When your cat dies in Garfield: what happens next
By our estimate, about 5,200 households in Garfield share their home with a cat, and roughly 470 cats are lost there each year. You're not alone in this, and you don't have to sort it out by yourself.
- Local price ranges before you commit
- Pickup from home or your vet in Garfield
- Private or communal, explained simply
Garfield, New Jersey
Who handles cat aftercare in Garfield
Garfield is a compact, densely built city in southern Bergen County, bounded by the Passaic River on the west and the Saddle River on the east. Housing is mostly two-family homes, small multi-family buildings and narrow lots, so many pet owners share a driveway or have only a small patch of yard. Tell the provider about parking and stairs, since street space can be tight.
July highs around 85F make quick cooling important: move your pet to the coolest room, onto a hard floor, and place wrapped ice packs nearby. Winters are relatively short, with January and February the main freezing months. Newark is about eleven miles south, and providers covering Bergen and Passaic counties generally include Garfield in their routes. If your apartment has no air conditioning, the basement is usually the coolest spot in the building.
In Garfield, your vet is likely to be the person who arranges most of this. Small-town practices often have a regular collection day with one crematory, which keeps costs down. If your cat dies between collections, the clinic will keep them in a cold room until the van comes. Ask how long that might be, and whether you can send your cat with their own blanket or a favorite toy mouse.
Garfield is home to about 33,353 people, the 26th-largest of the 58 New Jersey communities we cover. Some of the providers who serve Garfield are based about 11 miles away in Newark, the nearest larger centre, so collection times reflect that drive.
If you want to compare providers, look at Lodi (1 miles), Elmwood Park (2 miles) and Passaic (2 miles, a larger centre). Distance matters because pickup fees and the time until the ashes come back both grow with the drive.
Our estimate
5,200
Garfield: cat-owning households, our estimate
How we calculated this
33,353 ÷ 2.5 = 13,341 households; × 39% (cat) = 5,200. Multi-pet homes count once.
Our estimate
470
Estimated cat losses in Garfield each year
How we calculated this
5,200 cat-owning homes ÷ average lifespan (cat: 11.18 yrs) ≈ 470 a year. The real figure is unlikely to be lower.
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 New Jersey'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.
We built the this numbers from Montoya et al. 2023, Frontiers in Veterinary Science and CareCredit (Synchrony), and both are worth a look if you want the detail.
Cremation in New Jersey, and what it means for cat owners
In a place like New Jersey, with a human cremation rate near 56.5%[3] and burial still common, pet cemeteries often sit alongside crematories. Some let you bury a cat's ashes in a small plot or niche rather than a full grave, which costs far less and gives you somewhere to visit. Ask local providers whether they offer this if a grave matters to you but a garden burial doesn't suit.
NFDA 2024 Cremation & Burial Report state projections (via Occasional Sage) (2024) is where the New Jersey figure comes from. It counts people; we use it because attitudes to cremating a pet in Garfield tend to follow attitudes to cremation generally.
Weather, timing and your cat in Garfield
With no real extremes of heat or cold, Garfield is one of the easier places to plan a home goodbye. A cat can be put to sleep in a sunny spot by the window or on a garden bench on a calm afternoon. Ask the vet whether they're happy to work where your cat is most relaxed, have a blanket ready and let the other cats in the house wander in if they want to.
Mild weather makes outdoor goodbyes and ceremonies easy for most of the year. Some Garfield families bury a little of their cat's ashes under a favorite shrub or scatter them along the garden fence their cat used to walk; others keep everything at home and wait for an anniversary. Both are fine.
Cat cremation costs around Garfield
By our estimate, ~4.7 million[5] pet cats die in the US each year, so every provider serving Garfield prices cat cremation as routine work. The cremation itself is rarely the big number; add-ons are. Our cost calculator lets you add collection, an urn and a paw print to see a likely total, and the memorial budget planner helps if you'd like to spread spending on keepsakes over time.
