For your cat, would you want their own ashes returned?
Yes, only my cat's ashes, in a small urn0%
No, a shared cremation feels fine to me0%
Yes, but only so I can scatter them0%
I honestly haven't decided0%
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Live results from our cat owner polls
These totals update as cat owners answer. Read them alongside the research: about two-thirds[1] of bereaved owners in the UK and US choose cremation, and the polls show what sits behind that choice.
- Live totals, never pre-filled
- One anonymous vote per person
- Set beside published research
How the numbers work
How these cat poll results are counted
Each result below is a simple running count. Anyone visiting the site can answer, once per poll, without giving a name or email. We start every poll at zero, never add votes ourselves, and don't remove answers we find surprising. The board updates live, so the percentages you see today may shift tomorrow.
That makes these results honest, but not representative. The people answering are mostly cat owners who found a cremation guide, often during a hard week. Treat the totals as a conversation with other readers, not as a survey. If you haven't voted yet, you can do that on the polls page.
Live results
How did your cat's last illness (or your current worry) unfold?
Suddenly, it felt like overnight0%
Slowly, with kidney disease or old age0%
After a cancer or tumor diagnosis0%
An accident outdoors0%
My cat is still well, I'm planning ahead0%
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If you have more than one cat, did the others see the cat who died?
Yes, we let them sniff and say goodbye at home0%
No, it happened at the vet0%
No, we decided against it0%
I didn't know that could help0%
We only had one cat0%
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Which small keepsake would mean the most from your cat?
A shed whisker or two0%
A clipping of their fur0%
A paw print in clay or ink0%
Their collar or bell0%
A pinch of ashes in a pendant0%
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What kind of life did (or does) your cat lead?
Indoor only0%
Mostly indoors, with a garden or catio0%
Free to roam outdoors0%
A community or feral cat I looked after0%
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Looking back, did your cat hide signs of illness?
Yes, I only noticed when it was advanced0%
There were small signs I missed at the time0%
No, the change was obvious0%
It hasn't happened yet0%
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What would you send with your cat to cremation?
The blanket they slept on0%
A favorite toy mouse or feather0%
A short letter from the family0%
A little catnip or a flower0%
Nothing, I'd keep their things0%
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Have you ever arranged aftercare for a stray or community cat?
Yes, and I paid for a private cremation0%
Yes, a communal cremation through a vet0%
Yes, I buried them myself0%
No, but I've wondered what I'd do0%
No0%
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Private or communal
How the ashes question compares with published research
Our ashes poll asks whether you'd want your cat's own ashes back. Large surveys give a baseline to compare it with. In the UK, 67%[2] of owners whose pet died in the previous two years chose cremation, according to the Competition and Markets Authority's owner survey. In a US survey of more than 2,000 dog and cat owners, the split between cremation and burial decisions was 68% cremation; 32% burial[3]. Putting the two countries together, our estimate is that roughly two-thirds of bereaved owners choose cremation and about 30% choose burial[1].
Japan leans even more strongly toward individual care: in one survey, individual pet funerals were far more popular than joint ones, preferred by over 60% against just over 10%[4]. If our readers lean toward private cremation, that's consistent with the research; if they lean toward communal, it may reflect how small a cat's ashes are. Our guide to private vs communal cremation for cats explains the trade-off.
For your cat, would you want their own ashes returned?
Tap an answer to vote and see how others answered. Anonymous.
How cats live
Indoor or outdoor: what the lifespan data says
The indoor-outdoor poll is partly about memory and partly about planning. Research from Japan, where the Japan Pet Food Association tracks pet cats in detail, shows a clear gap: indoor-only cats lived 16.34 years[5] on average, while cats that went outdoors lived 14.24 years[6]. Outdoor cats are also more likely to die suddenly, often in traffic, which changes what the first hours look like.
Whatever your cat's life looked like, the cat age calculator shows roughly where they are in their senior years, which helps if you're planning ahead rather than reacting.
Free tool
Pet age & senior years calculator
Convert your pet's age and see when senior-care and planning conversations usually start.
How the loss feels
Grief answers next to what researchers found
Our grief-related polls ask what was hardest and whether your cat hid their illness. Published research gives useful context for those answers. Among UK adults who had lost both a pet and a person, 21.0%[7] named the pet's death as their most distressing bereavement. Yet in the RSPCA's pet loss survey, only 13.4%[8] felt fully understood by the people around them.
