Saying goodbye to your cat in Burbank
By our estimate, about 4,450 households in Burbank share their home with a cat, and roughly 400 cats are lost there each year. You're not alone in this, and you don't have to sort it out by yourself.
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Burbank, Illinois
Cat aftercare in Burbank: the local picture
Burbank is a small Cook County city on Chicago's southwest edge, about 12 miles from the Loop and not far from Midway Airport, built largely of brick bungalows, raised ranches and Cape Cods on narrow lots. Most houses have a detached garage reached from an alley or a side drive. When booking a pickup, say which door the crew should use, and whether they'll need to carry a pet up from a basement.
Burbank summers top out around 85 in July, and January lows hover near 20, with freezing weather from December into March. In winter, a detached garage behind the house stays cold enough to keep a small animal's body overnight. In summer, head downstairs: a bungalow's basement stays cooler than the main floor, so put the body on a folded blanket there with ice packs and arrange collection within a day.
If your cat is old or ill and you live in or near Burbank, a phone call now is easier than one later. Ask your vet which crematory they use, what private cremation costs for a cat, how long the ashes take to come back and whether a home visit is possible. Senior cats often decline quietly, with weight loss and more sleep, so having those answers written down lets you spend the last days with your cat rather than on the phone.
Burbank is home to about 28,578 people, the 73rd-largest of the 151 Illinois communities we cover. Some of the providers who serve Burbank are based about 12 miles away in Chicago, the nearest larger centre, so collection times reflect that drive.
If you want to compare providers, look at Oak Lawn (2 miles), Evergreen Park (4 miles) and Palos Hills (4 miles). Distance matters because pickup fees and the time until the ashes come back both grow with the drive.
Our estimate
4,450
Estimated cat-owning households in Burbank
How we calculated this
28,578 ÷ 2.5 = 11,431 households; × 39% (cat) = 4,450. Homes are counted once however many pets they keep.
Our estimate
400
Estimated cat losses in Burbank each year
How we calculated this
4,450 cat-owning homes ÷ average lifespan (cat: 11.18 yrs) ≈ 400 a year. A floor, not a ceiling.
39%[1]
39% of US households own a cat, which is about 53 million households.
11.18 years[2]
US cats seen at Banfield hospitals have an average life expectancy at birth of 11.18 years.
60.2%[3]
The NFDA projected Illinois's cremation rate at 60.2% for 2024.
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.
The numbers above come from Montoya et al. 2023, Frontiers in Veterinary Science and CareCredit (Synchrony), if you'd like to read the original sources.
Why cremation is familiar in Illinois, or isn't
Human cremation sits at around 60.2%[3] in Illinois, and pet owners are split in a similar way. In one US survey of more than 2,000 dog and cat owners, 68% had chosen cremation for at least one past pet and 32% burial[5] (Cooney et al.). Many households had done both at different times. Your choice for this cat doesn't have to match the last one.
NFDA 2024 Cremation & Burial Report state projections (via Occasional Sage) (2024) is where the Illinois figure comes from. It counts people; we use it because attitudes to cremating a pet in Burbank tend to follow attitudes to cremation generally.
Weather, timing and your cat in Burbank
If you're driving your cat to the vet or crematory yourself in winter, the cold car helps. Lay your cat in a lined box or carrier on the back seat and drive carefully. In January, when lows average about 20°F, check the roads before you set off, and don't feel you have to go that day if conditions are poor. Your cat will keep safely in the cold.
If your cat died outdoors during Burbank's cold spell and wasn't found for a while, they may be stiff or frozen. Don't try to warm or straighten them. Lay them on a blanket in a box, keep them in a cold garage or porch, and tell the vet or crematory what happened. They see this every winter and will know what to do, and you can still choose private cremation with the ashes returned.
What you'll likely pay, and what adds to it
Expect the total to depend on four things: private or communal, how your cat is collected, what the ashes come back in and whether you add a keepsake. The weight of a cat barely moves the price. The ranges below are typical US figures; ask any Burbank provider for a written total before you agree.
A back-of-envelope figure for Burbank: about 400 cats lost each year, times the national private average of clinic $158; home $359; cremation $180; burial $566[4], comes to roughly $0.1 million. Our estimate, and a reason prices vary from provider to provider.
The Illinois price table breaks costs down by size; our services page explains what sits behind each line.
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 Illinois
Pet crematories are lightly regulated in many places, so it's up to you to ask how they identify each animal and what private really means. The rules in Illinois mostly cover what happens next: where a cat can be buried and where ashes can be scattered. The notes below cover the main points; your vet or local council can confirm anything specific to your address.
Illinois keeps an official directory of local governments; use it to reach the county or city office that covers Burbank.
We keep Illinois's burial and scattering rules in one place: the Illinois rules summary. Before a home burial in Burbank, also ask the city whether local ordinances add anything.
