Pet aftercare and memorial keepsakes

Offer a caring pet aftercare service from home, working with vets and a crematorium, with memorial keepsakes for families.

Startup cost£500 to £3k

Monthly revenue£300 to £1.8k

Time needed6+ h/week

First incomeMonths

£500-3k
Side hustle
From home
Licence or permit needed

Estimates for a small start in the UK, not guarantees.

Official data

3,381 UK companies in this field, 16% registered in the last 2 years

SIC 96030 “Funeral and related activities”. Source: Companies House, November 2026.

What it is

A home-based service that arranges aftercare for families and vets by booking cremation with a partner crematorium, then provides keepsakes such as paw prints, fur clippings, engraved plaques and memorial boxes. Remains are not kept at your home: collections go straight to the crematorium, carried out by a suitably registered partner, driver or courier.

Your first three steps

Agree a partnership with a local pet crematorium and a collection driver or courier, and confirm that whoever transports remains is registered or approved as required
Source keepsake suppliers and make a small range of samples, then photograph them for a simple website
Introduce yourself to local vets and groomers and leave leaflets or a short information pack

Who pays

Grieving pet owners, and vets who want a trusted aftercare partner for their clients.

How it makes money

An arranging fee per pet plus keepsake sales, with a small margin on caskets, urns and memorial items.

Skills that help

Sensitive, patient communication
Organised with records and paperwork
Creative and neat with keepsakes
Reliable on the phone and email

Watch out for

Animal by-product rules apply to pet remains: check with the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) what registration or approval is needed for collecting, transporting or storing remains, and do not store remains at home unless confirmed as permitted
Check whether running this from home needs permission from your landlord, mortgage lender or council
Public liability insurance and possibly professional indemnity are worth checking
Keep clear records so every pet and set of ashes is tracked accurately
Be transparent with families about what you do yourself and what the partner crematorium does
Emotional demands of working with bereaved owners

Deep research report · UK

Everything you need to start: pet aftercare and memorial keepsakes

Researched with live web search for United Kingdom: real startup prices, the licences and rules, what others charge, a break-even example, how to find your first customers and a 30-day launch plan. With sources.

Startup costs with real prices
Licences, registration and rules
Pricing: what others charge
Break-even example
Finding your first customers
30-day launch plan
Risks and how to reduce them

Ready in about 2 minutes · one-off payment, tax included

See a full sample report

Questions people ask

How much does it cost to start a pet memorial keepsake business?

Estimated startup costs are typically around £500 to £3,000, depending on the keepsakes you offer, materials and insurance. Public liability insurance and possibly professional indemnity are worth checking.

How much can a pet aftercare service earn?

Monthly revenue is typically estimated at around £300 to £1,800, depending on how many families and vets you work with and which keepsakes you sell. Be transparent with families about what you do and what the crematorium does.

Do I need approval to handle pet remains?

Check with the APHA what registration or approval is needed for collecting, transporting or storing remains, and do not store remains at home unless confirmed as permitted. Also check whether your landlord, mortgage lender or council needs to agree.