If your pet has just passed away — what to do first →

Sonae & Shippo

A notebook for people caring for a senior dog or cat in Japan, far from home. From the small preparations you can make now, through daily care and the day you say goodbye, to the time after. Start wherever you are.

Where are you right now?

Prepare
End-of-life planning while your pet is still well, and how pet insurance works
End-of-life planning Signs of aging Disaster preparedness Pet insurance age limits DNA health screening Budgeting for senior years
Daily care
Care tips for daily life, and how to choose food
Care tips When they stop eating Dog food comparison Cat food comparison
Nearing the end
What to arrange once time is short, and how to stay close
Being with them at home Taking time off work
Saying goodbye
What to do on the day, and how to choose a cremation service
What to do right away Cremation costs Estimate your cost Types of cremation Choosing a provider Municipal pickup services
After the farewell
Stories from others who have walked this road, and where grief can rest
Stories from other owners Keeping ashes at home If you weren't there at the end The unopened bag of food

About this site

Sonae & Shippo (「そなえとしっぽ」, "prepare & tail") is an independently run site for people living in Japan with a senior dog or cat. Its Japanese-language sister site has spent months researching pet cremation costs, municipal pickup services, and end-of-life logistics across the country. This English section shares what applies to pet owners here regardless of where they're from: how to prepare while your pet is still well, day-to-day care as they age, what to do when the end is near, and where to put your grief afterward.

Almost nobody looks into how pet cremation works, or what a municipality will and won't do, before they need to know. Most people end up deciding on the hardest day of the year, in a language that may not be their first, working from whatever a search result or a receptionist tells them. That is the gap this site tries to close — the research done ahead of time, so the day itself asks less of you.

This section is new and still growing. If something reads unclear or you spot an error, please write to teisei@sonae-shippo.com — we'll check it and fix it.