Each owner, unfortunately, will have to bury a cat. The age of our wards is not so long and, probably, this is their only drawback. Having brought a small lump into the house, you already know that you cannot be together forever, but it's worth it. Without cats and dogs, people's lives are empty, of course, if there are tender feelings for the four-legs on the bipedal side. No matter how pragmatic this may sound, you should think about how to guide your pet on the last trip. Believe me, it will be more correct in relation to the pet and more humane in relation to you.
How many cats live and how do they age?
The life span of a cat depends on many factors: breed, heredity, temperament, living conditions, care, health. It depends on the owner how long the pet will live. For example, it is known that sterilized cats live longer, and pets fed with hormone pills hardly live to old age.. In the absence of vaccination, a kitten can die at an early age, the reason for this is viruses that attack a fragile body. Even young animals can become a victim of oncology, the propensity for which is largely dependent on heredity.
Longevity cats leave this world at the age of 19–20 years. There are cases when tailed survived to 25 or even 30 years, but this is more the exception than the rule. The average life span of a cat ranges from 8–16 years. Cats that constantly give birth or live on the street hardly live to be 6 years old. Representatives of artificially bred breeds rarely live longer than 12 years. Outbred cats living in good conditions leave this world at the age of 15-16 years.
A cat is considered elderly when she turns 8 years old. From this age, breeding producers are forbidden to knit. Approaching the milestone of old age implies a change in the approach to feeding, care and maintenance in general. Older cats become less active, prefer to sleep and eat more.
Need to watch carefullyfor dental health pet, because their loosening is due to natural processes. When a cat cannot eat solid food, it is very likely that digestive problems will develop. However, all these troubles can be dealt with ... with all but one. Our pets are mortal ...
Losing a pet is a serious stress that unbalances even the most cold-blooded people. Not every owner, being in this condition, will be able to correctly bury the cat, or rather, conduct this ritual, taking into account all the nuances. Some owners try not to bury their pets on their own, and then regret it. Inverse situations also occur when the owner has to bury the cat himself and this act afterwards does not give rest.
Why animals are forbidden to bury
For the owners, the deceased Sharik or Murka are almost family members, and for the state it is biological waste. Veterinary and sanitary rules for the collection, disposal and destruction of biological waste. Moreover, there is no difference which animal died and what size: both the hamster and the horse are equal before the law Federal Law of December 27, 2018 No. 498-ФЗ “On Responsible Handling of Animals and on Amending Certain Legislative Acts of the Russian Federation”.
A pet's body is a potential source of danger, especially if he died from an illness. So, a romantic funeral under a rose bush or in a forest belt has a downside. Pathogenic bacteria and toxic substances that are produced during decomposition of a corpse can get into groundwater and lead to infection of people and other animals. It is possible that the body will become food for a stray or wild beast, which will spread the infection further.
Therefore, it is strictly forbidden:
- Bury the corpse of an animal in the ground. But there are exceptions: this can be done in case of mass death due to natural disaster, as well as when the body cannot be moved to a crematorium or biothermal pit, but only with the permission of the chief veterinary inspector of the region.
- Dispose of the body in a garbage container or landfill.
- Throw the remains into bodies of water.
The misuse of biological waste is punished, but, of course, only if a violation of the law is recorded. For individuals, the fine is the Code of Administrative Offenses of the Russian Federation, article 10.8. Violation of the veterinary-sanitary rules for the transportation, driving or slaughter of animals or the rules for the procurement, processing, storage or sale of livestock products 4-5 thousand rubles.
Pet cemeteries with fencing and signs are most often illegal. When they are discovered, they are usually eliminated. In Kurgan, the elemental cemetery for domestic animals was liquidated, and by methods far from sentiment: corpses are burned, and ritual paraphernalia is sent to a landfill. There is another option: in the cemetery bury bins with ashes of animals. In this case, everything is legal, but only if the site is registered by the organization for these purposes.
What to do with the body of an animal if it cannot be buried
According to the law, animal corpses are cremated or disinfected in biothermal pits (these are special isolated structures in which bodies decompose faster and without danger of bringing bacteria into groundwater). The second method is usually used for farm animals.
Pets are cremated in special service ovens.
Special measures are also provided for the place where the animal died. If the body was lying on the ground, it must be disinfected. According to the law, for this it is necessary to sprinkle the area with dry bleach at the rate of 5 kilograms per square meter and dig it to a depth of 25 centimeters.
1. Call a veterinarian
The veterinarian must be notified of the death of the animal within 24 hours. A specialist will examine the body and find out why the pet died.
