How to farewell your pet if you can’t be there when they die

Pom the cat was 21 when he became unwell.

At the time he was living with his owner’s mum Molly Taylor in Hobart, while his owner, Dan, was living in Sydney.

“When he was diagnosed we Facetimed a bit, but I spoke to the vet and they thought it might be distressing for Pom to see his face,” Molly says.

“Pom was like a child for Dan, they were joined at the hip.

“At the end it happened really quickly, and I got Dan on the phone, after that Pom was purring on my shoulder, he just relaxed.”

Molly bought a wooden box made of black heart sassafras and Huon pine and sent Pom’s ashes to Dan, who had a ceremony for Pom on a headland overlooking the ocean.

While Dan wasn’t able to be there Molly says…