What to do next, one step at a time
- Take a breath. Nothing has to happen in the next hour. If your cat died at home, lay them on a towel, close their eyes if you can and tuck their legs in as if they were sleeping.
- Take anything you want to keep now: a small clipping of fur from the chest or behind a back leg, shed whiskers from their bed, their collar or tag.
- Place your cat in a box or basket lined with their own blanket, in the coolest room, with the door closed so other pets can't disturb them.
- Call your vet (after hours, an emergency clinic will do) and describe what has happened. If you have any doubt, they can confirm your cat has died, and they'll tell you how their aftercare works.
- Decide on private or communal cremation. Every other detail, the cost most of all, follows from this one decision.
- Arrange collection from your home or the clinic, or bring your cat in yourself, and ask for the total in writing.
- Let yourself grieve. Share the news with everyone who loved your cat, and leave the food bowls out until you feel ready to move them.
Memorials and keepsakes for your cat
Burbank is densely built, with small neighborhood parks rather than large open spaces, but Cook County forest preserves lie a short drive south and west. The forest preserve district must approve any scattering on its land, so contact it first. Many Burbank families keep ashes at home, or add a small memorial to a front garden or window box they see every day.
For a plain comparison of the choices, open services, or see what other families chose in the poll results, the planning tools turn your pet's details into figures, look through our guides and the blog. More local pages: Naperville, Joliet, Chicago and Rockford, the Illinois overview and every city in the United States.
Reader polls
What would you choose?
Vote anonymously and see how other readers answered. The results are live counts from people who visit this site, so they show real opinions, not a scientific sample.
If you have more than one cat, did the others see the cat who died?
Tap an answer to vote and see how others answered. Anonymous.
What kind of life did (or does) your cat lead?
Tap an answer to vote and see how others answered. Anonymous.
If you had to decide today, which aftercare would you choose for your pet?
Tap an answer to vote and see how others answered. Anonymous.
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
Will I have to travel to Chicago to arrange things?
Not usually. Providers based in Chicago (roughly 12 miles from Burbank) collect from here as a matter of routine, and the paperwork is done by email or phone. If you want to be present for a witnessed cremation, that is when the drive matters.
Can a provider from a neighbouring town collect from Burbank?
Usually yes. Oak Lawn is about 2 miles away, Evergreen Park is about 4 miles away and Palos Hills is about 4 miles away, all inside a normal collection radius. Get the mileage written into the quote so there is no surprise on the day.
When is the hardest time of year to arrange a burial in Burbank?
January, February, March and December: average lows are below freezing then, and frozen ground makes a home grave slow or impossible until it thaws. The other pressure point is July, when highs around 85°F mean a body needs cooling and collecting quickly.
Is cremation common in Illinois?
For people, yes: about 60.2%[3] of Illinois deaths end in cremation, according to NFDA 2024 Cremation & Burial Report state projections (via Occasional Sage) (2024). Nobody publishes the same figure for pets, but in our experience pet choices in Burbank follow the human pattern closely, so cremation is the default most families here start from.
Could antifreeze or a car engine have caused my outdoor cat's death?
It's possible in winter. Antifreeze tastes sweet to cats and is highly toxic, and cats sometimes shelter in engine bays for warmth. If an outdoor cat dies suddenly in cold weather, tell your vet what you know before cremation; they can advise whether an examination is worthwhile. Warning neighbors about spills can protect other cats.
Can I bury my cat's ashes in winter when the ground is frozen?
Many families in cold places keep the urn at home through winter and bury the ashes in spring, once the ground thaws. Ashes don't need to be buried quickly. A cat's urn needs only a small hole, so almost any spot you love, under a shrub or beside a garden path, will work when the weather turns.
Sources and our estimates
- [1] 39% of US households own a cat, which is about 53 million households. American Pet Products Association (APPA) 2025 State of the Industry, 2025.
- [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] The NFDA projected Illinois's cremation rate at 60.2% for 2024. NFDA 2024 Cremation & Burial Report state projections (via Occasional Sage), 2024.
- [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] In a survey of 2,043 U.S. dog and/or cat owners, 68% had made cremation decisions and 32% had made burial decisions for at least one past pet. Cooney KA, Kogan LR, Brooks SL, Ellis CA. Pet Owners' Expectations for Pet End-of-Life Support and After-Death Body Care. Topics in Companion Animal Medicine, 2021 (PMID 33383233), 2021.
- [6] Using the industry rule of thumb of 1 cubic inch of urn space per pound of body weight, a 12 lb cat needs an urn of about 12 cubic inches; a 70 lb dog needs about 70 cubic inches. Our estimate: urn cu in = body weight lb x 1 (industry rule of thumb, not a measured value). How we calculate.
Ask for Burbank cat cremation prices
Tell us what you need and where you are. We'll reply by email with clear options and prices so you can decide in your own time.