Arranging your cat's cremation in Highland
Around 330 Highland families say goodbye to a cat every year, by our estimate. Here's what cremation costs locally, how it works and what to ask first.
- Calm answers for the first few hours
- Home, vet or emergency clinic pickup
- No obligation, we reply by email
Highland, Indiana
Cat aftercare in Highland: the local picture
The Little Calumet River forms Highland's northern edge, with levee trails running along it, and Wicker Memorial Park is a long-standing green space where many families spend time outdoors. Scattering ashes by the levee or in a park may need the managing agency's approval, so ask first. On Highland's smaller lots, a shade-garden corner or a pot of perennials on the back steps can become the memorial.
Highland is a compact, mostly residential town in northern Lake County, about 25 miles from downtown Chicago, bordered by Munster, Hammond and Griffith. Much of its housing dates from the 1950s and 60s: brick ranches, Cape Cods and bungalows on modest lots, with a handful of apartment complexes near the main roads. Northwest Indiana providers reach Highland easily, often the same day, but it's still sensible to get the full price in writing.
Many vets around Highland run mixed practices, caring for cattle, horses and dogs as well as cats, and in calving or lambing season they can be out on farms for long stretches. They still arrange cat cremation routinely. Call ahead so someone is at the clinic when you arrive, and if your vet is out on a call, ask the front desk to take the details and ring you back.
About 23,409 people live in Highland, which makes it the 44th-largest of the 50 Indiana communities we cover. Chicago, roughly 25 miles off, is the closest larger centre, and a share of the providers who cover Highland run from there.
Our pages for Munster (2 miles), Schererville (4 miles) and Lansing (5 miles) describe the same choices from those towns' point of view, and the providers overlap, so a quote from one often covers Highland as well.
Our estimate
3,650
Estimated cat-owning households in Highland
How we calculated this
23,409 ÷ 2.5 = 9,364 households; × 39% (cat) = 3,650. A household with several pets counts once.
Our estimate
330
Highland families who lose a cat each year (estimate)
How we calculated this
3,650 cat-owning homes ÷ average lifespan (cat: 11.18 yrs) ≈ 330 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.
56.5%[3]
The NFDA projected Indiana's cremation rate at 56.5% 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.
Where these figures come from: Montoya et al. 2023, Frontiers in Veterinary Science and American Pet Products Association (APPA) 2025 State of the Industry.
Why cremation is familiar in Indiana, or isn't
Faith and family custom often shape human funerals in Indiana, where cremation accounts for roughly 56.5%[3], but the same rules rarely apply to pets. Most traditions say little or nothing about how a cat should be laid to rest. If it matters to you, a short conversation with your faith leader can settle it; otherwise, choose what feels right for your cat and your home.
NFDA 2024 Cremation & Burial Report state projections (via Occasional Sage) (2024) is where the Indiana figure comes from. It counts people; we use it because attitudes to cremating a pet in Highland tend to follow attitudes to cremation generally.
Timing your cat's aftercare in Highland's climate
Highland winters are cold, with average lows at or below freezing in January, February, March, November and December. That gives you a little more time after a death in winter, but it also means frozen ground. If you were hoping to bury your cat in the garden, you may not be able to dig until spring, which is one reason many local families choose cremation first and bury the ashes later.
Indoor cats who spend winter pressed against radiators and sunny windows can hide a slow decline for weeks. If an older cat in Highland is sleeping more, eating less or losing weight through January, February, March, November and December, mention it to your vet. And if you plan a home goodbye in winter, choose a warm room, lay out their bed and make sure the collection team has a clear, salted path to the door.
How much to budget for your cat
Standard pet insurance usually doesn't cover cremation, though it may cover euthanasia when it's medically necessary[5]. Some policies sell end-of-life add-ons: one paid up to $250 toward cremation and burial[6], which would cover a typical private cat cremation. For comparison, a pet cemetery burial for a cat averages about $566[4], roughly three times the cost of cremation.
Multiply it out: roughly 330 cats a year in Highland (our estimate) at the national private-cremation average of clinic $158; home $359; cremation $180; burial $566[4] is about $0.1 million of local spending. That is why it pays to ask two providers, not one.
