[Lianne from CT]

I am trying to find out about what people who have pets that pass away at home do with the poor little thing's body. We moved here about 7 months ago. We now have a badly ailing 15 year old cat whose hours/days are definitely numbered. We live in a courtyard villa and cannot imagine burying the poor thing out there. We have done some calling about and are finding the cost to euthanize and cremate extremely prohibitive on our incomes. What alternatives do we have here in The Villages?

[ncr2482]

Originally Posted by Lianne from CT

I am trying to find out about what people who have pets that pass away at home do with the poor little thing's body. We moved here about 7 months ago. We now have a badly ailing 15 year old cat whose hours/days are definitely numbered. We live in a courtyard villa and cannot imagine burying the poor thing out there. We have done some calling about and are finding the cost to euthanize and cremate extremely prohibitive on our incomes. What alternatives do we have here in The Villages?

Lianne - my heart goes out to you. We have been in TV for 6 years. During that time we had to euthanize two of our sick and/or elderly cats. Our Vet. Dr. Rebecca Fratello (House Calls Mobile Pet Clinic) came to the house during these difficult times. She took care of everything for us. It was a painful experience but at least our kitties died at home.

[K9-Lovers]

Lianne,

First let me say how sorry I am to hear about your ailing cat. I know from experience how difficult it is to see you pet's health decline, and the time and effort it takes to care for an elderly pet who is sick.

I contacted the Belleview Pet Crematory, which is close to The Villages. I suspect if you go through them directly, rather than through a veterinarian that the cost will not be as high (that is a guess, not a fact). They have two kinds of cremations for pets. A private cremation, meaning only your pet is cremated and you receive the ashes in an urn, costs $160. A communal cremation costing $60 is done with several pets all at once, and the ashes are scattered on a horse farm. The cremation is usually done the same day the pet is received. Their phone number is 352-307-2256 and are located at 10505 Southeast 36th Avenue in Belleview.

If you choose to forego the cremation, your vet can euthanize your cat and dispose of the body. "Dispose" means that your cat will be placed in a thick plastic trash bag which will go in the trash.

Or, you can let your cat die naturally, wrap the cat in several plastic trash bags and dispose of the body in your regular trash pick up. However, if the cat is suffering, your vet can provide pain medication and sedatives.

This link discusses how to care for a dying cat and may be helpful:

http://www.ehow.com/how_2083410_care-dying-cat.html

[Lianne from CT]

Thank you so much for the name, address, tel #'s & the link! It will make this difficult time a bit less stressful for us here in our new community.

[Lianne from CT]

I will check out your mobile vet. Thank you for this!

[ncr2482]

Dr. Fratello will not "dispose" of the body. She will make arrangements for a private or group cremation. We discussed all the options with her. She and her Vet. Asst. Robin are so kind and compassionate. I don't recall the costs involved but give her a call. The number is 352-815-0404. You can check her out on facebook as well

[Bill-n-Brillo]

So sorry to hear about your ailing kitty. It's never an enjoyable time to see a pet start to head downhill health-wise. Been there, gone through that ourselves over time......6 times to be exact.

What we did initially was to contact our vet who referred us to a couple of conventional funeral homes to see if they handled pet cremations (this is all in central OH but I would think the same thing would apply around TV). They referred us to two local funeral homes. In a couple of our instances, we took our cats directly to the funeral home to have them handle the cremation. In other cases, where we chose to have the vet euthanize the cats, the vet handled everything - had the funeral home do the pickup at their office. In all cases, we got a call from the funeral home after about a week or so and went there to pick up the cats' remains. They always had a nice 'presentation' - the ashes were in a tiny plastic bag inside a nice decorative wooden box, they'd taken a clipping of the fur and put it in a small envelope, and also inked one of the front paws and made a paw print on a nice card for us. Used to cost $75 - last couple of go-arounds it ran $100. Seemed more than reasonable to us. Prices will obviously differ from area to area.

