When your cat dies in Wellington: what happens next
By our estimate, 31,500 Wellington households have at least one cat. When the time comes for yours, here's how cremation works locally and what it usually costs.
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Wellington, New Zealand
Who handles cat aftercare in Wellington
Cats are a big part of life in Wellington, and many households also keep rabbits, guinea pigs, birds or fish. Burial in the garden is common in New Zealand, but steep, rocky sections, rental properties and small townhouse plots can make it impractical here. Having your pet cremated privately with the ashes returned lets you keep your pet close and decide later whether to bury, scatter or keep the ashes at home.
Wellington's weather is famous for wind, and the city sees plenty of rain and changeable days, but temperatures stay mild most of the year and snow in the suburbs is rare. That gives you a little more time after a pet dies than in a hot climate. Keep the body in the coolest room, on a towel with cool packs alongside, and try to arrange collection within a day, especially in the warmer months from December to March.
Families in Wellington usually have several vets and at least one crematory within a short drive, which gives you room to choose. If your cat trusted a particular clinic team, that bond counts; many people want familiar hands at the end. If price or a witnessed cremation matters more, calling a crematory directly is completely normal. You can also mix the two: the goodbye with your own vet, the cremation arranged by you.
Wellington's population is around 212,000.
Our estimate
31,500
Wellington: cat-owning households, our estimate
How we calculated this
212,000 ÷ 2.7 = 78,519 households; × 40% (cat) = 31,500. Homes are counted once however many pets they keep.
Our estimate
2,800
Estimated cat losses in Wellington each year
How we calculated this
31,500 cat-owning homes ÷ average lifespan (cat: 11.18 yrs) ≈ 2,800 a year. The real figure is unlikely to be lower.
40%[1]
40% of New Zealand households have a cat - cats are NZ's most popular pet.
11.18 years[2]
US cats seen at Banfield hospitals have an average life expectancy at birth of 11.18 years.
69%[3]
69% of bodies in New Zealand were cremated in 2023, per the Funeral Directors Association of NZ.
clinic $158; home $359; cremation $180; burial $566[4]
CareCredit's 2025 study put US cat euthanasia at $158 in clinic and $359 at home, cat cremation at $180 and cat cemetery burial at $566.
Sources for the statistics above: CareCredit (Synchrony) and Companion Animals New Zealand, 2024 NZ Pet Data Report.
Why cremation is familiar in New Zealand, or isn't
About 69%[3] of people in New Zealand choose cremation, and the share keeps climbing as families move and live further apart. That's one of the most common reasons cat owners choose it too: a small urn travels, a garden grave doesn't. If there's already a spot on family land where other cats are buried, though, burying the ashes there can give you both.
That New Zealand rate is a human one, published by The Spinoff, citing FDANZ 2023 Funeral Industry Trends Report (2023). We quote it for Wellington only as a pointer to how families here already think about cremation.
Timing your cat's aftercare in Wellington's climate
Local weather affects two things: how quickly your cat should be collected, and whether a burial or scattering outdoors is practical. Your provider in Wellington will know the seasons well, so ask them what they'd suggest at this time of year.
What cat cremation costs in Wellington
About 34%[5] of Australian households now have a cat, up from 27% in 2019, and cat-owning households spend about A$1,656[6] a year on them. End-of-life care can be one of the larger single bills. Some rescues offer lower-cost memorial packages: RSPCA Queensland's individual cremation packages start from AUD 250[7].
The full price table by size is on our New Zealand page, and the services page explains what each option includes.
Free tool
Cremation cost calculator
Estimate a realistic price range for your pet's size, location and the type of cremation.
Burial, ashes and the rules in New Zealand
Rules for pets after death are usually simple, but they're set at more than one level: New Zealand, then your city, county or council, and sometimes a homeowners' association or landlord. The strictest one applies. If you're thinking about burying your cat in the garden, check all of them; if you're choosing cremation, the rules mostly affect where you scatter the ashes.
Cats are New Zealand's most popular pet, found in 40%[1] of households, with about 1.26 million[9] cats in total. Councils set the rules on home burial, and many urban sections are too small for it, so cremation is common. Ask your vet which crematorium they use and whether individual cremation is confirmed in writing.
A simple checklist for the next two days
- If you find your cat outdoors, take a box, a towel and a pair of gloves with you. Ease them onto the towel, then carry them back to the house or the car.
- If you're not sure the cat is yours, or someone nearby found them, any vet can check for a microchip. It takes a clinic only a minute or two.
- Keep your cat in a cool, closed room in the house while you get hold of your vet or a crematory covering Wellington.
- Ask for private or communal cremation and the full price, including collection or drop-off.
- Update the microchip record and tell anyone who helped you look for your cat, so they can stop searching.