The services of a veterinarian will also be needed if the animal has a miscarriage or has a dead offspring. The incident may be associated with infections, so a doctor’s visit will help save the pet and legally dispose of the fetus or cubs.
2. Deliver the body to the crematorium
You can immediately call a veterinarian from a clinic that provides cremation services. In this case, the specialist himself will deliver the body of the pet where necessary.
If the veterinarian was from one service, and you plan to cremate a corpse from another, you may need a certificate in form No. 4. It indicates the presence or absence of diseases in the animal.
Addresses and phone numbers of crematoria will have to be searched on the Internet: there is no common base for such services.
The cost of cremation depends on the weight of the animal: the more it is, the more expensive the procedure will cost. Typically, several bodies are burned in furnaces at the same time; you will have to pay extra for an individual service option. Upon request and for extra money you can get a photo or video report - useful to dubious owners who doubt that the urn in the urn is dust and their pet.
In case of mass burning, the ashes can also be given out, but the remains of several animals will be in the container.
3. Decide what to do with the ashes.
There is no biological hazard in this case, since the bacteria are destroyed by high temperature. The urn can, for example:
- to bury pets in a special cemetery, if it is in the city,
- rent a cell in a special columbarium,
- keep at home
- to dispel in the place where the pet loved to frolic.
Why you can’t bury animals spontaneously
According to veterinarians, about 300 thousand domestic animals die every year in Moscow. Many owners continue to bury their pets in the old fashioned way: in squares and front gardens. Small mounds with homemade tablets, well-groomed graves with fences and even monuments are found in almost every Moscow park. The most famous and largest elemental pet cemetery is located in the northeastern district, not far from the Altufevo metro station. Another large graveyard for cats, dogs, birds and rodents is located in Mitinsky forest park.
However, such burials are illegal and harmful to the environment. According to the law, all animals that die from diseases, old age or accidents in the city must be cremated.
Burial of animals in the ground, especially near rivers and swamps, entails contamination of the soil and groundwater. In particular, toxins produced by rotting wool can lead to this. Large burials of animals can cause outbreaks of infections that are dangerous to humans, and pathogens of infectious diseases can persist in the earth for centuries. In addition, stray dogs dig up the bodies of animals and pull them around.
How should the owner act
The law classifies animal and bird corpses as biological waste. The rules for the disposal and destruction of such waste were approved by order of the Chief State Veterinary Inspector of the Russian Federation of December 4, 1995 No. 13-7-2 / 469.
According to these rules, animal owners must notify the veterinarian who will determine the procedure for disposal or destruction of the corpse on the spot no more than a day after the death of the animal.
In Moscow and the Moscow region, biological waste is disposed of by cremation. It is strictly forbidden to dump biological waste into household garbage containers and take them to landfills and landfills.
For violation of the burial ban, a fine of up to 5 thousand rubles is provided.
How much does it cost to cremate an animal
According to the law, animal corpses must be cremated with the help of an organization licensed. Several such enterprises operate in the capital at once. In the suburbs there is a crematorium for animals at the Odintsovo Laikovsky cemetery.
In addition, the Moscow city veterinary crematorium offers the service of euthanizing a sick animal with a trip to the house and subsequent cremation. There is a urn delivery service with the ashes of an animal.
The cost of individual cremation here depends on the type of animal:
- rodent, bird or rabbit - 1590 rubles,
- cats - 2390 rubles,
- a large dog weighing from 40 to 50 kg - 5790 rubles.
The cost of total cremation is much lower.
Cremation of cats lasts on average about 30-40 minutes, dogs - from an hour to a half.
What does the law say about animal burial?
Animals cannot be buried in the usual way - they should be cremated. Both the law (Article 10.8 of the Administrative Code of the Russian Federation) and common sense speak for this. The fact is that even after the complete decomposition of the body, harmful spores remain in the soil, and the danger of infection remains at this place: it does not matter if groundwater passes here or if another animal will tear up the burial place.
If veterinarians discover the place of such a burial place, they are obliged to dig up and dispose of the remains, and if you, as the owner, are also identified, you will pay a fine of up to 5,000 rubles. In any case, you will lose a memorable place.
How does the church relate to the burial of pets “humanly”?
Contrary to the opinion of religiously illiterate people, the Christian Church does not consider this a sin. Firstly, it is believed that even in such a “trifle” a person should not exalt himself over other creations of God, and secondly, many priests agree that a person is in unpaid debt to animals - since it is because of the original sin of the first humans, animals were also sent to earth, where they received mortal bodies vulnerable to disease and death.
Well, readers who are familiar with the Book of Ecclesiastes will remember exactly how the speaker equates the soul of “livestock” with the soul of a person.
