How Much Does It Cost to Cremate a Dog or Cat?

Updated 13 November 2026

In the UK, the typical price of an individual pet cremation, where your pet's ashes come back to you, runs from about £130 to £315, depending on your pet's size and who arranges it. A communal cremation, where the ashes are not returned, costs much less: two to five times less at the large vet groups.

Those figures come from the UK government's competition regulator, which looked at what vets and crematoria charged in the year to September 2024. In the US, each crematory sets its own prices and we have not found an official published range, so ask for a written price list before you decide.

What did the UK review find?

The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) published these prices for an individual cremation on 15 October 2025, in Appendix L of its vets market report. They are for the cremation itself; the regulator lists keepsakes, caskets and urns, certificates and collection as extras that some practices charge on top.

Pet Large vet groups Independent crematoria
Cat £187 £160
Small dog £214 £183
Medium dog £234 £209
Large dog £272 £240
Extra-large dog £313 £275

The large vet group figures are the average of each group's typical price; the independent crematoria figures are their published prices. At independent vet practices the typical price was about £130 for a dog or a cat.

The regulator found communal cremations were two to five times cheaper than the same service done individually at the large vet groups. It also found that only seven of the 30 independent crematorium websites it checked offered a communal cremation at all.

What is the difference between individual and communal cremation?

In a communal cremation your pet is cremated alongside other pets, and the ashes are then buried or scattered by the crematorium, so they cannot be returned to you. In an individual cremation the ashes do come back, often in a casket you can choose, sometimes with an engraving. Both descriptions are from the vet charity PDSA.

Cats Protection adds one thing worth knowing: in an individual cremation a pet may be cremated on its own, or on its own tray alongside other pets on theirs. If that matters to you, ask how your vet's crematorium does it.

Do I have to use my vet's crematorium?

No. PDSA says you can choose a pet crematorium yourself, and your vet can keep your pet safe until it is arranged. You can also take your pet home for burial; our guide to burying a dog or cat at home sets out what the official guidance says.

From 23 March 2027, UK vet practices must tell you about all of these choices, offer a basic communal cremation, publish their individual and communal cremation prices, and show extras such as urns, paw prints or fur clippings as separate prices rather than inside the cremation price.

Why does the price change so much?

The regulator found prices depend on the size of the pet, on whether the cremation is individual or communal, and on which crematorium is used: vet groups using the same crematorium charged the most similar prices. Extras such as collection, a casket or urn, or a keepsake may be charged on top, so ask what the price includes.

What does pet cremation cost in the US?

There is no national price list. The ASPCA explains that if you want your pet's ashes back you will need an individual, or private, cremation, where your pet is cremated alone, and that businesses offering it commonly include collection from home and delivery of the ashes. Your veterinarian can arrange it, or you can contact a pet crematory directly and ask for its prices in writing.

What happens to the ashes afterwards?

After an individual cremation the ashes are usually delivered to your vet, who will tell you when they are ready, or sometimes straight to your home (PDSA). If collecting them feels too raw at first, Cats Protection notes that the practice or crematorium is usually happy to look after them for several weeks. In England you do not need permission to bury or scatter the ashes from a single pet cremation on your own land (Environment Agency).

Finding a lasting place for the ashes

If your pet's ashes are coming home, our pet urn size guide shows which size of urn suits your pet's weight, and our pet urns are made by hand in cast stone in the Lake District.

Sources

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