Marilyn Cahatol

Article (news)

ABS-CBN News Digital Intern

<div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:604px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1761965723223cropped-DSC04544.JPG" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">Paws To Heaven </span></span></span></div><p>MANILA — After working long hours as a call center agent, devout fur parent Daisy Ramos finds respite in playing with her four cats and one dog as their meows and barks fill the apartment she shares with her father.</p><p>But instead of being greeted by the usual cheers of her pets when she came one day, Ramos was met with bad news. Her 6-year-old ginger cat “Genesis” had passed away.</p><p>When Genesis had fallen ill again, two months after recovering from the flu, Ramos began to worry about her pet’s final resting place as a renter in Metro Manila.</p><p>Her voice broke as she recalled telling him, “Baby, wala kang karapatang mamatay, kasi wala pa tayong bahay at lupa, so wala akong paglilibingan sa&#x27;yo.”</p><p>(Baby, you can’t die, because we don’t have a house or land yet, so I won’t have a place for your burial)</p><p>Her landlord had offered a vacant lot near her building. However, Ramos was resolute in having Genesis buried on land she owned.</p><p>While she works to someday become a landowner, the 26-year-old opted for a similarly gentle method of sending off her pet — aquamation, an alternative to traditional cremation that uses alkaline water instead of fire.</p><p>The day after Genesis’s death, Ramos proceeded to Paws To Heaven, where a 20-minute viewing or wake would be held before he undergoes the aquamation process, which takes one to two days.</p><p>She will also receive framed memorabilia in the form of a paw print and fur keepsake to remember her beloved pet.</p><p>“Nagustuhan ko lang ‘to (aquamation) kasi maki-keep ko siya (Genesis). Parang feeling ko, kahit wala na siya physically, hindi ko na siya malalambing, hindi niya na ako malalambing. Pero, [may] remembrance pa rin na physically, I could see that Genesis is still with me,” she said.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/life/11/01/23/missing-your-departed-fur-babies-remember-them-through-memorial-tiles"><strong>Missing your departed fur babies? Remember them through ‘memorial tiles’</strong></a></div><div><br/></div><div><strong>AQUAMATION SERVICES</strong></div><p>From the tiniest fish to large exotic snakes and even pigs, Paws to Heaven manager April Marquez said they give “afterlife care” for pets of all shapes and sizes.</p><p>Since its establishment in 2021, Paws To Heaven has provided a more accessible and environmentally friendly alternative to traditional funerary rites, as pet aquamation does not involve permits like with burials or the greenhouse gas emissions from cremations.</p><p>Marquez said owner Sandra Lu sought to give pets a more “dignified farewell,” noting the intense heat required for cremation, which can reach up to 1,600 to 1,800 degrees Fahrenheit, while the water used for aquamation sits at around 200 to 300.</p><p>In aquamation or alkaline hydrolysis, the pet is placed inside a stainless steel vessel where the steady flow of alkaline water speeds up the breakdown of the animal’s organic materials, leaving only the bones, which will be granulated afterward and returned to the family in an urn.</p><p>Marquez compared the process to gently placing them in soil.</p><p>The business manager also noted that aquamation yields more ashes that are also white instead of gray and uses 90% less energy than regular cremation. </p><p>According to Marquez, they make it a priority that grieving individuals who are seeking their services be accommodated by a person instead of an automated response on their hotlines and Facebook page.</p><p>“Masakit sa puso kung ikaw ay bigla kang namatayan tapos ang magre-reply lang sa&#x27;yo AI. So, we made sure na there are people online to reply 24/7. Isa yun sa mga pinagmamalaki namin,&quot; she said.</p><p>(It&#x27;s heartbreaking when you lose someone and only an AI bot would reply to you. So, we made sure that there are people online to reply 24/7. That&#x27;s one of the things we&#x27;re proud of)</p><p>Their prices range from P5,000 for 0.5kg animas to P15,000 for 50kg to 60kg.</p><p>Marquez said Paws To Heaven accepts all pets, regardless of their current state or cause of death, apart from rabies.</p><p>As part of their outreach initiative, the business partners with animal shelters to provide free aquamation and memorial rites for less fortunate or stray animals.</p><p>Meanwhile, Ecopet PH is another Quezon City-based pet aquamation service that offers a similar procedure for families with departed fur babies.</p><p>It also holds 20-minute viewings in its “farewell room” and includes fur samples, paw stamp, and photo memorabilia.</p><p>Pet aquamation at Ecopet costs P3,500 for extra-small pets, and their services go up to P8,000 for 15kg to 20 kg animals. Pickups and returns are also free within Metro Manila.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/public-service/2025/5/24/furparenting-101-how-do-we-responsibly-train-our-pets-1507"><strong>Furparenting 101: How do we responsibly train our pets?</strong></a></div><div><br/></div><div><strong>RELATED VIDEO:</strong></div><div style="text-align:center"><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/a0jGFowO6Cs?si=5Q_GBqwYVlrmLJY5" title="YouTube video player" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe><br/></div>

<p>After working long hours as a call center agent, devout fur parent Daisy Ramos finds respite in playing with her four cats and one dog as their meows and barks fill the apartment she shares with her father.</p>

After working long hours as a call center agent, devout fur parent Daisy Ramos finds respite in playing with her four cats and one dog as their meows and barks fill the apartment she shares with her father.

Grieving fur parents choose pet aquamation for accessible, gentle ‘afterlife care’

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Grieving fur parents choose pet aquamation for accessible, gentle ‘afterlife care’

ABS-CBN News Digital Intern,

Mei Lin Weng

Published Nov 01, 2025 11:28 AM PHT

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Fur babies

Pets

Pet lovers

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