Pet cremation
Specialized services, private and public veterinarians are engaged in cremation of pets, you can bring the body yourself or ask the workers to pick it up themselves.
The cost of cremation of an animal is comparable to the price of cremation of a person: you will have to pay up to 4,500 rubles for it, an average of the same for a place in a columbar niche or a separate land plot in a specialized pet cemetery.
In any case, the veterinarian in your area (district, village, city) must know where to send you - in large cities, most veterinary services actively cooperate with funeral agencies. If you live in a small village and definitely want to do it in a lawful way, you will have to take the body to the nearest major city, preferably on the day the pet dies.
Otherwise, you have to break the law, but this should be done as “cleanly” as possible.
Where and how to bury a pet yourself?
We remind you that ordinary burial is an administrative violation. If, after all, you are determined to bury your pet in the usual way, as most of us do, follow these tips.
- Find a high dry place for the grave away from communications and wells.
- Try to bury the animal in a plastic bag or wooden, or rather a metal box. An animal can be buried by wrapping in tissue only if it has died a natural death from old age, and it is guaranteed not from infection.
- Dig a hole deeper - preferably not less than a meter in depth.
- Fill the bottom of the pit with bleach or lime, after you put a bundle or box with the body there, again fill it with bleach: this way you will slightly weaken the spread of cadaveric poisons in the soil.
How to make a pet's grave?
In the illegal cemeteries of pets, you can see only home-made monuments: wrapped in cellophane or laminated photos on plywood plates with handwritten inscriptions, flower beds from old boxes, rarely tin plates with engraving of the name and dates of birth and death.
At official burials, there are real monuments that are comparable in value to budgetary for a person. Most often these are monuments made of polymer granite - cast material from granite chips and polymer. They are not as expensive as natural stone, but they cost several decades. As well as on monuments for people, on such gravestones they make a full laser engraving of an animal’s photograph, often in full growth.
Almost no such monument can do without an epitaph: in them the loving owners try to reflect their love and longing for the pet - everything here is exactly like people’s.
Bury yourself or ask for help?
This controversial issue must be resolved in advance. If you are not ready to take the pet to the last journey on your own, you need to find a person in advance who will do it for you. However, weigh the pros and cons well. Yes, burying a pet is very difficult, but most owners can get through it. Do it yourself:
- Know where the pet is buried.
- To be sure that everything went calmly and with maximum respect.
- Do not ask questions and do not regret that some nuances have not been taken into account.
Think carefully about whether the conditions below are important to you. If yes, then you should think about this - how quickly do you recover from stressful situations? Have you ever lost pets or loved ones? How long have you been in a painful state after parting?
The normal time to reconcile with death is one year.. That is, hypothetically, after about a year, a person should not experience acute pain when thinking about the dead. If your adaptation period lasted longer, the idea of holding a funeral on your own should be abandoned.
This question needs to be solved in advance, if only because in a state of stress it will be harder for you to seek help, ask for a service, think about the details. According to general recommendations, a pet should be buried no later than a day after deathbut better faster. The longer the farewell is delayed, the more painful you will be. It is especially important to bury a domestic cat quickly if her life is cut short in the summer, after surgery or long-term treatment.
Many cat owners believe in signs associated with pets. According to the version that originated in the Middle Ages, cats see the other world and can communicate with its inhabitants. In some countries, it was believed that a cat can steal a person’s soul and transfer it to the devil. For quite some time, the funeral of cats was given mystical significance. The four-legged were escorted with honors, hoping that in the next world, they would not complain to their “guardian”. There were cultures in which, after the death of a cat, the family mourned. Until today, all these superstitions have not survived.
How to honor the memory of a pet and not break the laws, but is there a choice?
According to generally accepted rules, dead animals cannot be buried in cities. Violation of this rule is punishable by a fine and amounts to an administrative offense. An exception is cities with equipped animal cemeteries, but as you know, there are very few such cities.
Most pet owners do not have the slightest idea about the existence of such prohibitions and bury their pets in the city. Cats are usually escorted:
- In parks.
- Near the ponds.
- On spacious glades.
- In small forest plantations.
Чтобы похоронить кошку по одному из этих вариантов, нужно действовать вечером или ночью, поскольку днем найдется с десяток очень взволнованных людей, которые не выживут, если не узнают где и зачем вы собрались копать. Кроме зевак, владелец рискует нарваться на полицию, сотрудники которой в подробностях расскажут, что такое административное нарушение и чем оно грозит. Нужны ли все эти неприятности владельцу, который и без того скорбит?
