Pets in your will: plan for their care

By SwiftWillUpdated 30 September 2026England and Wales

Quick answer

Choose someone willing to care for your pet, plan what happens if they cannot, and leave clear care notes and an emergency contact. Money for upkeep goes to a person or organisation, not directly to the animal. SwiftWill can record a named carer and an optional cash gift, but its care wish is non-binding; conditional gifts, trusts and formal backup arrangements need individual advice.

Who should look after your pet if you die?

Start with a trusted person who has agreed to the responsibility. The RSPCA recommends asking a family member or friend if they can care for a pet that outlives you. Discuss the animal's routine, space, other pets in the home and the cost of food and treatment before naming anyone.

Choose an emergency contact as well: the person who can help immediately may be different from the intended long-term carer. Battersea's planning guidance recommends someone who knows your wishes and can care for the animal while arrangements are made. Tell your executor who these people are.

Can you leave money to a pet in your will?

An animal cannot receive an inheritance directly. The Law Society's analysis of pets and wills explains that animals cannot own property and that an outright gift to an animal is ineffective. A gift to a person with a request to provide care is different from a carefully drafted condition.

Decide whether you are comfortable trusting the recipient to use a gift as you wish. If you need enforceable obligations, a separate fund or rules for unused money, ask a solicitor. Do not copy a pet-trust clause into an automated will. Our guide to trusts in wills explains why individual drafting matters.

What should a practical pet-care plan include?

Create care notes the next person can use on the first day. GOV.UK's pet-care guidance covers food, water, suitable housing, behaviour, companionship and protection from pain and illness. Turn those needs into useful details:

Identify each animal. Record its name, species, description and where its microchip or other identification records are kept.
Record contacts. Include the agreed carer, emergency backup, vet and any charity-scheme contact.
Describe daily care. Note food, routine, exercise, behaviour and whether animals need to stay together.
Explain health needs. Keep current veterinary instructions, medication details and insurance information easy to find.
Discuss costs. Use your own food, insurance and vet bills to discuss a realistic budget; do not assume a fixed gift covers every future expense.
Plan immediate access. Agree who can reach the animal and its supplies if you die or go into hospital unexpectedly.

Keep these notes separate from the will so practical details can be maintained. Link their location from your executor handover; a letter of wishes can explain your preferences. Do not use informal notes to change a gift in a signed will.

Which charities can help if no friend or relative can?

Apply directly and check the scheme's conditions before relying on it. The following published arrangements were checked on 30 September 2026. Eligibility, admission and collection arrangements differ.

Pet-care schemes: current options and limits to check
Scheme	Published position	Important next step
Dogs Trust Canine Care Card	For dogs if the owner dies or becomes seriously ill, subject to the scheme's conditions.	Complete the application and arrange interim care. Exclusions include dogs living overseas and specified legal, aggression or health restrictions.
Cats Protection Cat Guardians	A free service to care for and seek a new home for a registered cat after the owner dies.	Register directly and discuss how the charity will be told that help is needed.
RSPCA Home for Life	Closed to new pets and application packs. Existing registered-pet commitments will be honoured.	Existing members should check their arrangements; new applicants need another option.

A general gift to an animal charity and registering your own animal for care are separate decisions. Confirm the care arrangement with the charity and follow its current instructions; simply naming a charity is not an application to its scheme.

What can SwiftWill's pet section do?

It lets you describe each pet, name one carer with their address and optionally leave that person a cash gift for upkeep. The resulting clause gives the pet and any cash to the named person, and expressly treats the care request as a wish rather than a binding condition. You can review the document before payment; the service does not individually assess whether your chosen person can provide care.

There is no separate substitute-carer field and no pet trust. A name in your care notes is not a formal alternative gift. If your plan needs a binding backup, conditional payment, charity-specific drafting or long-term control of funds, use a solicitor for your will.

When should you review the arrangements?

Review them when you get another pet, an animal dies, your carer moves or becomes unable to help, or your pet's health or behaviour changes. Dogs Trust specifically asks members to keep their contact, guardian, microchip and medical details current. Check any scheme membership directly as well as your own notes.

If the person or gift named in your will needs changing, follow the guidance on updating your will. Keep the signed original safe and make sure your executor can find both it and the practical care plan. The free will planner can help organise your wider preparation.

Sources

The Law Society: Pets win prizes, February 2025 (legal distinctions and drafting limits)
GOV.UK: Caring for pets
Dogs Trust: Canine Care Card, process and exclusions
Cats Protection: Cat Guardians
RSPCA: Home for Life, current closure notice
Battersea: Forever Loved, interim care and contact arrangements

Sources and SwiftWill's pet-section features checked 30 September 2026.

Which related guide should you read next?

Appointing a guardian in your will — Who can appoint a guardian for a child, when the appointment takes effect, choosing a back-up, who manages the money, and unmarried fathers' position.

Care home fees and your will — How councils in England and Wales assess care costs, when your home counts, what deprivation of assets means, and what a will can and cannot do.

How to change or update a will — Change a will with a codicil or a new will, never by writing on it. How marriage and divorce affect a will, when to review it and how SwiftWill updates work.

Life insurance, pensions and your will — Which assets pass outside your will: life cover in trust, pension death benefits, joint accounts and joint property, and how to keep them in line with it.

Frequently asked questions

Can I leave money directly to my pet in a will?

No. An animal cannot inherit money directly. You can plan through a gift to a person or an arrangement with a charity; ask a solicitor if you need conditions controlling the money or care.

Does naming a pet carer mean they must take my pet?

Do not assume that they will accept. Ask first and discuss their home, other animals, time and likely costs. In SwiftWill's pet provision, the wish that the named person provides care is expressly non-binding.

Can SwiftWill include a backup pet carer?

The pet section records one named carer per pet and an optional cash gift. It does not have a separate substitute-carer field. Discuss a practical emergency backup and get individual drafting if you need a binding alternative gift or care conditions.

Is the RSPCA Home for Life scheme accepting new pets?

No, according to the RSPCA page checked on 30 September 2026. It says the scheme is closed to new pets and application packs, while commitments to already registered pets will be honoured. Check the current page rather than relying on an older leaflet.

Should I put daily pet-care instructions in my will?

Keep practical details in separate care notes so you can update them when food, medication or contacts change. Tell your carer and executor where those notes are. The notes support the arrangements; they do not replace any gift or condition that needs to be in your will.

What happens to my pet before the estate is dealt with?

Arrange an immediate contact who can feed, house and get help for your pet. A charity scheme may require interim care while it arranges admission; Dogs Trust specifically asks the dog guardian to organise this. Tell the contact how to reach your vet and find the care notes.