By Prudence Minayo
Kenyans are becoming increasingly attached to their pets. This has seen a rise in the pet store business, from food to pet spas. It is no surprise that Lee Funeral home decided to come up with a pet cremation facility. The funeral home is known for conducting send-offs for the country’s prominent people including presidents, ministers and other notable movers and shakers.
Here is the story of their Lee Funeral home pet crematorium as told by WoK.
Pet cremation
John Lee, the founder, loves pets and is a proud owner of nine dogs. This is, and seeing a business opportunity, is what spurred him to start a crematorium for pets. Located in Hardy, Karen, the pet cremation facility is placed in a quiet peaceful area as a show of love to pets.
The pet incinerator is located about 16 kilometers from the Lee Funeral Home. A co-director of Lee Funeral Home, Mr. Paul Van Brussel, told Business Daily that Lee’s love for pets is what led to the pet crematorium. The co-director went on to add that while not everyone may be open to a pet funeral, cremating can help an owner deal with the loss of their beloved pet.
“People prefer to cremate their pets so as to keep their memory and feel close to them in case they are moving out of their residents. The opposite will happen when the pet is buried,” said Mr. Brussel who is also a manager of the crematorium.
Cremation services
Their pet service crematorium includes:
- Collection of the pet from the vet or a home
- Transporting the pet to the cremation location using a pet hearse
- Provision of urn
- Transportation of cremated remains to the client’s preferred destination
After the cremation, one can expect to get about 3.5% of the pet’s weight before cremation. While the manager said all kinds of pets, such as, rabbits, hamsters, birds, monkeys, and guinea pigs can be cremated, people mostly cremate dogs with cats coming in second. The business has steadily gained momentum and they can cremate about 3 pets per month.
Costs
The cost is determined by the size of the pet. To cremate a cat that is less than ten kilos one can expect to part with Sh27,000. For a larger dog, the price is at least Sh42,500. Other additional expenses may depend on the type of urn you want the ashes in and where the pet was collected.
Cremation Process
In the process, the remains are incinerated with high heat of between 760 to 982 degrees centigrade. The process can take about two hours but this depends on the size of the animal. The large bone pieces that failed to incinerate are pulverized to fine dust that looks like ash.
The manager explained four ways in which an owner may choose to use the ashes:
- Store them in a pet urn which can be displayed at home. A photograph of tag of the pet can be placed next to the urn, which comes in different styles.
- They can be scattered outdoors
- The ashes can be turned into glass art
- They can be spread under a memorial tree in a protected forest
He said that pet cremation is the most convenient and affordable process to ensure your pet’s memory is always with you.