Bill

[K9-Lovers]

Originally Posted by ncr2482

Dr. Fratello will not "dispose" of the body. She will make arrangements for a private or group cremation. We discussed all the options with her. She and her Vet. Asst. Robin are so kind and compassionate. I don't recall the costs involved but give her a call. The number is 352-815-0404. You can check her out on facebook as well

Dr. Fratello seems very compassionate and caring. She is the vet that told me about the pet crematory in Belleview. She said that she has been using Belleview Pet Crematory for about 8 years now and that they are very professional.

[Pturner]

Lianne,
I'm sorry to read that you will soon be losing your beloved cat. Please give him/her a tender pet from me. I'm sending you a virtual hug.

[Bonny]

So soryy to hear this. I'm an animal lover. I have lost 4 since being in the Villages. 3 cats & a bird.They have all been creamated and they are in little boxes here at my house. When my husband or i pass, the ashes will be put with us.

[skyguy79]

This makes me want to hug my cats, but I'll have to wait until they give me permission!

[Barefoot]

Liane wrote:

I am trying to find out about what people who have pets that pass away at home do with the poor little thing's body. We moved here about 7 months ago. We now have a badly ailing 15 year old cat whose hours/days are definitely numbered. We live in a courtyard villa and cannot imagine burying the poor thing out there. We have done some calling about and are finding the cost to euthanize and cremate extremely prohibitive on our incomes. What alternatives do we have here in The Villages?
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First of all Liane, please accept my sympathies for your situation. I think that people normally take their pet to a Vet to have it euthanized, and all Vets have various ways of cremation (For instance invidual cremation with body being returned to the owner is usually much more expensive than group cremation and the ashes being scattered).

Two years ago, our big dog Brutus suddenly became very ill with a brain tumor. Fireboy was in Toronto working, so I had to make the heart-breaking decision by myself, to have him euthanized as he was in distress. I had him euthanized here at home in The Villages by Mobile Vet Dr. Angel Smith 352-470-9537. Of course losing a pet is like having your heart torn out. But for me, Home euthanization made the process a little less painful. (Thanks Boomer for the support during that difficult time). My belief is that, on death, a spirit immediately leaves the body to go to the other dimension. At that time, I just require the body to be disposed of in a respectful manner. Dr. Angel handled this for me and the ashes were spread in a garden.

Lianne, please don't allow your cat to suffer. I would suggest you call Dr. Porter in Wildwood who charges less than most Vets in The Villages. If your pet is suffering, I will offer to pay the cost of euthanization.

[English Ivy]

Originally Posted by K9-Lovers

Or, you can let your cat die naturally, wrap the cat in several plastic trash bags and dispose of the body in your regular trash pick up.

We all handle this very sad situation of losing a beloved pet in different ways which are best for us and our particular situation, but I could never put my pet out at the end of the driveway waiting for the garbage truck to come by and toss her in and continue up the street. I shudder just to think about it!

This may not work for everyone, but I guess if I had a pet die at home and I could not afford cremation and could not bury in my backyard, I'd drive to a very rural area, walk out into a field or some woods and leave her where she would hopefully lay peacefully for at least a while. I know eventually animals might come and do what comes naturally, but to me that's better than the garbage truck.

Liane, you have my sympathy at this sad time.

[Bonny]

Originally Posted by English Ivy

We all handle this very sad situation of losing a beloved pet in different ways which are best for us and our particular situation, but I could never put my pet out at the end of the driveway waiting for the garbage truck to come by and toss her in and continue up the street. I shudder just to think about it!

This may not work for everyone, but I guess if I had a pet die at home and I could not afford cremation and could not bury in my backyard, I'd drive to a very rural area, walk out into a field or some woods and leave her where she would hopefully lay peacefully for at least a while. I know eventually animals might come and do what comes naturally, but to me that's better than the garbage truck.

Liane, you have my sympathy at this sad time.

Really ??!!

[English Ivy]

Originally Posted by Bonny;345***

Really ??!!

Bonny, what are you questioning? The trash pick-up comment wasn't mine. I was responding to another poster. Or my alternative thought to bring my pet to a peaceful, rural area if I had no other option to find a final resting place for my pet? I'm not sure what you're referring to.