Our pets will always hold the most special place in our hearts. From the second they come into our lives until they inevitably leave us, they grab hold and carve out the most unique of positions becoming part of our family and leaving behind a space that can never truly be filled again. Some of our homes are ruled by the whims and fancies of our pets, who rule over us as the cutest and most benevolent of dictators.
Saying goodbye to your treasured pet is probably one of the hardest things to have to do. They’re family, but you can’t very well bury them in the family plot at the cemetery. This is where Boocat comes in, stepping up to help you give your little friend the best of sendoffs.
A small business set up one-and-a-half years ago by Kanishka Asela with the help of his close friend Yohan Arun, Boocat is the first and only pet funeral director in Sri Lanka. Asela, who serves as Managing Director, leads a team of five, coming together to help you say that final goodbye to your treasured pet.
An animal lover and pet-owner himself, Asela understands the pain of losing these little extensions of your family. Having seen photos online of touching funeral services organised for pets in other countries, Asela realised that there was no platform in Sri Lanka that allowed people to say goodbye to their departed pets properly, leading him to create Boocat.
Currently operating solely in the Western Province, the Boocat team visits homes (or veterinary offices as the case may be) to take charge of giving your pet the farewell of your choice. Asela explained that Boocat offers three main packages for those looking to say goodbye – pet funerals, pet cremations, and pet burials.
The pet funeral service allows bereaved owners to say goodbye to their pets much the way they would to a human member of the family, with the Boocat team providing a casket, floral arrangements, and other required supplies for the departed pet. All the bereaved owner needs to do is organise for the religious (or non-religious) representative of their choice to preside over the service.
The pet cremation service is for those bereaved owners who want their pet cremated. Boocat arranges for the transport of the departed pet to a private piece of land in Kaluaggala where departed pets can be cremated. Bereaved owners can opt to be present for the cremation or have the ashes of their beloved pet delivered to them within two days of cremation.
The pet burial service allows bereaved owners to choose a final resting place for the departed pet, working with the Boocat team. If the owner’s choice is to have their pet buried privately on their own land, the Boocat team will arrange for the burial to take place. If owners wish for their pets to be buried elsewhere, the Boocat offers burial space within Boocat’s own private land for this purpose.
In addition to the services above, Boocat also issues death certificates to each owner and designs headstones to mark the passing of a beloved pet and their final resting place.
Speaking on the reception Boocat has received since its launch, Kanishka shared that the response to Boocat’s services has been very positive, sharing that the interest in pet funerals is increasing. Boocat builds awareness of its services mainly through social media, also linking with veterinary surgeons in the Western Province. In 2019, Asela’s work with Boocat led him to win the title of Best Young Entrepreneur, at the J’Pura Employability Skills Awards, a competition encouraging young entrepreneurs at a university level organised by the Career Skills Development Society in collaboration with the Career Guidance Unit of the University of Sri Jayewardenepura.
Being able to say goodbye to a loved one, human or otherwise, is an integral part of the grieving process and being able to move on. Through its unique services, Boocat gives bereaved pet owners that bittersweet opportunity of being able to do one last thing for that little companion who brought them so much joy in their shared time together.
