When your cat dies in Clovis: what happens next
By our estimate, 5,800 Clovis households have at least one cat. When the time comes for yours, here's how cremation works locally and what it usually costs.
- Help for multi-cat households
- Private cremation confirmed in writing
- Options for community cats too
Clovis, New Mexico
Cat aftercare in Clovis: the local picture
July in Clovis brings highs in the low 90s, and from December to February nights freeze, often with a biting wind sweeping across the open plains. Spring can bring dust storms that turn the sky brown. In hot weather keep your pet indoors in the coolest room and have it collected, or take it to a provider, before evening, and ask where cremation takes place, as distances out here add up.
Open sky, cropland and grassland, and the shallow playa lakes that fill after heavy rain surround Clovis, and the edge of town is where plenty of residents take their pets for open air. Scattering on private farmland needs the owner's permission. Military families expecting a move often keep the ashes in a sealed urn so their companion can travel with them to the next base.
Home burial is common in smaller communities, and for a cat it's physically easy: a small grave in a garden you own. It's worth thinking about whether you'll stay in the property and whether foxes, coyotes or dogs are likely to dig; a cat's grave needs to be deep enough to discourage them. Some families choose cremation and bury the ashes instead, which avoids the problem and keeps the option of moving them later.
With roughly 37,127 residents, Clovis is the 7th-largest of the 11 New Mexico communities we cover.
Clovis sits within easy reach of Plainview (86 miles), Amarillo (94 miles, a larger centre) and Lubbock (97 miles, a larger centre). A provider based in any of them will usually collect from Clovis; ask what the mileage adds to the bill.
Our estimate
5,800
Clovis: cat-owning households, our estimate
How we calculated this
37,127 ÷ 2.5 = 14,851 households; × 39% (cat) = 5,800. A household with several pets counts once.
Our estimate
520
Clovis families who lose a cat each year (estimate)
How we calculated this
5,800 cat-owning homes ÷ average lifespan (cat: 11.18 yrs) ≈ 520 a year. Treat it as a minimum.
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.
70.5%[3]
The NFDA projected New Mexico's cremation rate at 70.5% 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.
Sources for the statistics above: Montoya et al. 2023, Frontiers in Veterinary Science and CareCredit (Synchrony).
How New Mexico thinks about cremation
In New Mexico, about 70.5%[3] of people are cremated, one of the higher rates around. Where cremation is this common, pet crematories tend to be plentiful and used to small animals, so a private cat cremation, a witnessed service or a paw print is rarely a special request. Use that choice: ask two providers for a written price rather than accepting the first one you're given.
The New Mexico figure comes from NFDA 2024 Cremation & Burial Report state projections (via Occasional Sage) (2024). It describes people, not pets, so read it as a sign of local attitudes rather than a pet statistic.
Timing your cat's aftercare in Clovis's climate
If you're taking your cat to the vet or crematory yourself, the season changes how. In summer, cool the car first and go straight there; a parked car in Clovis heats up within minutes. In winter, a cold car is fine, but allow extra time on icy roads. Either way, a towel underneath and a blanket over the top keeps things dignified.
Outdoor cats in a place with Clovis's seasons face both kinds of risk: heat and traffic on long summer evenings, then cold, car engines and antifreeze in winter. If you lose an outdoor cat suddenly, in any season, you can still choose a private cremation and still say goodbye properly. Wrap them in a towel, place them in a box in a cool spot and call your vet in the morning if it's late.
What you'll likely pay, and what adds to it
US pet services prices, including vet bills, were about 42% higher in 2025 than in 2019[5], so older price lists you find online may understate what Clovis providers charge today. Use the table to spot a quote that's far out of line, then ask for an itemized total covering collection, cremation and the container.
Put another way: around 520 cats die in Clovis each year (our estimate), and private cremation averages clinic $158; home $359; cremation $180; burial $566[4] nationally. That adds up to roughly $0.1 million a year locally, which is why prices and packages differ so much from one provider to the next.
Prices for Clovis track the wider New Mexico market, so use the New Mexico price table as your baseline and the services page to see what is included.
