collect, and when would the ashes be back? Is engraving included in that date? Who do I phone if I have heard nothing?

About keepsakes

Can you take a fur clipping and a paw print, and is that included? Ask before collection. Neither is possible afterwards.

What good answers sound like

Specific, unhurried and unbothered by being asked. Vagueness about whether the cremation is genuinely private, reluctance to give a total, or pressure to decide immediately are all reasons to phone somewhere else. This is one of the few purchases where you are entitled to be difficult.