Many of the cats who come to us find themselves without a home because their owner died. Unfortunately in these cases no legal plans were made to ensure the care and safety of the pets. Sometimes it is assumed that a family member will take on the care and responsibility for a pet but these arrangements are rarely formalized and many family members do not want or cannot care for another pet. This is a chronic issue we see over and over again and we want to help families make plans so that their precious animals have a safe spot to land.
Death of an owner is the reason given for over 50 percent of the cats that have come to us.
We have created this page to provide resources, templates and answers so that you will be better prepared. No one knowns when they might die or when a serious medical condition could arise so we encourage everyone regardless of age to utilize these resources.
If you have additional questions please reach out!
What to plan now – a checklist
This checklist will help you work though who is best to look after your pets should you no longer be able to. This checklist is also available to download.
- Make a list of options (family, friends, neighbours, organizations) that may be able to care for your pet should something happen.
- Consider the following questions, this will help you narrow down which options would work best and what kind of information you’ll need to talk to them about.
- What do you want for your pet in the future?
- What kind of home environment would work best for them?
- Can they live with other animals? Young children?
- Do you have more than one pet, do they need to go together?
- How much time per day/week is your pet used to receiving?
- How much does it cost to care for them on a weekly, monthly, yearly basis?
- Are you able to set money aside for their future care or will the potential caregiver need to handle the costs?
- Do they need any medications or accommodations?
- Narrow down your options and contact the ones that could be the best fit. Discuss your pet’s needs and costs to ensure the potential caregiver has a clear picture of the responsibility.
- Create an written agreement with the caregiver.
- Create a legal will and include your pet through a pet trust or other gifting the animal to a named person.
- If you live alone arrange a daily check in with a friend, neighbour or family member. No pets should be left without care when their person dies. Also include your pet’s information and care details in an easily seen location (like the fridge) so everyone knows there is a pet in the home and how to care for them.
- Considerations for your will:
- Decide if you’ll leave money (a fixed sum or a trust) and specify purpose (food, meds, vet care, boarding).
- Write up a current care plan for your pet and update it as things change. Have a digital copy and a hardcopy in an easy to find place. Consider sending this to the future caregiver or leaving a copy with your veterinary clinic and your will.
- Include: Name, diet & feeding schedule, litter type, exercise and behavior notes, dislikes, allergies, medical needs and photos.
- Vet name, clinic address, phone, account number; vaccine dates, medications and the most recent medical summaries.
- Microchip number and company, phone number, photo of the cat for ID.
- List of meds, where they’re stored, preferred pharmacies and suppliers, allergic reaction to some type of medication.
- Pet insurance policy details (if any); recurring costs estimate (food, meds, grooming)
- Ensure all information pertaining to your pet is kept in a physical folder near your will. Have a digital copy as well and let the legal advisers where they can find all of these documents.
Download template letters and authorizations:
Adding pets to your will
Pets are legally considered property in Ontario. This means you cannot leave property, money or other assets directly to an animal. You can’t write “I leave $5000 to my cat Max” in your will as it will not be legal.
You can gift the animal to a named person in your will and leave that person money for the pet’s care (testamentary gift). This relies on the person accepting and using the money as intended. It is advised to name a primary and secondary caregiver in case the primary is unable to take on the responsibility. A judge will not force the named person to care for your pet (unless there is a formalized contract or trust), which is why it’s very important to have regular conversations with that person to ensure they are able to care for your pet. If a caregiver refuses to take on the pet they also forfeit the money that has been left for the animal.
A pet trust is another option that leaves money for the benefit of the pet and appoints a trustee to manage funds and an identified a caregiver to provide day-to-day care. It is important that the trustee has oversight to ensure funds are being used appropriately and the pet is well cared for. This is done through a beneficiary, residual beneficiary or a court appointed representative. Pet trusts are commonly used in Ontario; however, this should be done carefully with legal considerations to avoid it termed as invalid.
If you become medically incapacitated your power of attorney now has decision making ability. Include specific instructions indicating the use of your funds to provide for boarding, veterinary care and daily needs of your pet.
It is important to keep your will up to date. If your chosen caregiver is no longer able to take on that responsibility, your pet’s health/medical needs change or anything else changes your will should be updated to reflect this.
*Please note this information has been researched but not verified by a lawyer. We do recommend working with a lawyer to ensure all future planning and wills are legal.
What if you don’t future plan for your pet?
In the absence of specific instructions, your executor is responsible for dealing with “personal property” (which animals are considered in Ontario). If you don’t have an executor one will be appointed by the court. The executor will get to decide what happens to your pet.
This could include rehoming, surrender to an animal shelter/rescue, or euthanasia.
Legal Resources in Ontario for Wills
While we do recommend working with a lawyer we understand this can be cost prohibitive for many people. Below are some legal resources that may be able to assist.
Legal Aid Ontario – you can search for community legal clinics in your area
Pro Bono Ontario – Free legal hotline that provides basic advice
Ontario Government – Learn more about estate planning, wills and additional resources
Steps to Justice – Provides information and guidance on creating wills and power of attorney
Law Society of Ontario – referrals to lawyers and paralegals.
Pet Organizations that may help with future planning
An animal organization might be at the top of your list when future planning for your pets. It might also be the only option if friends and family are not viable options.
The intake of your pet into an organization could depend on a lot of factors like time of year, space at the shelter or an available foster home, whether the organization can accommodate your pets medical needs or behaviour.
If an organization is on your list of potential options please contact them to find out if they have a program to assist and any other steps you may need to take.
Super Senior Cat Sanctuary – you can contact us about caring for your super senior cat should anything happen to you. A few things to keep in mind: we are a very small organization and rarely intake more than 10 cats per year. Taking in a cat short notice requires an available foster home that is able to care for the particular needs of the cat. We would encourage anyone listing our organization in their will to include additional options in case we are unable to help.
My Grandfather’s Cat – provide courtesy posting for families when the owner is in hospital or has passed away. They usually have a long waitlist and do not intake the cats themselves (so the family needs to foster them until a home is found). Contact them
Page last updated August 2026