The Indiana 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 and scattering rules for Indiana
Before you bury, scatter or plan a memorial, it's worth checking what Indiana allows. Keeping ashes at home is allowed everywhere we know of. Burying a whole cat and scattering in public places are where rules come in, usually to protect water supplies and shared spaces, and renters normally need the landlord's permission for any garden burial.
The official Indiana local government directory lists every county and city office, which is the quickest way to find who to ask in Highland.
Home burial and scattering are governed at the Indiana level first; our Indiana rules summary has the detail. Then check whether Highland or your HOA adds anything.
A simple checklist for the next two days
- If your cat died at the clinic or an emergency hospital, during surgery, in an oxygen cage or overnight on a drip, nothing needs deciding before you leave. Ask the team to keep your cat in their cold room while you think.
- Ask to see your cat if you missed the moment. Hospitals will usually wrap your cat in a blanket and bring them into a private room, and people often find it helps far more than they thought it would.
- Request a copy of the notes if the death was unexpected. You can ask for a post-mortem, but it has to happen before cremation, so say so now.
- Tell the hospital which crematory you want. The provider an emergency hospital normally uses isn't necessarily your regular vet's, and you can pick either, or one you found on your own.
- Check that the hospital records private or communal correctly on the release form, and ask for a copy with your cat's name on it.
- Collect your cat's collar, carrier and blanket, or ask the team to send the blanket with your cat.
Keeping your cat close
Winter in Highland lasts from November into March, and January lows fall to around 15 degrees, cold enough that a detached garage or back porch can hold a pet's body overnight if the provider can't come until morning. Humid July days in the mid-80s are the opposite problem. Choose the coolest room in the house, lay your companion on an old sheet, and slide wrapped cold packs underneath.
look through our guides and the blog, See what each option includes on our services page, the planning tools turn your pet's details into figures, or see what other families chose in the poll results. More local pages: Fort Wayne, Carmel, Fishers and Evansville, the Indiana 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.
For your cat, would you want their own ashes returned?
Tap an answer to vote and see how others answered. Anonymous.
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.
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
How do Indiana attitudes to cremation compare?
NFDA 2024 Cremation & Burial Report state projections (via Occasional Sage) (2024) puts the Indiana human cremation rate at about 56.5%[3]. We show it on the Highland page because pet aftercare choices tend to track it: where cremation is normal for people, communal and private pet cremation are both easy to find.
Can a provider from a neighbouring town collect from Highland?
Usually yes. Munster is about 2 miles away, Schererville is about 4 miles away and Lansing is about 5 miles away, all inside a normal collection radius. Get the mileage written into the quote so there is no surprise on the day.
Will I have to travel to Chicago to arrange things?
Not usually. Providers based in Chicago (roughly 25 miles from Highland) 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.
How does Highland's weather affect cat aftercare?
July is the hottest month in Highland, with average highs around 84°F, so prompt collection matters most then. Average lows drop below freezing in January, February, March, November and December, which can make digging a grave hard until spring.
Why did my cat hide before they died?
Hiding is instinct. A cat who feels ill or weak looks for somewhere small, quiet and protected, like under a bed, in a closet or beneath a deck. It doesn't mean your cat was frightened of you or that you missed something obvious; cats are very good at concealing illness until late. Many owners find their cat this way, and it's okay to need help with what comes next.
Are there enough pet crematories to serve Highland?
By our estimate, around 330 cats die in Highland each year, from roughly 3,650 cat-owning households. Not every family chooses cremation, but demand on that scale supports several options in most regions. The number of providers physically in Highland matters less than how many collect from your address or your vet, and how quickly they return the ashes.
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 Indiana's cremation rate at 56.5% 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] Embrace says standard pet insurance typically does not cover cremation, while euthanasia can be covered if medically necessary for a covered condition; cremation is an eligible expense under its optional Wellness Rewards. Embrace Pet Insurance - Bury or Cremate Your Dog? Costs, Pros & Cons, 2025.
- [6] Figo's Extra Care Pack add-on ($6.62/month) paid up to $250 toward cremation and burial. Pet Insurance Review - Does Pet Insurance Cover Euthanasia? (Dec 2023), 2023.
- [7] For cats, at-home euthanasia costs about 2.3x the in-clinic price in the US ($359 vs $158). Our estimate: 359 / 158 = 2.27. How we calculate.
Get cat cremation options in Highland
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.