It’s Not “Just” A Dog Or A Cat: Why This 26-Year-Old Funeral Director Started A Pet Memorial Service

If there's one thing pet owners don't want to think about, it's the impending death of their beloved animals. As if grieving weren't hard enough, the logistics of giving them a proper send-off aren't always straightforward – any pet owner will tell you that saying goodbye involves so much more than just retrieving their ashes and storing them at home.

Which is why Rachael Tay, a third-generation funeral director and the owner of two cats, decided to start Everpet, a pet funeral and cremation service that provides all-in-one afterlife services to help families honour the memory of their companions.

"After years in this industry, I realised that all these rituals and farewells that we give to our beloved family members are something we should be giving to our pets as well, because they are also our family members," Rachael says. "I have two cats at home and I've always felt that the farewells we give them should be equally dignified and respectful."

Everpet provides a full suite of pet afterlife services: from pickup services, arranging farewell ceremonies, to a pet spa – a cleansing treatment to help pets look their best for their final sendoff.

"We clean their paws, ears, and fur," Rachael says. "It's healing and symbolic because these are things pet parents do for them every day. They clean them after walks and brush their fur to make them comfortable. Families often tell us it feels comforting because it feels like they're preparing them for bed and tucking them in one last time."

"Throughout the steps, we tell families to say nice things. When we clean their ears, we say, 'Only hear the good things we will say to you. Hear our love for you.'"

"As Asians and Singaporeans, sometimes we don't say what we want to say. We don't really express ourselves. So we help them say it if they're unable to, or if they're too overwhelmed. We tell families to talk to them as they would, and not have any last regrets. Say your I love yous, thank yous, and sorries."

Farewell ceremonies are completely bespoke: families can opt for Buddhist chanting to bring blessings during the ceremony, and they after it's over, they can sign up for grief support to process their loss.


IMAGE: EVERPET

Everpet is also one of the few studios in Singapore that uses water cremation, an eco-friendly alternative to flame cremation. While families aren't permitted to attend the cremation due to logistical issues, Rachael and her team at Everpet also do their utmost to ensure that it still feels meaningful to pet parents.

"We have one family who [sent] us a voice memo to play to their pet when we were starting the water cremation," she shares. "It [said] something like, 'I love you and just they're going to bring you to do your favourite swimming now.'"

To commemorate World Pet Memorial Day (9 June), we met up with Rachael at Everpet's studio for a chat on loss and on grieving a pet in a world that says it's "only" a dog or a cat.

Your family's been in the funeral industry for three generations. What are some of your earliest memories of death and grief?

A lot of parents try to shoo their kids away from seeing funerals or even death. But for myself, growing up, it was a very common sight.

I may not have understood what death was really about, but they had already started to expose me to funerals. As a kid, I felt it was a place where family members gathered around to be there for each other. You would see a lot of family and friends at the void deck, and I felt it was a very comforting sight, where everyone was there for each other.

Growing up, I felt this was a very meaningful career because you're really helping family members during this last period to say a dignified farewell.

Tell us about how your two cats inspired you to start a pet funeral home

Everpet was started in October 2025. We like to say Everpet was inspired by my two cats, Soujirou and Jacob. They were the first two cats we had that really made us feel like pets are our family members.


Rachael's two-year-old cat, Jacob, at the vet | IMAGE: RACHAEL TAY

Jacob especially inspired us to start Everpet because we found out he has an incurable heart disease when he was around one year old. Luckily, both of them are still with us right now. But as funeral directors, we got to thinking: what exactly will happen when they pass on?

We did our research and realised that most of the options we are familiar with for people — having a funeral, rituals, rites — weren't very common for pets. For pets, a lot of times, it's a very simple cremation. Usually, the vet handles it, and after the cremation, the family receives the ashes.

What did you want to do differently with Everpet?

At Everpet, we want to give boutique care. That's why every day, we limit our capacity to serving only five families, so we can give each of them personalised care, attention, and time.

We have two farewell rooms downstairs, so families get to spend time with their pet for the farewell ceremony. They can invite friends, family members, and even colleagues.


The Starry Room is designed to help families feel as if their pet is going to sleep one last time | IMAGE: WONDERWALL.SG

We have a guided care specialist who brings families through this journey. We also do things like the EverLove Spa and little rituals to help them move towards comfort. We teach them how to say goodbye, brush their fur one last time, and do all these things that, if there wasn't a guided specialist around, they may not know how to do.

We also try to make it personalised because every pet's life is unique. We have our own in-house flower studio, so if families request a specific colour or flower, we can prepare that for them. We've even had a family that wanted to deck out the entire hall with fresh flowers.

How far in advance do people usually book your services? Do they ever pre-plan for their pet's passing?

Pre-planning is more normalised for people now, but it's still pretty new for pets. It's something we are advocating and educating pet parents to start doing.

Some pet parents start planning once they receive news from the vet that their pet may not have much longer, or if their pet has cancer, or if they're considering euthanasia.

But we also tell pet parents that pre-planning doesn't matter what stage their pet is in. It's not about thinking about the worst. It's a form of love. The more you love your pet, the more anxious, sad, and panicky you're going to be when they leave. When the time comes, you're not going to be able to think straight, and you need someone there for you.