- Give yourself some grace. Sudden losses, especially of outdoor cats, bring guilt that isn't deserved. Cats who roam are living the life they chose.
Remembering your cat, in Wellington and beyond
Wellington is built on hills, and many homes sit on steep sections reached by long flights of steps, zig-zag paths or even private cable cars, with no driveway at the door. If your pet dies at home, that affects how collection works. It helps to note your suburb in your message, along with how many steps there are between the street and your door, and where a vehicle can safely park on a narrow road.
or see how other readers answered in our polls, Compare every option on our services page, look through our guides and the blog, try the free planning tools. Every other community in New Zealand, and all of New Zealand, is listed too.
Reader polls
What would you choose?
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Which small keepsake would mean the most from your cat?
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For your cat, would you want their own ashes returned?
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If you had to decide today, which aftercare would you choose for your pet?
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Free tools to help you plan
Cremation cost calculator
Estimate a realistic price range for your pet's size, location and the type of cremation.
Urn size calculator
Find the urn volume you need from your pet's weight, plus keepsake and sharing options.
Ashes weight estimator
See roughly how much ash to expect back, by species and body weight.
Questions people ask
Roughly how many cats die in Wellington each year?
Our estimate is around 2,800. It comes from Wellington's population (about 212,000), the average household size, the share of homes with a cat (about 31,500 households here) and the average lifespan. It is arithmetic, not a count, so read it as a rough floor.
Why does the Wellington page quote a human cremation rate?
Because it is the best local signal we have. The Spinoff, citing FDANZ 2023 Funeral Industry Trends Report (2023) reports about 69%[3] of New Zealand residents are cremated. There is no official pet equivalent, and inventing one would be worse than quoting a real, clearly labelled number.
Should I choose cremation or burial for my cat?
Surveys in the US and UK point the same way: roughly two-thirds of bereaved owners choose cremation and about 30% choose burial[8]. A cat's small size makes a garden burial easy where it's allowed, but cremation is simpler if you rent, might move or want your cat close. You can combine them by burying the ashes.
Should my other cats see the cat who died?
Many owners let their other cats sniff and sit with the body for a few minutes before collection, and it does no harm. Some cats show interest, others walk away; both are normal. Afterwards, keep feeding and litter routines steady. If a remaining cat stops eating for more than a day or two, call your vet, as cats don't cope well with going without food.
How many cats are there in Wellington?
By our estimate, about 31,500 households in Wellington have at least one cat, and around 2,800 cats are lost there each year. We calculate this from the city's population, average household size and national cat ownership and lifespan figures; the method is shown on this page. Many homes have more than one cat, so the true number of cats is higher.
How do I know I'm getting my own cat's ashes back?
Ask the provider how they track each animal. Careful crematories use a numbered tag, often metal, that stays with your cat from collection through cremation and returns with the ashes, along with a certificate. Ask whether private means your cat is alone in the chamber, since some providers use partitioned cremation. Get the answer in writing.
Sources and our estimates
- [1] 40% of New Zealand households have a cat - cats are NZ's most popular pet. Companion Animals New Zealand, 2024 NZ Pet Data Report, 2024.
- [2] US cats seen at Banfield hospitals have an average life expectancy at birth of 11.18 years. Montoya et al. 2023, Frontiers in Veterinary Science - Banfield Pet Hospital life expectancy tables (13.3 million dogs, 2.4 million cats, 2013-2019), 2023.
- [3] 69% of bodies in New Zealand were cremated in 2023, per the Funeral Directors Association of NZ. The Spinoff, citing FDANZ 2023 Funeral Industry Trends Report, 2023.
- [4] CareCredit's 2025 study put US cat euthanasia at $158 in clinic and $359 at home, cat cremation at $180 and cat cemetery burial at $566. CareCredit (Synchrony) - Cat Euthanasia: Understanding Your Options and Costs (2025 ASQ360 procedural cost study), 2025.
- [5] 34% of Australian households have at least one cat, up from 27% in 2019. Animal Medicines Australia, Pets in Australia 2025 (media release), 2025.
- [6] Australian cat-owning households spend about A$1,656 a year on their cats. Animal Medicines Australia, Pets in Australia 2025 (media release), 2025.
- [7] RSPCA Queensland's Pets at Rest memorial packages (individual cremation) start from AUD 250, with the memorial returned within 14 days. RSPCA Queensland - Pet cremation (RSPCA Pets at Rest), 2025.
- [8] UK and US survey evidence converges on roughly two-thirds of bereaved owners choosing cremation (UK 67%; US 68% ever) and about 29-32% choosing burial. Our estimate: mean(67, 68) = 67.5; burial range 29% (UK) to 32% (US). How we calculate.
- [9] New Zealand has an estimated 1.26 million pet cats. Companion Animals New Zealand, 2024 NZ Pet Data Report, 2024.
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