When your cat dies in Midvale: what happens next
Around 500 Midvale 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.
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Midvale, Utah
How cat cremation works in Midvale
Midvale's valley-floor location brings sweltering July days near 94 degrees and winter inversions that trap cold, murky air for days. After a pet dies, choose an interior room with no sun, lay the body on a spare bath mat or blanket, and have it collected within a day. Apartment dwellers may want to let building management know, and ask about an elevator or side entrance for the driver.
Midvale occupies the center of the Salt Lake Valley, roughly ten miles south of downtown, where an old smelter town has been reshaped by TRAX stations, apartment blocks and the redeveloped Bingham Junction area near the Jordan River. Many residents rent, so read the lease before planning anything on the property. The nearest clinic can tell you which crematory it sends animals to.
Many vets around Midvale 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 36,099 people live in Midvale, which makes it the 30th-largest of the 52 Utah communities we cover. The nearest larger centre is Salt Lake City, about 10 miles (16 km) away, which is where some providers serving Midvale are based.
The closest communities we cover are Murray (3 miles), Sandy (4 miles, a larger centre) and Cottonwood Heights (4 miles). Providers serving those towns often travel to Midvale too, so it can be worth asking them for a quote.
Our estimate
5,650
Midvale: cat-owning households, our estimate
How we calculated this
36,099 ÷ 2.5 = 14,440 households; × 39% (cat) = 5,650. Homes are counted once however many pets they keep.
Our estimate
500
Midvale families who lose a cat each year (estimate)
How we calculated this
5,650 cat-owning homes ÷ average lifespan (cat: 11.18 yrs) ≈ 500 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.
46.1%[3]
The NFDA projected Utah's cremation rate at 46.1% 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.
None of the figures on this this page are ours alone: they rest on CareCredit (Synchrony) and American Pet Products Association (APPA) 2025 State of the Industry.
Why cremation is familiar in Utah, or isn't
In Utah, where about 46.1%[3] of people are cremated, pet crematories can be further apart than in high-cremation areas, which can mean a wait of a week or two for the ashes. The upside of a cat's size is flexibility: ashes can come back by courier or through your vet, and you can bring your cat to the crematory yourself if the distance is manageable.
That Utah rate is a human one, published by NFDA 2024 Cremation & Burial Report state projections (via Occasional Sage) (2024). We quote it for Midvale only as a pointer to how families here already think about cremation.
Seasons, collection and burial in Midvale
If you'd like to bury your cat's ashes rather than their body, you can do it whenever the ground allows. Many families in places with seasons like Midvale's keep the urn at home through winter and hold a small burial or scattering when the weather turns mild.
Midvale gets both extremes: hot summers (around 94°F in July) and freezing winter lows in January, February and December. In summer, speed matters, so keep your cat cool and ask for prompt collection. In winter you have more time, but frozen ground can rule out a garden burial until spring.
How much to budget for your cat
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 Midvale provider for a written total before you agree.
By our estimate Midvale families would spend around $0.1 million a year if every one of the roughly 500 cats lost here were privately cremated at clinic $158; home $359; cremation $180; burial $566[4], the national average. Competition for that work is real, so quotes differ.
Prices for Midvale track the wider Utah market, so use the Utah 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 Utah
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 Utah.
The official Utah local government directory lists every county and city office, which is the quickest way to find who to ask in Midvale.
For Utah's rules on burying a pet at home or scattering ashes, see the Utah guide. Local rules in Midvale can be stricter than the state's, especially in homeowners' associations and rentals.
What to do next, one step at a time
- Say goodbye in your own way. Nobody is waiting on you. Plenty of people spend an hour or two beside their cat, and holding them is perfectly fine.
- Let your other cats see the body if there are others at home. One might sniff and leave; another might settle beside their friend for a while. Both are ordinary.
- Make a keepsake if you'd like one. A paw print must be taken before cremation, and fur is easier to clip now too.
- Contact a provider yourself or via your vet. If you'd rather, we can send you local options.
- Choose private or communal, and ask for written confirmation of which one it is.
- Plan where the ashes will go. You don't have to decide now; a cat's ashes fit in a small container that can sit on a shelf for as long as you need.
Memorials and keepsakes for your cat
Midvale's historic Main Street and older bungalows sit a short distance from brand-new apartment towers, and the pets here are just as varied: cats, rabbits, cockatiels, ball pythons, goldfish. Private cremation is offered for animals of every size, and the remains can be returned in a small urn, a tin or a keepsake pouch. Your vet can quote prices for each option.
Compare every option on our services page, the guides answer the longer questions and the blog the newer ones, try the free planning tools, or see what other families chose in the poll results. If you live between Midvale and Salt Lake City, Provo, Lehi and West Jordan, either page applies. Every other community in Utah, 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?
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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
Will I have to travel to Salt Lake City to arrange things?
Not usually. Providers based in Salt Lake City (roughly 10 miles from Midvale) 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.
Which nearby towns can I compare with Midvale?
The closest communities we cover are Murray (about 3 miles), Sandy (about 4 miles) and Cottonwood Heights (about 4 miles). Providers based in those places often serve Midvale too. Ask each one for a written total that includes collection, so the distance is priced in.
When is the hardest time of year to arrange a burial in Midvale?
January, February 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 94°F mean a body needs cooling and collecting quickly.
Why does the Midvale 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 46.1%[3] of Utah residents are cremated. There is no official pet equivalent, and inventing one would be worse than quoting a real, clearly labelled number.
Can my cat stay in the garage until the crematory can collect in winter?
In cold weather, an unheated garage or porch is a reasonable place for a day or two. Wrap your cat in a blanket, place them in a sturdy lidded box and make sure other pets and wildlife can't reach them. If daytime temperatures climb well above freezing, call for collection sooner.
Is it better to bury a barn cat or have them cremated?
Either is fine. Many families near Midvale bury farm and barn cats on their own land, deep enough that foxes or coyotes can't disturb the grave and away from wells and streams. Communal cremation through your vet is an affordable alternative, and a private cremation makes sense for a cat you were especially close to or would like to keep if you ever move.
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 Utah's cremation rate at 46.1% 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.
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