Can you bury your cat in your garden? Rules and tips

Despite the immense pain of having lost your lifelong companion, you have to think about his remains and you ask yourself " Can you bury your cat in your garden?"

I will not be able to do anything to relieve your sadness at the death of your animal but I will give you some answers to the questions relating to the burial of a cat in its garden:

Why bury your cat rather than cremate it?
Can you legally bury your cat in your garden?
How to proceed with the burial of your cat?
How deep to dig to bury a cat?
Can you bury your cat without lime?

Why bury your cat?

For many people, burying their cat's body is just as obvious as burying the body of a family member. Without being fundamentally against cremation, they prefer to bury their cat in a place close to their home (garden or animal cemetery). Indeed, for many people, burying your cat means being able to keep your body in a place where they can go to meditate to think about it. In addition, burying your cat is also a way of recognizing that a cat has its place on Earth even when it is dead. It is, in a way, to offer him a last brief abode, a last proof of love you give your cat.

Where to bury your cat?

French law prohibits burying your cat in the family vault or even anywhere else in an ordinary cemetery. Burying your cat in a field, in the middle of nature or in a forest is also prohibited in France.

Can you bury your cat in a garden?

YES : Your cat can be buried in your garden as long as you own your land. It is forbidden if you are renting. On the other hand, you will have to respect different burial rules (see below).

How to bury your cat in your garden?

Here's how to bury your cat in your garden:

The cat's body must be buried at a distance of 35 meters from any dwelling or water point (well, springs, etc.);
His remains must be placed at a minimum depth of 1,20 meters;
The body of the cat must be covered with quicklime before being buried;
Do not use plastic bags, tarpaulins or canvas as shrouds as these materials are not biodegradable.

I recommend you :

wrap your cat's body with a cloth (large cotton towel, sheet, blanket, etc.);
to place it in a cardboard or wooden box or in a cat casket;
immortalize the place with a souvenir object or a commemorative plaque.

What material to bury your cat?

To bury your cat in his garden, you will need some tools:

gloves to protect you,
a shovel or a spade to dig the hole,
a rope to tie up the coffin (or box or chest) and lower it if the hole is very deep.

Here is also the equipment you will need to bury your cat:

Quicklime to bury a cat

As stated above, your cat's body should be covered with quicklime before being buried. Indeed, quicklime is a product that burns tissues and flesh before their natural decomposition. In addition, quicklime decreases foul odors.

Where can I find lime to bury an animal?

You will find it in all DIY stores (Leroy Merlin, Castorama, etc.) and at suppliers or wholesalers of building and construction materials. Otherwise, you can order it on the Internet:

Quicklime

Shroud

Here is a cloth that you can use as a shroud to bury your cat in your garden. 100% cotton, its material is perfect for wrapping your cat's body before burying it.

Cat shroud

Wooden casket

Rather than buying a cat casket which will cost you dearly, here is a wooden chest that is perfect for a cat's remains and much cheaper.

Cat casket

Commemorative plaque

Here are two examples of a plaque or sign that you can place where you buried your cat in your garden.

Commemorative plaque

Commemorative panel

Can you bury your cat without lime?

The risk of not adding lime is that when your cat's body decomposes naturally, it risks diffusing dangerous bacteria or germs into the soil and thus contaminating it.

How deep to dig to bury a cat?

Legally, a minimum depth of 1,20 meters must be respected. But I recommend that you dig up to 1,50 m and especially to choose a place far from water points and the passage of pipes or other pipes.

Where to bury your cat when you don't have a garden?

For those who do not have a garden, they can bury their cat in a animal cemetery.

Cemetery to bury your cat

To bury your cat in an animal cemetery, you will have to choose between burial of the body in the ground or in a vault.

If you choose a burial in the ground, it will be necessary to proceed as indicated above: Wrap the body of the cat in a cloth, put lime and place it in a wooden, cardboard or wicker box.
If you opt for the vault solution, it is much more expensive because you will have the purchase of the coffin, the rental of the concession and the annual maintenance costs. Depending on the cemeteries and the options chosen, the burial of your cat's remains in a special animal cemetery will cost you between 200 and 800 Euros.

Be aware that you can use a funeral director specializing in animal remains. They offer to provide the coffin, to transport the body, to proceed with the burial in the grave and to have a small ceremony.

Where can I find a cat cemetery near you?

Your best bet will be to call your town hall directly, which will give you the coordinates of the animal cemetery closest to you. There are about thirty of them all over France which are very often called dog cemeteries. However, they are cemeteries for all small pets (dogs, cats, rabbits, ferrets, hamsters).

Otherwise, I suggest you consult the list of cat cemeteries on my article What cemetery for her cat?

Can you bury your cat in your garden?