Arranging your cat's cremation in El Paso
By our estimate, 105,000 El Paso 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
El Paso, Texas
Who handles cat aftercare in El Paso
El Paso's Environmental Services department handles deceased animals under separate categories for household pets and farm animals, with different rules for homes inside city limits and those elsewhere in El Paso County, and any fee lands on your water utility bill. That service is disposal, though. If you want your pet cremated individually and the ashes returned, you'll need to arrange it through your vet or a private provider.
El Paso's dry desert heat peaks early, with June often the hottest month and afternoons near 100 degrees, while the summer monsoon can bring sudden storms and flooded streets. In that heat, move your pet's body into air conditioning immediately and pack it with frozen bottles or gel packs in a towel. Winter nights dip near freezing, but daytime sun through a window can still warm a room quickly.
If your cat died at an emergency or specialty hospital in El Paso, aftercare is usually arranged from there, and it may be with a different crematory from the one your regular vet uses. You're free to ask for your cat to be transferred to the provider you prefer. It usually takes one phone call, and it's worth making if you want a witnessed cremation, a particular urn or simply a clearer price.
El Paso is home to about 683,012 people, the 6th-largest of the 325 Texas communities we cover.
Our pages for Sunland Park (8 miles), Socorro (16 miles) and Horizon City (18 miles) describe the same choices from those towns' point of view, and the providers overlap, so a quote from one often covers El Paso as well.
Our estimate
105,000
Estimated cat-owning households in El Paso
How we calculated this
683,012 ÷ 2.5 = 273,205 households; × 39% (cat) = 105,000. Multi-pet homes count once.
Our estimate
9,550
El Paso families who lose a cat each year (estimate)
How we calculated this
105,000 cat-owning homes ÷ average lifespan (cat: 11.18 yrs) ≈ 9,550 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.
55.7%[3]
The NFDA projected Texas's cremation rate at 55.7% 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 American Pet Products Association (APPA) 2025 State of the Industry, if you'd like to read the original sources.
The local attitude to cremation
About 55.7%[3] of people in Texas are cremated, a figure that has been rising for years. Pet cremation has followed the same curve. More cat owners now bring the ashes home than bury their cat in the garden, especially in towns and suburbs where yards are small or rented, and where an indoor cat never really used the garden anyway.
The Texas percentage above is from NFDA 2024 Cremation & Burial Report state projections (via Occasional Sage) (2024) and refers to human funerals. Treat it as context for El Paso, not as a count of pets.
Seasons, collection and burial in El Paso
In El Paso, June highs average about 97°F. Older cats, especially those with kidney disease, dehydrate quickly in that kind of heat, and many owners notice a senior cat eating less and sleeping more through the summer. If you're weighing timing, tell your vet what you're seeing. A goodbye in the cool of the morning, in your cat's usual spot, can be gentler for everyone.
Heat also shapes the goodbye itself. If you're planning a home euthanasia in June, book a morning or evening slot when the house is cooler and your cat is more settled, and ask whether the vet can take your cat for cremation straight afterwards so you don't need to arrange a separate pickup.
How much to budget for your cat
Where you live in the US moves the price. Pet care spending in the Seattle metro ran more than 30% above the national average in early 2025[5], while San Antonio, St Louis and Atlanta sat below it[6]. In El Paso, use the table as a guide, then ask local providers for an itemized total rather than relying on a national average.
Put another way: around 9,550 cats die in El Paso each year (our estimate), and private cremation averages clinic $158; home $359; cremation $180; burial $566[4] nationally. That adds up to roughly $1.7 million a year locally, which is why prices and packages differ so much from one provider to the next.
We keep the detailed Texas price table on one page so it stays current: see Texas prices.
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 Texas
Before you bury, scatter or plan a memorial, it's worth checking what Texas 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.
City of El Paso Environmental Services publishes El Paso's official guidance. Note that it deals with public collection, not with booking a private cremation. Not sure which office covers El Paso? The Texas local government directory is the official list.
Start with the Texas rules, which cover burial, scattering and oversight for the whole state, and treat El Paso's local ordinances as a possible extra layer.
The first 48 hours, step by step
- If it's a child's cat, use plain, honest words: the cat has died and isn't coming home. Steer clear of "put to sleep" around little ones, who may then be scared to go to bed.
- Let the child say goodbye in whatever way they choose, whether that's a last stroke, a picture slipped into the box or picking which blanket goes with the cat.
- Offer a small job: choosing a photograph, printing the name that will go on the urn, looking after the collar. Having a task makes the loss easier for a child to carry.
- Phone the clinic or an El Paso pet crematory after the goodbye, and go for private cremation if your child is likely to want the ashes home.
- Warn school or daycare about what's happened at home, so the staff understand if your child seems withdrawn or tearful.
- Plan a small ceremony for when the ashes return, even five minutes in the garden or by a window. Our guide for families has more ideas for different ages.
Keeping your cat close
Much of El Paso sits on caliche, a cement-hard layer of desert soil that makes digging a backyard grave slow and sometimes impossible without tools. That is one reason many families here choose cremation even when they have a yard. Military families at Fort Bliss, who may be reassigned within a year or two, also tend to prefer ashes they can take with them to the next post.
or see what other families chose in the poll results, use the free tools before you ring anyone, look through our guides and the blog, Our services overview lays out every option side by side. If you live between El Paso and Dallas, Arlington, Fort Worth and San Antonio, either page applies. Every other community in Texas, 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?
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Which small keepsake would mean the most from your cat?
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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
Which nearby towns can I compare with El Paso?
The closest communities we cover are Sunland Park (about 8 miles), Socorro (about 16 miles) and Horizon City (about 18 miles). Providers based in those places often serve El Paso too. Ask each one for a written total that includes collection, so the distance is priced in.
Does the El Paso climate change what I should do first?
Only the timing. In June, with highs near 97°F, cool the body and book collection the same day. Winters here are mild enough that burial or scattering is possible in any month.
How many cat owners live in El Paso?
By our estimate, about 105,000 households in El Paso have at least one cat, and around 9,550 are lost each year. We calculate this from the city's population of about 683,012, the average household size and national ownership and lifespan figures, so treat it as a floor rather than an exact count.
Why does the El Paso 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 55.7%[3] of Texas residents are cremated. There is no official pet equivalent, and inventing one would be worse than quoting a real, clearly labelled number.
Can I cremate a stray or community cat I've been feeding?
Yes. You don't need to be the registered owner to arrange cremation for a cat you cared for. Ask your vet to scan for a microchip first, in case someone else is looking for them. Local rescues and trap-neuter-return groups around El Paso often know a provider with low-cost communal cremation, and a private cremation is possible if you'd like the ashes back.
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[7]. 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.
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 Texas's cremation rate at 55.7% 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] Bank of America card data show average monthly pet store and pet care (incl. vet) spending in the Seattle metro was more than 30% above the US average in Jan-Apr 2025, with San Francisco close behind. Bank of America Institute - Best in show: US pet ownership (27 May 2025), 2025.
- [6] Bank of America found pet spending was below the US average in San Antonio, St Louis and Atlanta, and elevated in New York and Boston (Jan-Apr 2025). Bank of America Institute - Best in show: US pet ownership (27 May 2025), 2025.
- [7] 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.
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