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 Mexico
If your cat was put to sleep, the drug used stays in the body after death and can poison a dog, fox or bird of prey that digs up a grave. That's why many authorities discourage burying euthanized pets anywhere animals can reach them, and why cremation is simpler for most families. The notes below show what New Mexico says about burial and scattering.
The rules that apply across New Mexico (home burial, scattering and who oversees pet cremation) are summarized on our New Mexico page. Clovis may add its own conditions, so check with the city or county before digging.
What to do first, and what can wait
- If your cat is elderly or newly diagnosed, begin while there's time. Cancer, thyroid disease or failing kidneys usually leave you weeks, sometimes months, to make plans without pressure.
- Ask your vet what the end is likely to look like with this particular illness, and what changes should prompt another conversation.
- Choose the aftercare now: whether the cremation will be private or communal, and who will pick your cat up. While your head is clear, run the numbers through our cost calculator.
- Write your wishes down and have the clinic attach them to your cat's file, so that a locum or an out-of-hours hospital in Clovis knows what you've decided.
- Pick the place for the goodbye: at home, in the clinic's quiet room or in the garden on a warm day. Save a mobile vet's number if you'd prefer home.
- Spend the good days well. Treats, a warm windowsill, a brush, a camera. The point of planning ahead is that the final stretch belongs to your cat rather than to the phone.
Memorials and keepsakes for your cat
Clovis is the Curry County seat on the flat High Plains of eastern New Mexico, a few miles from the Texas line, with Cannon Air Force Base just to the west. A good number of households are military families on multi-year assignments, living in rentals or base housing where digging a grave simply isn't an option. For them, cremation, with ashes that can move to the next posting, is the practical route.
there are guides for the big decisions and articles for the details, The services page is the place to compare what is included, or see what other families chose in the poll results, run the numbers with the free planning tools. If you live between Clovis and Las Cruces, Albuquerque, Farmington and Santa Fe, either page applies. Every other community in New Mexico, and all of the United States, is listed too.
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.
What kind of life did (or does) your cat lead?
Tap an answer to vote and see how others answered. Anonymous.
Which small keepsake would mean the most from your cat?
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
Does the Clovis climate change what I should do first?
Only the timing. In July, with highs near 93°F, cool the body and book collection the same day. In January, February and December, when lows sit below freezing, a home burial may have to wait for a thaw, so cremation with ashes returned keeps your options open.
Why does the Clovis 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 70.5%[3] of New Mexico residents are cremated. There is no official pet equivalent, and inventing one would be worse than quoting a real, clearly labelled number.
Which nearby towns can I compare with Clovis?
The closest communities we cover are Plainview (about 86 miles), Amarillo (about 94 miles) and Lubbock (about 97 miles). Providers based in those places often serve Clovis too. Ask each one for a written total that includes collection, so the distance is priced in.
Roughly how many cats die in Clovis each year?
Our estimate is around 520. It comes from Clovis's population (about 37,127), the average household size, the share of homes with a cat (about 5,800 households here) and the average lifespan. It is arithmetic, not a count, so read it as a rough floor.
Can I bury my cat in the garden in New Mexico?
In many places you can, with conditions such as depth, distance from water and owning the property. Rules vary within New Mexico, so check with your city or council before digging. Dig deep enough to keep foxes, coyotes and dogs away. If you rent or might move, cremation lets you keep your cat with you and bury the ashes later if you wish.
Is losing a cat common in Clovis, or am I overreacting?
You're not overreacting, and you're far from alone. By our estimate, about 520 Clovis families lose a cat each year, out of roughly 5,800 households with one. In one UK survey, 66.9%[7] of bereaved owners were surprised by how intense their grief was. Taking a day off, talking to friends or calling a pet-loss line are all reasonable.
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 Mexico's cremation rate at 70.5% 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] US pet services prices (including vet bills) were 42% higher in April 2025 than in 2019, versus a 22% rise for pet food; pet services inflation was 4.6% year on year. Bank of America Institute - Best in show: US pet ownership (27 May 2025), 2025.
- [6] 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.
- [7] 66.9% of respondents were surprised by how intense their grief was after losing a pet. RSPCA — Pet Loss Survey Results, 2026.
Ask for Clovis 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.