Места захоронений, не запрещенные законом
The law does not prohibit the burial of animals in specially equipped cemeteries. Unfortunately, not everyone has such an opportunity, since only a few cities are ready to allocate a land plot for the burial of animals. If the city government takes such a step, it is necessarily created service (private or city) that conducts the procedure in accordance with sanitary standards. The funeral service receives permission for its activities and, in theory, is controlled by authorized bodies. Naturally, the services of such services are paid. The owner pays for a cemetery, cremation, burial and, if desired, the installation of a tombstone.
Using the services of the ritual service, you do not break the law and you can take your pet on the last journey without unnecessary worries. For some owners, it’s very important that there’s a gravestone above the pet’s grave and that installation is legal in the animal cemetery. In most cases, and for a fee, you can hold a funeral ceremony, that is, invite relatives, decorate the tombstone with flowers, etc. Of the minuses, only inaccessibility can be called. In some cities there are simply no cemeteries for animals, and where they are, most of the services cannot afford such services.
Important! In cemeteries for pets, only cremated pets are buried, since burial of the body is considered a violation of sanitary standards.
The only caveat to consider when applying to the company of funeral services is legality. Unfortunately, scammers who offer burial services without permission are ready to profit from the grief of the owners. The body of the pet is taken away, and after that, it is simply thrown away or buried with the animals of other deceived owners.
It is possible to bury a kitten or cat without expenses and breaking the law outside the city. It is better to choose a place in the forest, where there are dense thickets and perennial trees. The only nuance concerns the weather, because a funeral is difficult to hold in winter or during rain. For burial, you need to dig a deep hole (at least 0.8 m), because body odor can attract wild inhabitants of the forest. The tombstone must be laid with stones that will prevent the animals from digging loose earth.
Note! Do not make the burial place too noticeable, as it can attract people's attention.
Animal cremation
According to law, dead animal must be cremated. This method is considered the only one, since animals killed by the virus remain carriers after death. Theoretically, the body of an animal buried in the ground can poison the soil and groundwater.
In accordance with sanitary standards, a crematorium should be functioning in each city, in which the bodies of animals that died on the streets are burned. The owner of the pet is obliged to hand over the body of his pet to the public service, which is unacceptable for most. However, most enterprises offer a choice:
- Total cremation - the pet’s body is burned with other animals, the ash is disposed of.
- Individual cremation - a paid procedure, in which only one animal is burned in the crematorium, ashes are given to the owner.
For many, individual cremation is becoming a reasonable alternative. How to deal with ashes is up to you. Usually, the ashes are stored in an urn, buried outside the city or waved. By the way, dispelling ashes is not always recognized as a legal procedure. For example, ash cannot be developed over water bodies, near livestock farms and equipped places for walking animals.
Processing and taxidermy
Recently, quite acceptable trends in society are gaining popularity. This wave began in China, it was there that craftsmen were found who were ready to make a stuffed animal, keychain, bag or other accessory out of a deceased pet. This offer arose not out of the blue, but in response to demand.
Demand arose as expected. People perceive the world differently, some perceive information tactilely, that is, by touch. Having at hand something that is directly related to the pet, some owners find it easier to accept loss. Perhaps such an alternative would seem acceptable to you. However, psychologists advise the opposite - to get rid of everything that reminds you of a pet (bedding, bowls, toys) when you are ready.
Virtual cemetery for animals
A virtual cemetery will not help you solve the burial issue, but it will allow you to preserve the memory of the pet. In order not to violate the law, owners have to bury animals in the country or cremate. In both cases, serious difficulties arise if the owner wants to visit the pet.
In a virtual cemetery for a small fee, you can create a personal page for your pet, upload photos and videos there. A web grave can be hung at any time of the year or day; access is always open. In addition, the resources are equipped with forums where the grieving owners support each other. Most of these projects are charitable. The proceeds are transferred to shelters, for the treatment of animals or equipment for animal cemeteries in the real world.
Where you don’t need to bury a cat
Being in frustrated feelings and under pressure from the law, some owners decide to bury the pet in the courtyard of a private house, on summer cottage or in the garden. This is not necessary, because for the next few months you will struggle with the grief of loss, and a constant stay near the grave will greatly complicate this process. Having buried a pet in a summer cottage, you will experience pain every time you come on a summer vacation or on other matters.
No need to bury cats andin a human cemetery. Having committed such an act, you will show disrespect for the relatives of the deceased and most likely, quickly enough, you will find the destroyed grave of the pet. Do you believe in God or not, but from the point of view of the church, animals do not have a soul and it is impossible to bury them in a human cemetery. You may not care about this convention, but the cemetery may be visited by religious people who obviously are not satisfied with the animal’s grave next to human tombstones.