Even knowing who to call first is already a first step towards pre-planning.

What are some of the most touching or memorable ways you've seen people say goodbye to their pets?

It's usually the simplest phrases. During the farewell ceremony, they'll say things like, "Don't worry, we'll meet again at the Rainbow Bridge."

Sometimes during pickups, when we're leaving, they'll say, "Don't worry, just go with them to gai gai (walk), okay?"

You offer Buddhist monk chanting at Everpet – any other similar traditions that families can partake in?

At the Lotus Room (left) families can observe Ji Ling, and in the Blessing Room (right), they can give their pets one last blessing before bringing them home | IMAGES: WONDERWALL.SG

The Lotus Room [within Everpet's studio] is for the Buddhist and Taoist tradition of the 49th-day Ji Ling. During this 49-day period, they believe that the souls of humans or pets are still in this realm. Family members are welcome to come anytime during that period as long as they make an appointment with us.

We have niches where we help family members offer food, and we arrange monk chanting sessions on the seventh day and the 49th day. This helps them transition smoothly into their next life.

And it's a form of remembrance. They come and speak to them, bring food, and spend time with them. We've had families bring cake, popcorn, nuggets, home-cooked food — food that their pets used to love eating. It's a very nice way for them to remember their pets.

I imagine that saying goodbye can be very emotional. What are some of the hardest things you've seen families go through here?

For pet grief, sometimes it's as hard or even harder than losing a family member. To a lot of pet parents, pets are like their babies. Losing them is one of the hardest things they go through.

[Pet parents] often regret not spending enough time with them, not taking one last walk, or putting something off because they thought there was still time.

That's why we encourage people to spend more time with their pets and really appreciate the time they have with them. Pets don't ask much of us. They just want our company and our time.

At 26, you're a very young person in the funeral industry. Is there anything fresh you're trying to bring into conducting funerals?

The first way we're trying to change this industry is by redefining how farewells can look.

Even in the way we design our space and the entire experience, it's less cold, less morbid, less scary. We want to make it a calming experience for family members.


The VIP Garden Room is one of two farewell rooms, and was inspired by the concept of a rainbow bridge | IMAGE: WONDERWALL.SG

For families with children, they come here and they're not scared of the place. We have snacks for them, so they actually like coming here, and they can take part in the farewell experience for their pets. 

True, kids often learn about death through the passing of their pet. Do families ever bring their kids along for these farewells? How do children usually take it?

When families bring their children here, younger children may not know exactly what's going on. Sometimes they ask their parents, "Why are they lying there?"

Being able to take part teaches them about the grief journey. We let them brush the fur or offer flowers. Sometimes children don't want to join at first, but when they see their parents or older siblings doing it, they join in.

A lot of parents think children shouldn't join because they may not understand or it may scare them. But we realise that in a supportive environment, with their parents around, it can be a way of healing for them too. They understand more than we know.

Can you think of an especially touching moment you saw, like someone saying goodbye in a unique way?

We had one family who dressed up in matching colours because their pet loved Stitch from Lilo & Stitch. They dressed in hues of white and blue and brought balloons.

It became like a celebration of their pet's life rather than a very sad funeral. Of course, they were still crying, but it felt like a very heartwarming environment where everyone was there for each other.

At the end, they played a song from Lilo & Stitch. When we were about to bring the pet away for cremation, they stopped us and said they needed to play this last song for their pet, because it was like their lullaby when they went to sleep.

You grew up around funerals for humans and now you're doing funerals for pets. Is there any difference in the way people grieve?

I think grief, whether it's losing a family member or a pet, is the same type of grief. It's the same sadness and pain, but it's expressed differently.

For people, grief is more accepted when you lose a family member. For pets, it's still not as accepted in society. There are still many people who may not understand what it feels like to lose a pet. They might say, "Why are you so sad? It's just a dog. It's just a cat."

Everpet currently offers their services to cats, dogs, and other common household pets like rabbits, hamsters, and birds | IMAGE: EVERPET

We've had clients tell us they feel very sad when they hear this because to them, their pet was a family member. But they feel like their grief isn't accepted by friends or family, so they don't dare to talk about it.

When you lose a family member, people understand and give you time, space, and support. When you lose a pet, sometimes you don't get that same grace. That's the difference we see. But to us, the grief is the same.

When families leave Everpet, what do you hope they carry with them? How do you hope they feel?

Through these rituals, rites, and the entire farewell process, we start families on this healing journey. We help them express the love, last words, and memories they share. I hope that when they leave our studio, they leave with a sense of comfort.

I hope they leave knowing they have no regrets, that they have given the best they could have for their pets, and that they have given them a very dignified farewell. I hope they feel that their pets are now happily, peacefully, and healthily across the Rainbow Bridge.


Everpet also offers services that turn ash and fur into keepsakes | IMAGE: EVERPET

A lot of times, during the farewell, families come in crying their eyes out. But throughout the ceremony, they start talking and sharing stories. They talk about the funny things their pet did, or their fondest memories, and then you hear them smiling and laughing.

That's what we mean when we say we want to start them on this healing journey — letting them honour and remember these memories as a last way to say goodbye.

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