Here's a number you won't find elsewhere: if every one of the roughly 470 cats lost in Garfield each year were privately cremated at the national average of about clinic $158; home $359; cremation $180; burial $566[4], local families would spend around $0.1 million a year. That's our estimate, and it's why several providers compete for work here.
We keep the detailed New Jersey price table on one page so it stays current: see New Jersey prices.
Free tool
Cremation cost calculator
Estimate a realistic price range for your pet's size, location and the type of cremation.
Local rules in New Jersey
You don't need a permit to have your cat cremated, but what you do afterwards, burying them in the garden or scattering their ashes in a park, can be governed by local rules. Here's what applies in New Jersey.
New Jersey keeps an official directory of local governments; use it to reach the county or city office that covers Garfield.
Home burial and scattering are governed at the New Jersey level first; our New Jersey rules summary has the detail. Then check whether Garfield or your HOA adds anything.
A simple checklist for the next two days
- Book the appointment at a time when everyone who wants to be there can be, and ask whether the vet can come to your home, where your cat is calmest.
- Decide on aftercare beforehand, rather than being handed the question at the hardest moment. The usual choices are a burial in the garden, communal cremation or private cremation.
- Ask the vet to arrange collection, or tell them which crematory you've chosen yourself.
- Prepare a quiet space that's warm and feels like home, with the bed or blanket your cat likes best and some of their favorite treats within reach.
- Settle paperwork and payment first where possible, so you aren't handed forms once it's over.
- Stay as long as you need after your cat has died. No one at the clinic will rush you out.
- Check the written confirmation of the cremation type and return date before the vet leaves.
Remembering your cat in Garfield
The Passaic River spills over Dundee Dam on Garfield's western edge, and the city grew up around the mills that once drew on that water. The riverbank isn't somewhere to scatter remains unless the landowner agrees, which is why an urn kept indoors is the usual choice in Garfield. A windowsill, a shelf by the front door or a potted plant on the porch all suit the city's narrow lots.
or compare your instinct with the poll results, Every option Garfield families choose between is on the services page, try the free planning tools, browse in-depth guides or recent articles. More local pages: Elizabeth, Trenton, Newark and Clifton, the New Jersey 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?
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What kind of life did (or does) your cat lead?
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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
Why does the Garfield page quote a human cremation rate?
Because it is the best local signal we have. NFDA 2024 Cremation & Burial Report state projections (via Occasional Sage) (2024) reports about 56.5%[3] of New Jersey residents are cremated. There is no official pet equivalent, and inventing one would be worse than quoting a real, clearly labelled number.
Will I have to travel to Newark to arrange things?
Not usually. Providers based in Newark (roughly 11 miles from Garfield) 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 Garfield?
Usually yes. Lodi is about 1 miles away, Elmwood Park is about 2 miles away and Passaic is about 2 miles away, all inside a normal collection radius. Get the mileage written into the quote so there is no surprise on the day.
How does Garfield's weather affect cat aftercare?
July is the hottest month in Garfield, with average highs around 85°F, so prompt collection matters most then. Average lows drop below freezing in January and February, which can make digging a grave hard until spring.
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[6]. 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.
How much does cat cremation cost in Garfield?
Private cremation for a cat averages about $180 in the US[4], and most Garfield families pay roughly $100 to $250 once collection and a simple container are included. Communal cremation, where ashes aren't returned, is usually $45 to $75[7]. Home pickup, after-hours calls and a decorative urn add to the total, so ask for an itemized written quote.
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 New Jersey'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] Roughly 4.7 million pet cats likely die in the US each year. Our estimate: US cat-owning households (53M) x 1 cat / US cat life expectancy (11.18 yrs). How we calculate.
- [6] 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.
- [7] CareCredit's pet cremation guide lists US communal cremation at $45-$75 and private at $100-$175 for pets up to 30 lb. CareCredit (Synchrony) - How Much Does Pet Cremation Cost? (Sept 2023), 2023.
Ask for Garfield 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.