Pet loss support in the UK.

If you have lost a pet and need someone to talk to today, ring the Blue Cross Pet Loss Support line on 0800 096 6606. It is free, and open from 8.30am to 8.30pm every day of the year. If you have lost a cat, Cats Protection's Paws to Listen line, 0800 024 9494, is there on weekdays. Every line below was checked against the organisation's own website on 21 October 2026, and each entry says what that service does and what it doesn't.

Every line at a glance

Blue Cross Pet Loss Support

This is the one to start with, whatever kind of animal you have lost. Blue Cross says: "For 30 years, we've been here to help you cope with the loss of a pet, either through death, enforced separation or theft." You can ring 0800 096 6606, from 8.30am to 8.30pm every day. Its own page says that to keep calls confidential "we're unable to call you back and we cannot see your phone number".

If talking feels like too much, there are three other ways in. A webchat with trained volunteers runs over the same hours, from the chat icon on its pet loss page; if the icon is missing, no one is free at that moment. You can email plsmail@bluecross.org.uk, and Blue Cross says it replies within 48 hours. And there is a private Facebook group, moderated by its team, for people who would like to read what others have written. Outside 8.30am to 8.30pm, Blue Cross points you to the Samaritans on 116 123.

Cats Protection: Paws to Listen

For people who have lost a cat, including a cat who has gone missing. Ring 0800 024 9494, 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday, except bank holidays. Cats Protection says that if the lines are busy "a call-back service is available", and that its volunteer listeners can't offer counselling but can offer "a sympathetic ear at a difficult time". There is also a support form on the Paws to Listen page. Out of hours, it too points you to the Samaritans.

Cruse Bereavement Support

Cruse is not a pet charity. It supports anyone grieving, and if the loss of your dog or cat has brought up other losses, it may be the better call. Its helpline is 0808 808 1677, free from landlines and mobiles. The hours are 9.30am to 5pm on Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, and 1pm to 8pm on Tuesday. It is closed at weekends. Cruse says the line is busy and suggests ringing when it opens at 9.30am, or between 1pm and 2pm, for a shorter wait.

Cruse has 84 local branches across England, Wales and Northern Ireland, which can offer one-to-one or group support over several sessions. In Scotland the separate charity Cruse Scotland runs its own free helpline on 0808 802 6161. The details are on Cruse's helpline page.

Samaritans

The Samaritans answer 116 123 day and night, free from any phone, including a pay-as-you-go mobile with no credit. The number does not show on your phone bill. Samaritans list "loss, including loss of a friend or a family member through bereavement" among the common reasons people call, and you don't need a bigger reason than a pet to ring. Both pet charities above send their out-of-hours callers here.

Online: The Ralph Site

The Ralph Site is a not-for-profit website about pet loss. It was set up in July 2011 by a vet, Shailen Jasani, after his cat Ralph died following a road accident. It has articles on euthanasia, aftercare and grief, private forums, a Facebook group, and links to pet bereavement counselling. It is not a phone line, so it suits the middle of the night, when you want to read something written by people who understand.

Help with children

Blue Cross has a page written for parents, pet loss support for children. Its advice includes making sure "the child doesn't hear about the pet's death from someone they don't know", telling the truth instead of saying a pet has "gone missing", and using plain words: "dead" or "died" are better than "put to sleep", "which may cause some confusion and anxiety for younger children". Dogs Trust suggests letting children take part in a goodbye, such as painting stones for the grave or helping to scatter the ashes.

Our own guide, how to explain a pet's death to a child, has the words for each age. If a child wants to say something at a goodbye, how to write a pet eulogy can be done together.

When to see your GP

Most grief after a pet needs time and people to talk to, not treatment. Cats Protection's advice is simple: "If your grief becomes complex or prolonged, and you're not coping, please do get in touch with your GP." It's worth going if, weeks on, you can't sleep or eat properly most days, you can't work or look after others, or you feel numb all the time. If you have any thoughts of harming yourself, ring the Samaritans on 116 123 or call 999.

In England you don't have to go through a GP for talking therapy. The NHS says you can refer yourself to NHS Talking Therapies for low mood and worry, as long as you are registered with a GP and are 18 or over (16 in some areas).

Questions about cremation and aftercare

The Association of Private Pet Cemeteries and Crematoria was founded in April 1993 "to set and maintain a code of conduct to ensure quality of service". It can be reached on 0300 199 0199 or at help@appcc.org.uk. Our guides cover what to do when your dog dies, what pet cremation costs and the rules on burying a pet at home.

Understanding what you're feeling

If you are wondering why it has hit so hard, our guide to pet grief explains it, and the stages of pet loss covers what the months after can look like. Some people find other people's words help: our pet loss quotes are each traced to the book or poem they came from.

Small Goodbyes makes memorial portraits from a photo of your pet. None of that is urgent. If a time comes when you want something of them on the wall, the portrait is here, with no time limit.

Sources, checked 21 October 2026

• Blue Cross, Pet Loss Support and Pet loss support for children.
• Cats Protection, Paws to Listen.
• Cruse Bereavement Support, Helpline, About Cruse, and Cruse Scotland.
• Samaritans, Contact a Samaritan.
• The Ralph Site.
• Dogs Trust, Supporting children after the loss of a pet.
• NHS, Talking therapies.
• APPCC.

Hours and numbers change. If an organisation's own page says something different from ours, trust theirs, and tell us so we can put it right.

Written by Craig Fearn, Small Goodbyes. Last updated 21 October 2026.