For many pet owners, their animals are more than just a pet. No matter if it’s a horse, fish, cat, dog, rabbit or another living creature you bring into your home, those pets become a member of the family. That means it can be devastating when these treasured family members pass on, and you face the difficult decisions surrounding what to do with your pet’s remains.
Fortunately, there are many options, so you can pick the one that will help you get through the grieving process and best remember your pet companion. If you decide to cremate your pet, there are several ways you can create a beautiful, lasting memorial from your pet’s cremains.
What Do You Get Back From the Pet Crematorium?
We often refer to pet cremation remains as “cremains.” The word cremains comes from the phrase “cremated remains” and is often the preferred term over ashes because it’s more than just ash.
Often, families are a bit surprised at the appearance of the cremains that return after the cremation process. Even though remains are often referred to as ashes, they do not usually resemble ashes like those we recognize from a fire. The cremains returned to you should be grey-white and have a sandy texture, although other colors are sometimes present and should be no cause for alarm. The cremation process, consumes all tissues except for the bones. After the pet cremation process, the remains go through another step that turns the bones into a finer texture. The remains should appear somewhere between gravel and a fine powder, depending on the level of processing.
Cremation provides you with remains that you can keep safe in an urn, bury or spread in a cherished family location, or design within a creative memorial. With all the end-of-life choices available for beloved pets, cremation can genuinely be a suitable choice for families, especially if each family member would like something unique to remember the pet by. Cremation can also be an affordable choice and potentially a readily available option, depending on your location.
Ultimately, your religious or spiritual beliefs and traditions, as well as finances and the way you would like to remember your pet, can inform your choices.
What to Do With Pet Cremains
Once the cremation process is complete, and your pet’s cremains returned to you, you may wonder what to do with your pet’s ashes.
The most common option is to spread the cremains in a significant location, whether it’s in your family’s yard or garden, or a favorite park or vacation spot. Each family will have different locations that hold special memories with their pets. Consider places your pet particularly enjoyed, places you have memories together or places where you’d enjoy visiting and remembering your pet. Did your pet enjoy local parks or go on vacation with you to the family cabin? It could also be as simple as choosing a special spot in your flower garden.
It is perfectly safe and legal to spread your pet’s remains on your private property, or another’s property with permission. However, some people have concerns if they rent rather than own their property or plan on moving.
If you consider a park or another public place, note that some locations, like national parks, have certain regulations about spreading remains. Be sure to check in with the rules of each public location in consideration.
You can also choose to keep your pet’s remains in an urn or another vessel in your home. If you would like something creative, you can make your pet’s ashes into a unique work of art or a keepsake from the cremains.
Pet Memorial Ideas
Aside from burial options and spreading ashes, there are many creative ideas and options available to create a lasting memorial for your beloved pet:
Why Do Something With Pet Ashes After Cremation?
For many of us, losing a pet is one of the hardest things we’ll experience in life. And just as with human family members, the act of having funerals or ceremonies, or creating lasting memorials, can help family and friends acknowledge and process the death. When we have reminders of departed loved ones — photos, rituals and special mementos — it keeps their memory alive and maintains the relationship we had with that person or pet.
Some people even opt for a small ceremony for their departed pets. Even if it is a casual or quick event, these rituals help us deal with the grief and pain of losing loved ones and allow us to have a proper goodbye. Having ceremonies and rituals also helps us associate a more positive memory to keep going back to. Once you can pick up your pet’s ashes, you may choose to say a few words of remembrance or perform other rituals that allow the family to grieve.
If you already selected an urn, find a special location in your home for this important memorial piece to be displayed. You may want to place other special objects near the urn — such as a framed photo of your pet, their collar or a favorite toy. Objects like these help us retain the happy memories of our pets alive and playing, instead of just the memory of their death.
Each person’s experience with a pet’s death is different. They will process emotions differently and have unique wishes for what to do with the pet cremains. Many people are comforted in having their pet’s remains nearby, which explains the growing popularity of pet cremation. The wide variety of choices for what to do with the ashes means there’s something out there to suit anyone’s preferences.
Children can have an especially difficult time dealing with the loss of a family pet, so it is important to include them as much as possible in any memorial ceremonies, or even in choosing an urn or other physical memorials. If you have children, share memories and photos with them, talk with them about their pet’s life and reassure them that their pet will not be forgotten. Encourage them to journal or create artwork in remembrance.
Depending on their age, children may process the loss differently. Be sure to answer any questions they may have openly and honestly. Offer support and be patient as they deal with their own emotions. It may be helpful to find books or other resources to help your child through their grief process and understand that they are not alone.
Having a tangible object to serve as a memorial, whether a stuffed animal or glass ornament, does not replace our beloved pets but keeps the memories and spirit of our pets alive in our families long after their passing. This is important for anyone, but especially for children.
How to Decide What to Do With Your Pet’s Ashes
With all of the options available today, it can seem overwhelming to decide what to do. And if your pet has very recently passed on, the grief and emotions can make it challenging to make a choice. Because of the feelings you navigate in the moment of loss, it can be a good idea to plan for these events and think about what you might like to do after your pet passes away. If it is a family pet, discuss with all members of the family, including children, what they each might like to do.
When deciding what to do with your pet’s remains, contemplate all your options. You want to make the decision that’s right for you. Consider your pet’s routines and personality. Were they an outdoor or indoor pet? Did they have a favorite toy and you’d like to keep that with them? If you are choosing an urn or art glass piece, what colors speak to you? Is there a color that reminds you of their personality or their collar? These questions can help inform your decision on what kind of memorial to choose.
Think about if you’d like your pet’s remains physically close to you, or spread in a beautiful natural setting. You may have certain religious or spiritual beliefs or ongoing family traditions that inform your choices too. Would you like something more traditional, modern or creative?
It’s important to note too that you can often choose more than one memorial option. If you like the idea of having an urn, but also would like a piece of jewelry made, you can ask for this accommodation. Many of the memorial options, like jewelry and art glass, only use a small portion of the cremains. You could even have several commemorative pieces created — one for each member of the family.
Contact Agape Pet Services
When you are faced with the loss of a pet, Agape Pet Services can help you make arrangements for a proper memorial that is fitting of your beloved pet’s unique personality. We have family-owned locations in North Carolina, Virginia and Maryland, and we provide a full range of cremation services for your cat, dog, horse or other companion animals. Our caring staff knows how difficult these decisions can be, and we are here to help guide you.
We have a wide variety of urns, jewelry, keepsakes and other memorials to choose from, so you’re sure to find something that’s right for your special pet. We also have resources available to help you in your grieving process. Contact us today. Let us help you through this difficult time and create a fitting and lasting memorial for your cherished pet.
