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Most pet owners consider their fur babies family members.
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So, why then, do so few include plans for them in their wills should they pass before their pets do?
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Willful, an online service to help Canadians set up wills, says their Angus Reid research shows only 6% of pet owners — 8.5 million cats and 7.9 million dogs were considered household pets in Canada in 2022 — make formal arrangements for pets in their wills, making it one of the top reasons the animals end up in shelters.
“Their owners maybe had other end of life plans in place, maybe they didn’t,” said Erin Bury, CEO and Co-Founder of Willful.
“But a lot of times we didn’t think to actually discuss what would happen to our pets, who would take care of them, if we were to pass? It’s very common for someone to pass away and to have not actually discussed that with family members. I think we all assume that our loved ones would take over the care of a pet but it’s a big commitment, right? And there’s not always someone to step up.”
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Bury points to the recent case of two senior bonded cats and siblings Max and Luna in Toronto.
The two 8-and-a-half-year-old felines found themselves without a home after their human accidentally passed away.
The cats were surrendered to the Toronto Humane Society and the new environment took a toll on their health but after a few months Max and Luna found a new forever home and were renamed Salamander and Sam.
“It’s unfortunate,” said Bury. “This person did have a will but they didn’t indicate who would take on the care of the cats.”
With National Pet Day coming on April 11, Willful has partnered with the Toronto Humane Society (their featured charity of the month) to help spread awareness about this issue.
“One of the other things you can do in your will is leave money for their care because, especially with two animals, like two senior cats, there might be vet bills and other care requirements that someone assumes care of them, if they’re not left money, might say, ‘Well, I don’t really want to take on that burden,’” said Bury.
Bury says you can also leave a cash gift or a percentage of your estate to an animal charity.