"What is going to happen to my cats if I die?" This was Betty's most concern the night before her hysterectomy while lying on her hospital bed.  Sassy, her 8 year old Siamese was at the time staying with her sister who gladly agreed to do so while Betty underwent surgery and recovered.

But not everyone is so lucky to have a sister, other relative or friend to voluntarily take care of your pet when you can't. Nevertheless, there is a legal document that gives you the power to provide for all your pet's needs, in case you become incapacitated or unavailable to do so. This legal document is called a "Pet Trust".

A pet trust is a formal arrangement between you and two other persons, the trustee and the beneficiary. The beneficiary is the person you will designate to take care of your pet in case you die or become disabled. The trustee is the person that will manage the funds for your pet's care expenses, including the beneficiary's compensation, if any.

In a pet trust you can name the person that will take care of your pet.  You can specify the type of medical care that you want for your pet, the name of the veterinarian that will provide that care and the critical decisions that you would normally have to make should your pet go into a comma or vegetative state. You can also stipulate how often is your pet going to be groomed, what its diet going to be, how are any special needs going to be met and how often will any other of your family relatives going to be able to socialize with it.  You can also provide for your pet's final arrangements when it's passing, should it be buried or cremated. Is there going to be any memorial or commemorative ceremony or special service?  In brief, in a pet trust you can arrange for everything and anything that you want for your pet in your absence or temporary unavailability.

There are several things you must take into consideration when creating your pet trust. First, you must determine who could be the most suitable person to handle your pet's care. This should not present a big issue. That person will be the one relative or friend that has already shown a caring and loving concern regarding your animal and that has held the best relationship with it. Make sure though, that that person agrees to his or her designation, that it wont' represent an exaggerate cost and that he or she has the means to do a good job in providing for your pet's second home and welfare.  Also, you might want to consult with an attorney regarding the different types of pet trust that you can form, the person that would oversee the trust operations and the best ways to fund your pet's care expenses.

Regardless of these and any other considerations, the fact is that if you want to make sure that your pet does not lack anything that you now provide for it, a pet trust is the way to go.