We unexpectedly had to put one of our cats to sleep last week. She was over 16 years old and had lived a good life, but due to some health issues it was time to say goodbye. Even in times of grief, there are financial decisions to keep in mind. There are several costs associated with euthanizing a cat, and the total cost of doing so depends on how you want to deal with the remains of your furry family member.
Below are the costs associated with euthanizing our cat and are meant only as an example as costs will vary based on where you live, and the type of pet involved.
Visit Fee
Whether you bring your pet to the vet, or a vet comes to you, there will likely be an office visit or call fee. We had a mobile vet come to our home for a base fee of $27.
Medications
The vet first gave our cat a heavy sedative that made her lose consciousness. The vet described it as taking her to a surgical plane. That process took a few minutes. After that, the vet injected the cat with a different drug that stopped her heart and the rest of her life systems. The cost of these drugs were $195.
Remains
Once we said our final goodbyes, the vet put our cat’s remains in her vehicle. She came back into our home and discussed our options. Legally, we were unable to bury our kitty on our property within the city limits. Many, if not all, cities have the same ordinance. The cat would be cremated with the following options for the ashes:
- no ashes returned, cost $80.
- private cremation and have only our pet’s ashes returned, cost $160.
Some places also offer having your pet cremated with other pets, and having mixed ashes returned.
We chose private cremation, and will receive our kitty’s ashes in about a week and a half.
Saying goodbye to a pet who is loved and has become part of your family is hard. Knowing ahead of time what to expect financially is important, so you don’t have to make those decisions during that heartbreaking and emotional time.
How about you, EOD Nation, have you had to say goodbye to a pet? Did you make arrangements with financial impact ahead of time?