If the results here feel familiar, you're not alone in them. Our page on grief after losing a cat has practical help, and the grief check-in is a private way to see how you're coping right now.
Homes with more than one cat
What the multi-cat poll can and can't tell you
There's very little formal research on whether letting surviving cats see a companion's body helps them. Our poll can't settle that, and we don't claim it does. What it can show is how common the practice is among readers, and whether people who didn't do it wish they had known it was an option.
If you're in that situation now, the guide to loss in multi-cat households covers what to watch for in the weeks after, including appetite changes and searching behavior.
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.
What readers keep
Reading the keepsake and farewell results
The keepsake poll and the question about what to send with your cat are the ones where there's least published research to compare with. Surveys of the wider memorial market tend to ask about urns and jewelry, not whiskers or a toy mouse. So these two polls are closer to a scrapbook than a statistic: a record of the small, specific things cat owners find they care about.
If a result nudges you toward something you hadn't thought of, such as clipping a little fur or tucking a letter into the blanket, remember that timing matters. Fur, whiskers and paw prints are easiest to gather before collection. The whisker and fur keepsake guide explains how, and the farewell planner helps you put the small goodbye together.
Putting it to use
What to take from the results for your own cat
Use the totals as reassurance, not instruction. If most readers chose private cremation and you'd prefer communal, that's still a loving choice. If few readers let their other cats see the body and you want to, you're allowed to ask for it. What other people did is useful context; what fits your cat and your home is what matters.
When you're ready to act, the cat aftercare services page explains every option with typical prices, and you can ask us for local options whenever you like.
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.
What kind of life did (or does) your cat lead?
Tap an answer to vote and see how others answered. Anonymous.
Compared with losing a person, losing your pet felt...
Tap an answer to vote and see how others answered. Anonymous.
Questions people ask
Why do the percentages keep changing?
The results are live. Every new vote updates the totals immediately, so percentages move most when a poll is new or has few answers. Once a poll has many responses, the numbers tend to settle. We never adjust or seed the results ourselves.
Can I trust the poll results as research?
Treat them as a snapshot of this site's readers, not as a survey of all cat owners. People who visit a cat cremation guide are more likely to be grieving or planning, which shapes their answers. For population-level facts, rely on the published studies we cite beside each result.
Do my answers affect what providers are suggested to me?
No. Poll votes are anonymous and aren't linked to any request you send us. If you want options matched to what you'd prefer, such as private cremation or home collection, say so in your request and we'll search with that in mind.
Why do you compare poll results with Japanese and UK studies?
Because some of the most detailed research on cats comes from those countries. Japan tracks indoor and outdoor cat lifespans closely, and the UK's competition regulator surveyed thousands of pet owners about cremation. We label the country for every figure so it's never mistaken for a US statistic.
Sources and our estimates
- [1] 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.
- [2] In the CMA's UK pet owners survey, 67% of owners whose pet died in the previous two years had the pet cremated. UK Competition and Markets Authority - Veterinary services for household pets, Provisional decision report Part A (Oct 2025), 2025.
- [3] In a US survey of 2,043 dog and cat owners who had made end-of-life decisions, 68% had made a cremation decision and 32% a burial decision for at least one past pet. Cooney, Kogan, Brooks, Ellis - Pet Owners' Expectations for Pet End-of-Life Support and After-Death Body Care, Topics in Companion Animal Medicine (2020), 2020.
- [4] In a Japanese internet survey cited by Lonite, over 60% of respondents preferred an individual pet funeral versus just over 10% wanting a joint (communal) funeral. Lonite - 2023 Pet Funeral Situation in Japan (citing Sharing Technology Corp. internet survey), 2023.
- [5] Indoor-only cats in Japan live 16.34 years on average. Japan Pet Food Association, National Dog & Cat Ownership Survey 2024 (summary PDF), 2024.
- [6] Japanese cats that go outdoors live 14.24 years on average - about two years less than indoor cats. Japan Pet Food Association, National Dog & Cat Ownership Survey 2024 (summary PDF), 2024.
- [7] Among UK adults who had lost both a pet and a person, 21.0% named the pet's death as their most distressing bereavement. Hyland et al., 'No pets allowed: Evidence that prolonged grief disorder can occur following the death of a pet', PLOS ONE (2026), 2026.
- [8] Only 13.4% of bereaved pet owners felt fully understood by others. RSPCA — Pet Loss Survey Results, 2026.
Compare real options for your cat
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