The end of a companion animal's life is always a difficult moment. This life transition plunges families into unforeseen situations that few have previously considered. This void at the end of pets' lives is what has led the Barcelona City Council to recently announce the creation of a cremation and ash burial service for these animals, highlighting the importance of planning this moment in advance and having everything prepared.
This announcement is also a result of the growing importance of companion animals within families, as well as the emotional bond that owners establish with their animals. Despite this increasing role that dogs and cats have adopted in our society, the end of their lives is usually a painful moment that currently does not have a welcoming response for those owners going through this situation.
This void at the end of pets' lives is what has led the Barcelona City Council to recently announce the creation of a cremation and ash burial service for these animalsIn fact, the need to pay homage to animals as an important part of people's lives is not new in the history of humanity and as sentient beings endowed with intelligence and emotions. Barcelona's proposal is, in this sense, a logical continuation of the real consideration that society has for its animals.
To demonstrate the need for this service, Cementiris de Barcelona has carried out a feasibility study that has revealed the existence of an unsatisfied demand in the city, given the large number of companion animals, mainly dogs, cats, and ferrets. This study has confirmed a gap in the management of this part of pets' lives, which needs to be addressed.
Support for families
In the specific case of the city of Barcelona, the new municipal offering will allow citizens to be accompanied throughout the process, with a service respectful of the animal's dignity and the grief of its owners and family.
With this decision, which will become a reality by the end of 2024 thanks to an investment of more than one million euros, Barcelona will become the first city in Spain to promote a public service for companion animals in this area, with the forecast of performing about 7,000 cremation services for dogs and cats annually.
The importance of ensuring this transition
Barcelona's pioneering service merely highlights the importance of planning for the end of life. A solution to avoid surprises and upsets is also to have funeral insurance that includes pets. The company FIATC, for example, responds to this situation with a special guarantee for pets in its services, in which animals can be included as insured, so that they can be cremated or, if possible, buried, with all the guarantees and services of the insurance.
The company FIATC responds to this situation with a special guarantee for pets in its funeral insurance, in which animals can be included as insuredIn that case, for example, the guarantee covers expenses and management of removal, incineration and burial, as well as telephone assistance and advice for owners. Beyond this management, this insurance has the advantage of covering other services for the pet during its life, such as caregivers, pet clubs, adoptions, shelters, groomers, beds, hotels, breeders and trainers, while also providing legal and bureaucratic advice, telephone veterinary guidance and coordination of medical services, among others.
A moment surrounded by ignorance
According to integrative veterinarian Raquel Pavo, with thousands of followers on social media and an expert in preparing natural diets for animal pathologies, burying or cremating pets is important because it constitutes "an act of farewell," although for each person it can have a different meaning.
Right now, she explains, it is common for people to cremate their dogs or cats, as it is forbidden to bury them anywhere. "According to the Animal Health law, animals can only be buried or cremated in authorized crematories and cemeteries," she explains, so if an animal is buried in an unauthorized place and it is identified with a microchip, "it can be a reason for a sanction."
Burying or cremating pets is important because it constitutes "an act of farewell"However, all these regulations usually remain unknown to families. From her experience, Pavo assures that they usually don't know "what to do," but veterinarians are key at these times and guide people on the steps to follow such as, for example, the process from the clinic itself. "In addition, they are responsible for deactivating the microchip once the animal dies," he adds.
To this end, Pavo points out that, indeed, there are many insurance policies today and considers that "having insurance for a pet can be very useful, as they cover most expenses, often unexpected."
A non-linear process
According to the director of the Affinity Foundation, Isabel Buil, grief is a process that everyone goes through when they lose a loved one with whom a very strong bond has been created. On how to help a close person who has lost their dog or cat, Buil believes that active listening plays a very important role, "without judging or minimizing their loss at any time."
Grief is a process that everyone goes through when they lose a loved one with whom a very strong bond has been createdAccording to him, overcoming grief is spontaneous and natural, until "the positive experience is internalized and one learns to live with it." "This does not mean that we forget our cat or dog," he adds. In fact, many people tend to adopt another cat or dog in the midst of acute grief with the intention of alleviating this pain, but, according to the director of the Affinity Foundation Animals and Health Chair at the Autonomous University of Barcelona (UAB), Jaume Fatjó, "it's not a good idea." "The most advisable thing would be to wait until that process is overcome." "In any case, it is important that the family as a whole makes the decision, as not all its members may be at the same point," he adds.
To help properly manage this process, the Vetbonds project has been created, which aims to offer advice and informational resources to families. It is a program of the Spanish Association of Small Animal Veterinarians (AVEPA) and the UAB, with the support of Vets & Clinics and Elanco.
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